Embrace, Entice, Emblaze (73 page)

sneaking around behind everyone’s backs, but the thing is, I think Lincoln is losing perspective and I also think that Phoenix is the one doing this. He wants to keep Lincoln and me apart.”

Griffin opened his mouth to speak, but I didn’t let him.

“I know you think we don’t have time to wait for them, but

I’m not going without him. I can’t leave him— not now, not when I know he needs me.” I grabbed the backpack I’d stashed under

the table.

“Go,” Griffin said.

“I’ll be at the airport in two hours. I promise.”

I wasn’t sure what Griffin said, something about watching my

back. I didn’t wait around. The clock was ticking. If I was going to get to Lincoln, it had to be now. I knew he must have known

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where Nahilius was staying. As I walked out of Hades, I spotted Onyx unpacking a case of vodka. “You stealing or helping?” I

asked, not slowing.

“Haven’t decided yet,” he said. “How about you?”

I smiled. “Just going to get what’s mine! Thanks for the info. I owe you one.”

I was halfway through the door and expected to hear a demand

for more bourbon, but there was nothing. He was probably working out a shopping list.

I ran a few streets, keeping an eye out for an empty taxi. Finally, I spotted one and jumped in. Just as I shouted out the address of Nahilius’s hotel and reached to pull the door closed, Spence flew in beside me.

“You promised,” he said, closing the door behind him.

Shit
. “Spence, I’m sorry, but things have changed. They have guns. For all I know, so does Nahilius. I can’t risk it. You might get hurt.”

“Damn it, Eden! I heard you give the address to the driver. I

know where you’re going. Don’t make me pay for my own taxi.”

Here’s the thing about priorities. When your main one is on

the line, you find yourself doing things you would usually put in the “questionable” box. Normally, I wouldn’t risk Spence’s life just to help my own cause; normally, I would kick up a fuss and try to negotiate my way out of this; normally…But nothing was normal

about this situation and well…Priorities.

“Okay,” I conceded. “But if you get dead, it’s on you.”

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“Hey”— he shrugged— “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He

buckled up and smiled with victory.

I’d deal with my conscience later.

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chapter
twenty- one

“Well! Evil to some is always good to others.”

JaNe ausTeN

When the taxi pulled up to the curb, Spence and I all but scrambled out the windows, heaving for fresh air.

Th e driver and his taxi stank. Th e combination of garlic- charged body odor festering for hours on end in terry cloth seat covers with no air-conditioning was pungent. From the moment Spence closed the door, we’d been holding back our gag refl exes as we tried desperately to stick our heads out the small openings the jammed windows permitted.

Stumbling onto the sidewalk, my head was spinning with a

combination of car sickness and repulsion.

Spence took in a few deep breaths. “Wow, that was…” He

scrunched his face while fll apping his T- shirt, aerating.

“Yeah,” I said, gasping for a few cleansing intakes of fresh air too.

Spence waited patiently while I took a moment to right myself.

I hate riding in the back of cars at the best of times.

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“Okay,” I said eventually, as I stood straight and started to

register my surroundings. “We must be close. I can sense exiles.” Spence nodded and looked around. He couldn’t sense

anything yet.

We were outside the hotel Onyx had directed us to, the Luxe

Grand, a five- star hotel with all the trimmings. Standing to attention in crisp, white shirts beneath tailored gray vests were three doormen— one to open car doors, one to take any luggage, and

one to open the hotel doors for guests. The entrance had the

clichéd red carpet in the front, edged with gold pillars and heavy velvet rope. It sent out a simple message—
If
you
can’t afford to be
here, go away.

Spence and I paused. I heard him scoff under his breath. He was in the same pair of baggy jeans he always wore when he wasn’t in training gear and a faded green T- shirt— as opposed to his faded blue T- shirt. Spence wasn’t well off. I looked down at my own very average ensemble: black cargos and a black long- sleeve T- shirt. At least we weren’t wearing flip- flops.

We spared each other a glance, both thinking the same thing,

and shrugged simultaneously before moving toward the red-

carpet entrance.

The doormen each gave us a snooty up- and- down look, but we

didn’t stop. We needed to get up to Nahilius’s room. Unfortunately, Onyx’s text had only said “top floor.” No room number.

We powered through the lobby, not wanting to draw any more

attention to ourselves than we already had, and beelined for the 256

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elevators, deciding to take a chance that Onyx was right.
And
that
he
wasn’t setting us up!

The top floor, which turned out to be the twenty- sixth, consisted of two penthouse suites. Spence and I pressed the number in the elevator and waited.

Nothing happened.

“It’s got one of those swipey things for the top floors,” Spence said, pointing to the electronic swipe machine, which was not

dissimilar to the one I have outside my apartment building.

“How are we going to get one of those?” I asked, feeling every-

thing was against us.

Spence looked over at the reception area and then to where a

maid was busy tidying up some of the lobby tables. He pulled out his cell phone, then dashed over to one of the coffee tables and grabbed a hotel notepad. He dialed a number, and after a short

delay, he coughed and started talking in a deep voice.

“Yes. Hello, I’m staying in the penthouse on twenty- six. I’ve been in meetings all day and am on my way back to the hotel now. I’d like someone to go up and check that the air conditioning is on. Last time I walked in, it was unacceptable.” Then he just ended the call.

I held my hands up as I walked toward him. “I don’t under-

stand,” I said.

But then Spence dragged me back to the elevators. “Just wait,”

he said with a wink.

One minute later, the maid came rushing toward the elevators

and pressed the up button. Spence, who had a hand on my shoulder, 257

Jessica shirvington

put a finger to his mouth to tell me not to speak. It was then that I realized he had us under a glamour.

The elevator bell sounded and the maid ducked through its

doors. We were close behind. Inside, she swiped her key card and pressed the number twenty- six. Finally, I got it. I also saw what kind of glamour Spence had used— nothing. Literally, when I

looked in the mirror, I couldn’t see anything other than the maid.

No wonder Spence wanted me to stay silent.

Who
needs
an
invisibility
cloak
when
you’ve got a Spence?

The ride took a lifetime. I didn’t breathe, I was so scared of

exposing us. Finally, the elevator stopped and the doors slid silently open. Level twenty- six.

We snuck out and waited in the hall as the maid went up to

one of the two doors and knocked. Spence hadn’t clarified which penthouse he was staying in; it was perfect. She was going to have to check both.

The door opened and a scantily clad woman answered the door.

“
Da?
” she said, in what I thought was a Russian accent.

“Madam, I’m sorry but I’m just checking to see that your air-

conditioning is running to your satisfaction?”

The woman, who was dressed in a clingy leopard- print dress,

looked at the maid like she was something she’d stepped in. Spence was shaking a little, and I elbowed him to stop him from laughing out loud.

“’Tis fine,” the woman said.

“Certainly, madam. Sorry for the interruption,” the maid said,

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backing away and giving a little curtsey as she did. I had no idea how much a night in the penthouse cost, but judging from the

woman and the sheer amount of jewelry she was draped in, I was

willing to bet it was a lot.

Spence and I flattened ourselves against the wall as the maid

moved over to the other door, now flustered. This was it. If Onyx was right, Nahilius could be behind this door. My stomach jumped into my throat as we watched the maid give three polite knocks.

Waiting.

Will
Nahilius
be
able
to
see
through
the
glamour?

Waiting.

I felt for my dagger and wondered if today would be the day.

Waiting.

No answer. He wasn’t in.

The maid tugged on the swipe key hanging from one of those

coil key rings around her waist and opened the door.

Spence and I quietly glided through the door before it closed.

We watched silently as the maid checked the air- conditioning unit, pressed a few buttons, and again waited.

We gave each other a look.
What
was
she
waiting
for?
But then, the air-conditioning made a sound and kicked in. We felt a breeze of cool air, which gave me a different type of chill, filter into the room. The maid nodded to herself, checked the digital control

monitor one more time, and left.

Spence took his hand off my shoulder. I knew the moment he did, the glamour would lift, but I didn’t feel anything as it happened. Weird.

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“Holy crap!” Spence said, taking in the gigantic suite we were

standing in. I mean, you think you’ve seen penthouses before, on TV and stuff, but this was something else altogether. It was easily three times the size of my apartment and was only one bedroom.

The living area was a new kind of huge— it had a plunge pool

right in the middle. Steph would have freaked. Or maybe just felt at home.

Spence charged from one end to the other, stopping only to pull out his phone again. I was about to ask when I saw him start to line it up and take photos.

“Spence, we really don’t have time.”

He just shrugged and put away the phone. “Well, he’s not here.

Where to now?”

“I don’t know.” I hadn’t thought beyond getting here. I looked

around, confused. “I could’ve sworn I sensed an exile. I still can.”

“You’ve got a pretty wide range and this is a dense area. You

could be sensing other exiles nearby.”

He was right, and it wouldn’t be the first time. But still, I couldn’t shake the feeling. Something was off.

I called Steph. My only hope was that she might have found

a lead.

“Hey,” Steph said, answering on the second ring. “I was just

about to call you.”

“Please tell me you have something, Steph. I’m nearly out of

time,” I said, feeling as desperate as I sounded.

“It’s not much, but I found one thing. It’s the building Lincoln’s 260

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mom owned. It’s abandoned now, but from what I can see, it was

one of the main assets of her business. The deeds for the property were set aside before she died. I’m guessing somehow Nahilius got her to sign it over to him.”

“And?” I prompted.

“Well, I did a search and the building went on the open market

a few weeks ago. I think he’s trying to sell it while he’s here.” I remembered the text message on Lincoln’s phone. “City

Comm Realty?” I’d given Steph the name, but we’d had nothing to link it to at the time.

“You got it.”

“Where?” It was the best shot we had.

I moved to the window as Steph was talking and looked down

at all the people crowding the city sidewalks far below, the cars streaming by. No one knew what was really going on in this world.

It’s funny, but at that moment more than any other, I knew that if I couldn’t find my way back to Lincoln, then both of us were going to be very lonely. It wasn’t about being together; it was about sharing this life together, about being the partners we were destined to be.