Meresin slid a rather ugly look at Phenex before returning his attention to Sofia.
“You’re welcome.”
“You eating with us?” Phenex asked. “Or are you just standing out here looking for
fights?”
“I—”
“Hey!” A warm, female voice cut him off neatly, and Sofia saw the look of absolute
horror on Meresin’s face before she turned to see who else was joining them. She felt
an instant of horror herself as she watched a tall, icy blonde approach. Being surrounded
by impossibly gorgeous people was something she doubted she’d ever get used to, and
this woman was a knockout of the first order. She was what Sofia would have pictured
as the perfect vampiress—ruby lips, long waves of pale hair, cheekbones that could
cut glass. And the body clad in nothing but a black tank and black leather pants could
have stepped right out of a magazine.
The only thing that kept Sofia from being completely intimidated was the fact that
the woman’s grin was about as friendly as it got. That, and the next words that came
out of her mouth.
“You jerk, you’ve been back in town for days and I haven’t heard so much as a Springsteen
riff from you. Nice.”
There was the softest rustle of wings behind Sofia, a breath of air, and somehow she
knew that Meresin had just vanished. The woman’s eyes narrowed, her mouth tightening
just for an instant as her eyes flicked to where Meresin ought to have been standing.
She looked disappointed, but seemed to collect herself quickly.
“Been busy,” Phenex said, and Sofia felt his wing brush her back. “Dru, this is Sofia
Rivera. Sofia, this is Dru, Justin’s sister. Make girly noises at each other for a
sec. I need to go see what crawled up Meresin’s ass and died. Again.”
“Don’t bother,” Dru said flatly, tucking a lock of shimmering hair behind her ear.
“Pretty sure he’s got a virtual cemetery up there, but right now, we both know it’s
me. He’s still mad.”
Sofia accepted Dru’s outstretched hand and looked curiously between her and Phenex,
who seemed to understand what the problem was. Meresin, as she suspected, had vanished
from where he’d been standing.
The big, thickly lashed eyes that settled on Sofia’s face were incredibly friendly
as Dru shook her hand. Sofia found herself unexpectedly at ease with this woman who
looked like some supernatural goddess.
“Sorry,” Sofia said. She wasn’t quite sure what to say.
Dru only laughed, low and warm. “For what? You didn’t run him off.” She looked between
the two of them. “Huh. Justin wasn’t yanking my chain. Go figure. It’s great to meet
you, Sofia.”
Phenex’s hand stroked down her back, just once, and it was all Sofia could do not
to purr. She needed to get a handle on this, she told herself. He wasn’t hers. She
needed to be able to concentrate on other things when he was around.
Yeah, right.
“Stay with Dru. Be right back,” he murmured. Then he was gone, too, and Sofia could
feel the emptiness where he had been. She sighed before she could stop herself, and
when she focused again on Dru, the woman was watching her with a great deal of friendly
interest. Sofia felt herself flushing.
“Huh,” was all Dru said again, and then shook her head. She surprised Sofia by slinging
an arm around her shoulders and leading her toward the restaurant entrance.
“Come on, we can have drinks while we wait for Meresin to zap him and send him on
his way. I need as many juicy details as possible before Phenex comes back.”
Sofia allowed herself to be led, laughing at Dru’s conspiratorial tone. There was
something about her looks that did remind her of Justin, despite the difference in
coloring, but she seemed as playful as he was serious. She was hard to resist.
“I don’t think there are really any
juicy
details,” Sofia protested.
“I beg to differ. We’re talking about a fallen angel who, up until recently, was just
as likely to run you through with one of his precious guitars as look at you. Now
he looks so…
melty
. At least with you. Obviously, there’s a story here.”
Sofia raised one brow and felt her lips curving as she looked wonderingly at Dru.
“You’re going to be very persistent, aren’t you?”
Dru laughed as they swept inside and headed for a long, gleaming glass bar that seemed
to be full of floating candles.
“Sofia, I’ve been working on my technique since Julius Caesar walked the earth. Persistent
doesn’t even begin to cover it. On the upside, I plan to ply you with free drinks,
and I’m a font of Terra Noctem gossip besides. You want info, I’m your girl.”
“Info on, say, why Meresin just pulled a disappearing act?” When Dru looked at her,
startled, Sofia grinned. “You’re not the only one who’s curious. Juicy details come
at a price.” Dru smirked, a conspiratorial gleam in her eye.
“Ooh, you drive a hard bargain. I figured I was going to like you.” She gestured at
a pair of empty stools. “Have a seat and prepare to have your ear bent, then. You’re
going to fit right in down here.”
And though Dru’s easy acceptance was a pleasure, Sofia felt that strange twist in
her gut that she did every time Phenex referred to his house as “home.” It was as
though a place was being made for her even though she hadn’t asked for one. Her own
little niche between Phenex’s instruments, here in the dark. His newest acquisition.
Unsettled, she pushed the thought away. It wasn’t like that. She wouldn’t let it be
like that. This was only temporary, and tomorrow she would get to spend some time
in the sun and clear her head. Things would make more sense then.
She hoped.
“Dinner” seemed like a strange word to use for a meal eaten in a magic city in the
wee hours of the morning with a couple of vampires in attendance. But weird or not,
Sofia found herself pleasantly surprised by Phenex’s group of friends. And that’s
what they were, even if he wouldn’t admit to it.
They’d been given a private room in the back of Flicker, ushered behind a heavy velvet
curtain and seated at a long table that was much like the bar—glass, and filled with
candlelight. The seating consisted of cushioned stools, much easier for the Fallen
and their wings. Phenex had immediately stationed himself on Sofia’s left, and Dru
had happily taken the spot on her right, acting as though she’d known her much longer
than fifteen minutes or so. An unhappy Meresin had been dragged in behind Phenex with
an unpleasant look on his face. Sofia noted how he took pains to sit as far away from
Dru as possible, though he did give Sofia a cordial nod before retreating into menacing
silence. He toyed with a ball of crackling violet light, rolling it between his fingers
with a focus so unnerving that Sofia had to make herself stop staring.
Luckily, there were plenty of other things to keep her attention.
The brush of Phenex’s dark wing against her shoulder turned her attention from watching
Justin, who had wandered in about five minutes after everyone else, arguing over the
optimal layout of dungeons with a white-blond Fallen named Murmur.
“That’s not a subject I thought you’d find interesting,” Phenex said into her ear.
Sofia turned her head to find the corner of his mouth curved up in amusement. The
concern in his eyes, though, surprised her.
“Murmur’s voice reminds me of yours, in a way.”
“Oh?”
The hint of jealousy made her smile. “Mmm. Either one of you could read a phone book
and it would be compelling. I doubt he sings as well as you do, though.”
“He doesn’t,” Phenex replied. “He used it for other things. If you have a secret he
wants to know, there’s no denying him. He was the Questioner of Souls.”
“Ah,” Sofia said slowly. “So he’s all about the dungeon…amenities…then.” She cast
another glance at the icily handsome Fallen who burst into laughter at something Justin
had said before lifting a bottle of beer to his lips. He didn’t look like an interrogator.
And Justin was far more relaxed than Sofia had thought him capable of. A beautiful,
petite woman with a sleek ebony bob and big blue eyes poked him in the shoulder, then
proceeded to whisper something in his ear, grinning wickedly. Vivi, Sofia knew. Justin’s
wife. She seemed like a lot of fun for someone who’d been a vampire hunter not too
long ago. Dru had promised a better introduction later. It was obvious she loved her
sister-in-law.
“Your friends seem awfully normal for a bunch of mythological creatures,” Sofia said.
“What’s normal?” Phenex asked. “Plenty of humans are weirder.” A pair of servers clad
in severe black and white silently set their dishes in front of them. It was an enormous
burger and fries for Phenex, a rustic Italian pasta dish for her. The burger made
her smile. Even not having known him for very long, the fact that he’d ordered something
like that at what looked like a reasonably fancy restaurant didn’t surprise her at
all. He liked what he liked.
Me included
, Sofia thought, and felt her face heating.
A warm biscuit hit her square in the chest. She caught it before it could bounce into
her dish, then whipped around to see where it had come from. It didn’t take long.
“Naughty,” Gadreel scolded her. “I see those red cheeks, Sofia. I sense impure thoughts.”
Phenex gently took the biscuit from her, examined it for a moment, and then, in a
blur of movement, pelted Gadreel with it. It hit him squarely in the forehead before
landing in his bisque, making it splatter.
Gadreel bared his teeth. “I was playing.”
“So am I. It’s a game called Whack-a-Douche. I just set the all-time high score.”
“
Children
,
”
said Levi, who had been in quiet conversation with a tousled brunette Fallen named
Caim. “If we get kicked out before I eat again, I will personally make sure all of
your next assignments involve sewers.”
Sofia didn’t miss the fact that even Levi’s arctic eyes held a hint of amusement,
though he was unquestionably the most stoic of the group.
Scales
, she thought, remembering what Phenex had hinted their leader’s other form was. She
really couldn’t picture it. Levi looked like some ancient warrior, not a monster.
“I thought it was funny,” a deep voice rumbled on the other side of Phenex, and she
watched as Raum, with his ebony curls and white wings, gave Phenex a fist bump.
“You would,” Sofia heard Ember say from the other side of him. She leaned over to
roll her eyes at Sofia, who couldn’t help laughing. This dinner really was bizarre
in its sheer normalcy. Remove the wings and the really suspicious red liquid in several
of the glasses and she could be anywhere.
When Phenex finally turned his attention back to her, she swiped one of his fries
and brandished it at him.
“Somehow I missed this,” she said, “but you’re such a
guy
.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Ouch. Listen close, and you’ll hear the sound of my manly pride
shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.”
She swatted him playfully and hurt the back of her hand in the process.
“Damn it,” Sofia said, allowing him to kiss the stinging knuckles when he reached
for her hand. “You know what I mean. I thought ethereal beings would be less, you
know, earthy.” She popped the pilfered fry in her mouth and began to munch.
That made him laugh. A glance around told Sofia that the sound wasn’t one any of his
friends was accustomed to hearing. Their looks ranged from puzzled to bemused to,
in the women’s case, actually pleased. The last made her feel good. He’d involved
her in a small part of his life tonight, and it made him smile.
“It doesn’t get a lot earthier than Hell. You’re just going to have to trust me on
that,” he said.
She stole another fry. “I bet.”
Phenex watched her and snorted. “We’re going to start talking indentured servitude
if you keep eating my fries. These are some of the best in town.”
“I should have known you were a fry junkie.”
“I am,” he replied. “All strung out on potatoes and oil. I’m just a few steps away
from living in a fast-food dumpster.” He plucked one up for himself and ate it. “There
are worse things.”
Sofia chuckled and turned to her own dish, which, on first bite, was excellent. The
conversation around them ebbed and flowed, both in the room and beyond it, the candles
lending a warm glow to the space. The rest of the warmth came from the people themselves.
Even Meresin leaned in to listen, connected with the rest, although he stayed silent.
She was glad that Phenex was a part of this. Somehow, she’d worried that he’d been
all alone among the brothers he talked about. It was good to see she’d been wrong.
“You’re doing a lot of thinking,” Phenex said. When Sofia turned her head, she realized
he’d been watching her. She smiled, a little embarrassed, while she enjoyed the fact
that he kept his wing curved around her back. It was a wordless pronouncement—
she’s mine
.
“I was thinking that the food is amazing. And that I like your friends,” Sofia said.
The surprised pleasure that lit his eyes made all her earlier worries worth it.
“I’m…glad,” he finally said. “They keep things interesting. I’ll say that.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything different, considering how interesting
you
are.”
Phenex leaned in close, and with his wing at her back, Sofia felt as though the two
of them were wrapped in their own private cocoon. She loved seeing him this way, relaxed
and in his element. His smile was just a little wicked, and Sofia was struck by the
oddest sensation.
She hadn’t understood until right then just how much she’d come to enjoy his company.
How much she didn’t just want him, but
liked
him. A lot.
“You’re looking at me funny again,” Phenex said softly, touching a finger to the tip
of her nose. “If you’re wondering what my opinion is on dungeon design, you’ve got
the wrong guy.”
Sofia laughed. “Trust me, if you never say a word about spikes and oubliettes, I’ve
got the
right
guy,” she said. She could feel the others’ curious eyes on them, even as the conversations
around them continued. It didn’t bother her. Better, it didn’t seem to bother Phenex.