still rushed him without reason or warning. “He doesn’t care that he’s throwing you to the wolves.”
The plan to infiltrate the Oneiros had been put together too quickly, with very little consideration for what would happen if the Ones suspected treachery.
Both Mirren and Elvis had risen and stood at the window, looking out. “They have little reason to trust me. Why would they?”
“They don’t trust me either,” Vince said. “And therefore we can’t afford to trust them.”
Her skin seemed to glow. “I’m listening.”
He knew he’d liked her. “We both want your father dead. We keep that as our main goal—”
“David is my primary goal.”
“Okay, David first. But then your father. And along the way, we can check out the Sandman for Demon Steve.”
Mirren’s full mouth lifted in a challenging smile. “You keep calling him that. Do you think I’m a demon, too?”
“You are a goddess.”
Her smile dropped. “Maybe I don’t want to be a goddess.”
Too bad. “I don’t want to be insane, but I think I am.” He knew he was. “I have a feeling our choices are limited and will grow more so every day, so let’s decide this: You and me. Allies.”
She snorted and looked back out the window. “What happens after we have sex?”
So it was a foregone conclusion with her, too. Good. He didn’t know how smooth or convincing he could be anymore when it came to seduction. Now he just craved . “You and me. Allies,” he repeated. “Whatever happens.”
“You barely know me,” she said. “You can’t make that promise.”
“I can. I will. I’m ready to right now.” They were alike. Dark. Crazy. She had to see that.
“Okay, how about—” she sighed heavily “—you can’t keep that promise.”
“It might not be sane to, I agree,” he told her. “But I will, no matter what. Can you?”
When she turned from the window to face him, her eyes had changed. They were dreamwater dark, though some might see a malevolent gray. But they held the prospect of rest , which was very different from sleep. He was so tired. And there were moments when he thought he might understand her. Or come to.
Mirren looked at him for a long time with those eyes. “All right,” she finally said. “But you’ll regret it. My father shot the last man who got close to me. Who’d promised to be with me, no matter what. Shot him in the head.”
Vince grinned. “If your father gets that close, I’ll have another chance at him myself. In fact, I look forward to it.” As if a bullet scared him.
“Why not choose life and light instead?”
“I don’t know.” He paused a moment to feel out an answer. “Maybe I’m dead already. Maybe I died out in the Scrape and this is all that’s left.”
She made an ugh sound, her upper lip curling. “Have you always been this melodramatic? I hate drama.”
“No, the drama is new.” It had come with the black blood on his hands.
“Work on it.”
“I am. That’s what this is about. Relief.” Heat flashed over him again, some kind of brain fever that wouldn’t clear and sent odd signals to the rest of his body.
“And if you don’t find it?” she asked.
“Then you’ll have to get used to it.” A shiver followed the heat. “I’ll make it worth your while somehow.”
***
Mirren’s stomach was in knots. And she didn’t look right.
“You’re stunning,” Vincent said, after bringing the car he’d borrowed from one of his SpiderSly execs to a stop in front of the hotel. A valet was walking around the front to take the car.
The black dress she’d wanted hadn’t fit her bust without the material puckering underneath, so she’d had to settle for a deep-green one that was supposed to have an A-line, but tented her. Her consolation prize was that the shoes she wore were gorgeous pointed-toe black heels that added four inches to her legs. Four inches brought her to Vincent’s chin.
“Thanks,” she said. “You should know that I
The plan to infiltrate the Oneiros had been put together too quickly, with very little consideration for what would happen if the Ones suspected treachery.
Both Mirren and Elvis had risen and stood at the window, looking out. “They have little reason to trust me. Why would they?”
“They don’t trust me either,” Vince said. “And therefore we can’t afford to trust them.”
Her skin seemed to glow. “I’m listening.”
He knew he’d liked her. “We both want your father dead. We keep that as our main goal—”
“David is my primary goal.”
“Okay, David first. But then your father. And along the way, we can check out the Sandman for Demon Steve.”
Mirren’s full mouth lifted in a challenging smile. “You keep calling him that. Do you think I’m a demon, too?”
“You are a goddess.”
Her smile dropped. “Maybe I don’t want to be a goddess.”
Too bad. “I don’t want to be insane, but I think I am.” He knew he was. “I have a feeling our choices are limited and will grow more so every day, so let’s decide this: You and me. Allies.”
She snorted and looked back out the window. “What happens after we have sex?”
So it was a foregone conclusion with her, too. Good. He didn’t know how smooth or convincing he could be anymore when it came to seduction. Now he just craved . “You and me. Allies,” he repeated. “Whatever happens.”
“You barely know me,” she said. “You can’t make that promise.”
“I can. I will. I’m ready to right now.” They were alike. Dark. Crazy. She had to see that.
“Okay, how about—” she sighed heavily “—you can’t keep that promise.”
“It might not be sane to, I agree,” he told her. “But I will, no matter what. Can you?”
When she turned from the window to face him, her eyes had changed. They were dreamwater dark, though some might see a malevolent gray. But they held the prospect of rest , which was very different from sleep. He was so tired. And there were moments when he thought he might understand her. Or come to.
Mirren looked at him for a long time with those eyes. “All right,” she finally said. “But you’ll regret it. My father shot the last man who got close to me. Who’d promised to be with me, no matter what. Shot him in the head.”
Vince grinned. “If your father gets that close, I’ll have another chance at him myself. In fact, I look forward to it.” As if a bullet scared him.
“Why not choose life and light instead?”
“I don’t know.” He paused a moment to feel out an answer. “Maybe I’m dead already. Maybe I died out in the Scrape and this is all that’s left.”
She made an ugh sound, her upper lip curling. “Have you always been this melodramatic? I hate drama.”
“No, the drama is new.” It had come with the black blood on his hands.
“Work on it.”
“I am. That’s what this is about. Relief.” Heat flashed over him again, some kind of brain fever that wouldn’t clear and sent odd signals to the rest of his body.
“And if you don’t find it?” she asked.
“Then you’ll have to get used to it.” A shiver followed the heat. “I’ll make it worth your while somehow.”
***
Mirren’s stomach was in knots. And she didn’t look right.
“You’re stunning,” Vincent said, after bringing the car he’d borrowed from one of his SpiderSly execs to a stop in front of the hotel. A valet was walking around the front to take the car.
The black dress she’d wanted hadn’t fit her bust without the material puckering underneath, so she’d had to settle for a deep-green one that was supposed to have an A-line, but tented her. Her consolation prize was that the shoes she wore were gorgeous pointed-toe black heels that added four inches to her legs. Four inches brought her to Vincent’s chin.
“Thanks,” she said. “You should know that I
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