Night Games

1

“You look hot, baby.”

A low wolf whistle pierced the air, and Selina turned away from the window where she was standing, her eyebrow arching high. The sight of a woman in a long, shimmery wedding gown and a leer on her face made her snort. Chloe Standish of the wealthy, influential Standish witch family was not your average bride. Chloe’s best friend, Tess Jones, chortled as she walked out of the bathroom to join them in the big bedroom.

When Selina spoke, her tone was wry. “Thanks, you’re going to make Merek jealous.”

If anyone besides Merek had asked her to be in a wedding, she’d have laughed in his face. But the big warlock used to be her partner in the Seattle Police Department’s Magickal Task Force. The years together meant she’d developed an unfortunate weak spot for the man. Which meant she was not only attending his wedding to a high-society bride, but she was in the wedding party. And wearing a damn dress. She hadn’t worn a dress in at least a decade, and this thing was tight enough to count as a second skin. She had no idea how women wore shit like this on a daily basis, especially considering the high heels were killing her toes.

Uncomfortable was something of an understatement for the day. Her boss, her boss’s boss, and his boss were all at the wedding. Along with every important Magickal law enforcement officer in the city, state, and country, the mayor, and several senators and congressmen who happened to be Magickals as well as elected officials. And they’d all be watching her shimmy up the aisle because the way she had to move in this getup couldn’t be called a regular walk.

Good thing they’d never tapped her to go undercover as a hooker in a prostitution bust. She’d never have pulled it off. Then again, coy flirting had never been her forte. Either a man wanted her or he didn’t. And she wanted him back or she didn’t. End of story. No need to beat around the bush with stupid little mind games. Modern courtship was for the birds. Most of her lovers in the last few years were older Magickals like her, who’d been around the block a dozen times and didn’t want to mess around with all this love and dating crap.

Even then, it had been many months since she’d bothered with sex. Too busy with work, but she’d gone through longer dry spells before, so she didn’t worry about it. If she wanted some play, she could get it. Her hormones decided to give a sharp wail at that moment, telling her that they damn well wanted some play, even if the rest of her was wrapped up in police work.

The bride shrugged, her grin widening. “Merek knows I don’t bat for the other team. But since he’s a guy and that’s how they are, I wouldn’t put it past him to want to watch us together.”

Selina rolled her eyes, but didn’t deny that the other woman was probably right. Men. It didn’t matter their species—Normal or Magickal—they were all the same. “That is both disturbing and typical, all at the same time.”

Turning toward a floor-length mirror, Chloe checked her makeup one last time and straightened the little pillbox hat and short veil she wore. After her parents died, the witch had lived in her Aunt Millie’s mansion in Upper Queen Anne. Selina was pretty sure the old woman had been around in the 1800s when the palatial Victorian-style home had been built. Mildred Standish was a mover and shaker in the Magickal community, representing the Witch Coven on the All-Magickal Council. Everyone knew her name and her fearsome reputation.

It felt more than a little odd to be standing in the woman’s house, but everything about this day was designed to throw Selina off-kilter, so she ignored it and went to help Tess straighten the back of Chloe’s dress.

Tess’s long red hair fell forward to cover her face when she bent down. “I’m just glad Merek didn’t add me to that little fantasy.”

“Oh, he so would. Three hot chicks going at it for his entertainment? Or maybe just the two of you, since he’s probably too possessive to share me.” Chloe’s hazel eyes sparkled as her reflection met Selina’s gaze. “Men. Can’t live with them, illegal to kill them.”

“Mostly illegal.” Selina winked.

“Yeah, damn. There’s that whole having-a-badge thing.”

She arched an eyebrow. “It has its trade-offs for the lousy hours and bad coffee.”

“Cavalli”—Tess sneered the name, referring to her ex-boyfriend and current boss, and her eyes went wolfish, her werewolf fangs sliding down in sharp, deadly points—“installed a fancy espresso machine in the FBI office.”

Heavy, awkward silence filled the room. None of them particularly cared to think about why Tess hated Luca Cavalli so much. Betrayal was an ugly thing. Tess had been Normal this time last year and totally in the dark about magic existing in the world. She’d been dating Luca, who was a vampire; was best friends with Chloe, a witch; and she’d gotten tangled up in a plot by werewolf terrorists to steal the formula Chloe was working on to control the worst effects of werewolves’ full-moon madness. During a fight for their lives, Tess had been bitten by a terrorist and barely survived the Change.

Somehow, Tess had gotten over the fact that Chloe had been lying to her for their entire friendship, but she hated Luca with the fire of a thousand suns. Then again, he was a vampire and she was a werewolf. The two didn’t mix, so even if they still loved each other, there was nothing that could come of it.

Perhaps it was a mercy that Tess hated him.

In the end, there was nothing Chloe or Luca could have done to clue Tess in on magic before she’d been bitten. Magickals had strict secrecy laws. To reveal magic to a Normal without authorization was forbidden, and if you were a werewolf or a vampire and you turned a Normal into a Magickal without permission, it resulted in a death sentence. No questions asked. No appeal allowed.

It might seem harsh, but Selina had been around back when witch trials and vampire hunting had been fashionable. She’d watched good Magickals be murdered because people couldn’t keep their mouths shut. So when the All-Magickal Council had enacted non-disclosure laws, Selina had fully supported them. Her job as a detective meant she helped ruthlessly enforce the rules and had very little sympathy for those who broke them. Did that make her a coldhearted bitch? Probably. She’d been called a lot worse. They didn’t refer to her as an ice queen in the department for no reason. It mostly just amused her. She’d more than earned her considerable reputation.

“Cavalli loves his fancy coffee.” Tess’s jaw jutted, her face flushing with anger.

Remorse shaded Chloe’s expression. As the person who’d kept the truth from her friend the longest, Chloe still had a lot of guilt over what had happened. She cleared her throat. “Your fangs are showing, hon. Tuck those back in, would you? Millie will kill you if you mess up the pictures.”

Tess snorted, and the fangs retracted.

Delivering a final tweak to Chloe’s dress, Selina tried to break some of the tension. “Does this espresso machine come with a barista? Because I don’t deal with that thirty-seven-knobs-and-buttons shit. I like the put-in-the-grinds-and-push-one-button model.”

“That’s so passé.” Chloe turned to face them, exaggerated disdain on her face. Her ebony hair was swept back from her forehead, and she looked like the kind of movie star who used to grace 1950s silver screens.

Selina waved a dismissive hand. “I’m a rebel. I kick it old-school.”

A peal of laughter spilled from the werewolf. “How old are you again?”

“About four hundred forty and change.” Damn, that made her feel ancient. Then again, she was ancient by human standards.

Tess whistled. “I think that officially qualifies as ‘farting dust old.’ ”

“Something like that.” Selina cocked an eyebrow. “Which means I have more than enough magic to roast the fur off a werewolf.”

The she-wolf winced. “Noted.”

“I thought so.” Selina smirked.

“Nice little elf.” Tess reached out to delicately flick the point on Selina’s ear.

She couldn’t help a shudder as the sensation reverberated through her body. Elves’ ears were incredibly sensitive, and she ducked away from further touch. At least the elven stereotype had been helped a bit with the Lord of the Rings movies. It was more Orlando Bloom and less Keebler’s now.

The door to Chloe’s room swung open and her Aunt Millie stepped inside. Magic radiated from the old woman, an unmistakable aura of power surrounding her. “It’s time.”

Chloe’s chest rose as she drew in a deep breath, and the most radiant smile crossed her face. Selina had to look away. Gods, had she looked that happy on her own wedding day? Probably, but that was hundreds of years ago now. She could still see it so clearly in her mind. Some memories faded, but that day was locked in forever. The way the flowers had smelled, the soft dress against her skin, the way her little cousin Bess had squealed and clapped and danced in excitement. But Selina’s young husband had died a few years later, and all that joy had crumbled. Pain stabbed in her chest at the thought of her loved ones, stolen away by time and Fate, until there was no one left. She shook herself, straightened her shoulders, and lifted her chin.

Damn, but she hated weddings and all the little reminders of the past they inevitably brought with them. Merek was lucky she liked him, or she never would have agreed to this. The ceremony couldn’t be over soon enough, and then she could get to the part with the champagne. She shrugged the tautness out of her shoulders and forced a smile to her face.

Accepting the bouquet Tess held out, Selina smoothed her dress and wished it covered more flesh. The pale green gown was strapless, knee length, and tight enough to hug every curve on the way down. Tess wore a matching dress, but actually had the rack to pull it off. Chloe’s dress was a white version of theirs, only instead of stopping at the knee, it flared out like a mermaid’s tail all the way to the floor.

Sucking in a breath, Selina led the way out of the room. She ignored the fact that she was seconds away from a whole crowd of people turning to look at her. She hated being the center of attention. Give her the background any day—she’d leave the posturing and grandstanding to people like Millie. She strode down the stairs to the immense foyer. Double doors opened to the evening air. It was warmer than Seattle ever got at night, no doubt something Millie’s magic had pulled off.

Huge white tents had been set up outside, the silk fabric sheer enough to see the stars overhead. Torches and subtle spotlights lit the yard with a romantic glow. The late hour was in deference to the vampires in attendance who couldn’t handle the daylight hours without risk of torching in the sun. Her stomach clenched when she stepped out of the doors, and every single person twisted in their chair to look at the bridal party.

“Oh, fuck me,” she groaned under her breath.

I heard that. Tess’s telepathic voice floated through her mind, lilting with amusement. Of the Magickal races, only werewolves and vampires had the ability to project their thoughts.

“Damn werewolf hearing.” But Selina smiled when she said it, trying not to trip over her pointy-toed shoes. She stepped off the front porch and down the rose petal–strewn path that led up the aisle and ended with the pastor, Merek, and his groomsmen.

She focused on them, rather than the hundreds of eyes locked on her. Merek looked happier than she’d ever seen him. He’d made the transition from the Seattle PD to the FBI Magickal Crimes Unit the year before, and the change seemed to suit him. Two other broad-shouldered males stood next to him, waiting for the women. Their tuxedos fit them to perfection.

On the far end was Luca Cavalli. Born in Italy, he looked like a tall, gorgeous, and elegant advertisement for Armani. Appearances were deceiving, however, because he wasn’t just a pretty face. The vampire was legend in Magickal law enforcement. He ran the FBI’s MCU, and he was the best there was. The only time she’d ever seen him lose his cool was the day Tess was mauled, Changed into a wolf, and effectively stolen from his life forever. In any sort of romantic capacity, anyway. Once she’d survived the Change, he’d managed to get her transferred from her position as a coroner for the Normal side of the FBI and over to the Magickal side, which threw her into his path more often than not.

Alex Nemov was the best man, and Chloe’s orphaned godson. She and Merek had recently finalized adopting the teenaged werewolf. Alex’s mother had died when he was a child, and his father had been killed by the same terrorists that had turned Tess into a wolf.

This night was a step into a new life for Merek’s little family, and Selina was happy for them. She just wished she could be an anonymous guest rather than walking down the aisle in this painted-on dress. She couldn’t remember ever being so conscious of so many sets of eyes on her at once. She was used to standing back and observing others, investigating, asking questions, not being thrust in the limelight with nothing better to do than smile pretty for the cameras people aimed at her.

She knew the moment Chloe came into view, because Merek’s eyes lit up and his jaw sagged a bit. A grin curled her lips. Yeah, that was exactly how a groom should look when he saw his bride in her wedding gown.

Her husband had looked at her that way.

She tamped down on that thought and took her place to wait for Tess and Chloe. Selina hadn’t thought about her marriage in decades, maybe longer. She wasn’t one to dredge up the past. She’d found that holding on to it would make her crazy.

But today seemed designed to remind her that she was alone and she hadn’t always been.

Tess joined her, studiously avoiding looking at the groom’s side, specifically a tall vampire. The small orchestra Millie had hired seemed to grow louder as Chloe walked down the aisle, arm-in-arm with her aunt.

Everything passed in a blur from there, for which Selina was grateful. The ceremony was brief, thank gods, and at the end Merek dipped his new wife into a deep bend and kissed her thoroughly while a raucous cheer went up from the crowd. They hurried up the aisle, Alex escorting Tess behind them. Cavalli offered Selina his arm, and she curled her hand into the crook of his elbow.

Tess was the one stuck giving the toast on the bride’s side, and Alex’s speech as the best man made Chloe cry and hug him tight. The couple’s first dance was the first time Selina was completely out of the limelight, and she heaved a sigh of relief as she blended into the crowd and just watched them have their moment.

Alex sidled up beside her and nudged her in the ribs. “You look hot.”

She cracked up and almost snorted champagne through her nose. “You sound like your godmother.”

“Yeah, well.” He shrugged, his pale green eyes gleaming. “She raised me right, what can I say?”

“How old are you, kid?” He was tall and broad, not an ounce of baby fat left on him. His face was lean, his tanned skin and dark hair a sharp contrast to his eyes. She’d bet he made all the teenaged girls swoon.

“Sixteen. Seventeen in a month or so. My birthday is right after graduation.”

“So if you’re this super-genius, how are you still in high school?” From what Merek had said, the kid could hack anything with a power switch, and had a photographic memory to match.

He rubbed a finger over the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, there’s a story behind that.”

“Uh-huh.” She waved toward the swaying couple in the middle of the dance floor. “I’ve got nothing better to do but listen.”

Besides, from what little she’d seen of the kid, he wasn’t particularly chatty with anyone he didn’t know well. Apparently, all the wedding planning and rehearsals they’d attended in the last few months meant he’d decided he liked her. She was touched. But maybe that was just the champagne.

“I wanted to know what it was like.” There was no uncertainty in his voice when he spoke, no excuses. He’d done what he’d done and that was the end of it. Very unusual for a kid his age, but Merek had made it clear that Alex was no ordinary teenager. She believed him now.

She tilted her head. “You wanted to know what high school was like?”

“Yeah. Dating, prom, graduation.” One shoulder dipped in a shrug. “You know, normal kid stuff.”

“When you’re a super-genius teen wolf, you just want to be Normal?”

“Something like that.” He snorted. “My dad didn’t care what I did, as long as I stayed out of trouble. When Chloe took me in and found out I was deliberately slowing my education, she put her foot down and made me graduate this year.” He slid his hands into his pockets and shrugged again. “I’ve been taking extra classes from the local community college and the University of Washington since I was ten, so I’m almost done with a couple of degrees anyway.”

He said it so casually, it took her a moment to process his words. “A couple of degrees?”

“Well, I was interested in a lot of things. Computer science, biology, mechanical engineering, mathematics, Russian, Hindi.”

Her lips twitched and she tried not to laugh. “Is that all?”

“I have a couple of minors, too. Anthropology, chemistry, oceanography, aeronautics and astronautics.” His dark brows scrunched together for a moment. “I’m pretty sure that’s all of them.”

“So, basically, if you can think of it, you can build it ... computers, cars, submarines, planes, and spaceships?”

He chuckled. “More or less. I’ll probably complete those undergrad degrees in a few semesters, and I think I’m going to focus my graduate studies on computer science and cryptography.”

“How long do you think it’ll take you to finish? A week?”

He nodded sagely. “Maybe a week and a half.”

Giving in to the urge to chuckle, she reached out and snagged a fresh glass of champagne from a passing waiter. Bless Millie and her open bar policies for this shindig.

“Leave me alone, Special Agent Cavalli. I may have to deal with you at work, but I’m off duty right now.” The low, angry hiss of voices drew her attention away from the dance floor. A few feet away, Luca and Tess stood glaring at each other.

The vampire’s gaze flashed red for a moment, but that was the only indicator that he was upset. His voice was as smooth as ever, with only a hint of his native Italy. “We still have a great deal to discuss.”

“That’s funny, because I have nothing left to say to you. What we had is over and has been for months. Get over it and move on, Luca, for both our sakes. Quit beating a dead horse.”

Alex obviously noticed the couple’s spat, too, because he made a small noise in the back of his throat. His telepathic voice echoed in Selina’s head. Glad everyone is on their best behavior today. I’ve seen those two really go at it a couple of times since she joined the Seattle pack.

Tess turned her face away and deliberately did not look at Cavalli, while the man stared at her with painful longing in his eyes.

“As you wish, mia diletta.” Then he sighed and disappeared into the crowd.

Thank gods that unrequited love was an affliction long behind her. Selina shuddered in horror. She was too old for that shit. Give her a proper villain to shoot at any day. Anything but lovesickness.

How many hours did she have left before she could slip away from this party unnoticed? Quite a few, considering she was a bridesmaid. Damn it. She was ready to be home with a cup of coffee, her German shepherd familiar curled at her feet, and a stack of case files from work to go through. Then she could put the past back where it belonged. Behind her and not jumping up to haunt her at every turn.

“They want the wedding people to dance now. I’m not dealing with pissed-off Tess and Luca. Let’s go.” Alex grabbed Selina’s elbow and drew her out onto the dance floor. Merek handed Chloe off to Luca, and Tess took the groom’s hand.

Selina released a sigh. Well, that was handled about as well as could be expected. She let Alex steer her around in a waltz, and the kid managed to only step on her toes once. She’d been trampled a lot worse, but she was more than happy to step aside and let Millie take a spin with the best man. Other wedding guests joined in and soon she faded into the background again to observe. Then her boss asked her to dance, and it wasn’t as if she had a choice, so she acquiesced. Apparently, every cop there wanted a chance to tell her she looked pretty in her dress. Harassing other officers was part of cop culture, but tonight it just made her want to punch them in the nose. She forced herself to smile and keep dancing for several hours. Killing people at a wedding would be bad form.

Her toes hurt like a bitch, she wanted to burn this outfit along with the pointy shoes, and every time she caught a glimpse of the happy couple, she flashed back to her own wedding day. She saw her family in their finery, little Bess bouncing off the walls in excitement, her new husband’s warm smile. Hot pain seared through her chest, and she swallowed hard. What she wouldn’t give for some of that ice she was so famous for, but she felt anything but cold-blooded and logical tonight.

She didn’t want to think about that. It had been so long ago. She’d been so young, so happy, so sure she’d be that happy for decades to come.

Instead, he’d died and left her alone after a handful of sweet years.

“I’ll see you later,” she said to her dance partner, and he grunted in response. She eased herself through the throngs toward the bartender and all his nice bottles of distraction.

Even better, she saw a muscular man stepping up to the bar in front of her, and the sight was delicious. His slacks hugged a very nice ass, and his shirt fit his broad shoulders just right. A wicked smile curved her lips.

Hey, she’d been around long enough to know when to just stop and enjoy the view.

There was nothing like this kind of shindig to remind people of everything they weren’t.

On any other day, Jack could give a flying rat’s ass about being the only Normal human in a crowd of Magickals. It was a role he’d gotten used to since his mother married a werewolf when he was in junior high. His normality was the very reason he’d been recruited into the FBI’s Magickal Crimes Unit. Luca wanted an agent who could fly under the radar of Magickal senses, and someone who could give a different perspective to the MCU. Jack had never regretted his decision to join up and get drawn back into the world of magic, but fancy parties like this, where all the Magickal elite congregated, definitely had a way of pointing out exactly how different he was from everyone in his life.

Hell, even his mother had gone over to the fanged side.

He took a last swig of scotch, handed the glass over to the bartender, and tugged at his tie, doing his damndest not to feel conspicuous. The only way this could be worse was if he’d been stuck in the wedding party. Thankfully, Merek hadn’t done that to him. Cavalli had landed that particular honor in the unit.

The booze was good, at least. Chloe’s aunt knew how to throw a party. But she’d also invited a veritable who’s who of Magickals. Even a human could feel the buzz of powerful magic in the place. Many of these people were centuries old, and those years to hone their abilities showed, even if most of them looked no older than he did. Late thirties, early forties. He had no idea why magic made them all stop aging when they hit adulthood, but it sent a chill down the spine at times to look into eyes that had seen far too much for far too long. By human standards anyway.

He sighed and nodded to the bartender when the man set a fresh glass of whiskey in front of him. “Thanks.”

“I’d like another champagne, please.”

The woman’s smoky voice made the hairs rise on the back of Jack’s neck, awareness sliding through him. Her perfume was as rich and heady as her voice. He turned to look at her, hoping that the visual was as good. It’d be a damn shame for a woman to sound that sexy if the rest of the package didn’t match.

It did. The woman was slender, but the dress she wore hugged every single one of the curves she had. Her hair was dark and short, tucked behind one ear to show the elfish point. When she met his gaze, the awareness burned into something much hotter. Jesus, she was even more gorgeous than he’d remembered.

“Hi.” He let his smile widen slowly as he met her dark gaze. “Selina Grayson, right?”

“Hello.”

She gave him the kind of glance that said he looked vaguely familiar, and it took her a moment to place where she’d seen him. Though he hadn’t spoken to her before tonight, he’d never forget the first time he’d seen her, months ago. At the hospital after Tess, Chloe, and her godson were attacked by werewolf terrorists. The entire MCU had been called in to clean up the mess and track down the fleeing members of that terrorist cell. Including its leader, Leonard Smith. The wolf had been one of the most wanted criminals on Magickal watch lists. Until Merek had put a bullet through his skull. Jack had been there for that day, had been close enough to Smith at the time to be sprayed by the hot blood.

Her chin dipped in a nod. “You’re one of Cavalli’s men, right?”

“I’m on his team, yeah. I’m Jack Laramie.” He toasted her with his glass. “And you’re Merek’s old partner.” He winced a bit. “Sorry, I mean former partner.”

“Old is probably more accurate.” Her laugh was rich, sensual, and she looked him over with enough interest to make his heart rate bump up a notch. “Call me Selina, Jack.”

He let his smile spread, and his gaze moved over her body with as much thoroughness as she’d used on him. “You don’t look that old to me, but I’m a Normal so I’ve always been bad at judging these things with Magickals.”

She blinked, then blinked again, as if she were trying to get her mind to process that. “Cavalli has a Normal on his Magickal law enforcement team? Is that even legal?”

Most people just thought those questions. They didn’t blatantly ask them, at least not to his face. Those who did were usually dicks about it. His mouth twisted in a smile. “Yes, he’s allowed to do that. He didn’t break any secrecy laws—my stepfather is a Magickal, so I already knew about magic. I just can’t work it.”

“Sorry,” she said, though she didn’t look at all remorseful. “There’s really not a tactful way to ask about that.”

“If there is, no one’s used it on me yet.”

“Ouch.” She gave a little wince of sympathy.

He shrugged. “That’s the way it goes sometimes.” He watched her grip tighten on her champagne flute, and he realized that she wasn’t as relaxed as she appeared at first glance. “Are you enjoying yourself tonight?”

“I’m a cop. Fancy parties aren’t normally my speed.”

He knew exactly what she meant. He moved down the bar, settled next to her, and turned so his back was pressed to the wood. His shoulder brushed against hers, and he could feel that sharp spark of awareness that had hit him when he’d first heard her voice. The female scent of her filled his nose, and from this close, he could see the smoothness of her skin. He wanted to touch it, and his body reacted to that line of thinking.

Shifting so she faced the crowd with him, he tried not to groan as she ended up plastered to his side. He expected her to move away from him, but she didn’t. She just took a sip of her champagne and cast him a glance through her eyelashes. “Are you enjoying yourself tonight?”

“Not until about three minutes ago, but things are starting to look up.” The slow burn in his veins had little to do with the scotch he’d consumed. He’d gone from wishing he could escape to hoping he got to spend a few more hours with the woman beside him. Definite improvement.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” She tapped his glass with hers. “This is a much better distraction than booze.”

He chuckled. “I rank above the bubbly? I’m flattered.”

“You should be.”

“Is it just the high society shindig that makes you want to drink away the evening?” Because he knew he had plenty of other reasons for not wanting to think about people getting married. His own foray into matrimony could only be described as a disaster. A huge, ugly clusterfuck of a disaster. Too-familiar guilt and pain twisted deep inside him, but he shoved the memories aside and took another deep swig of his scotch.

Her shoulders twitched in a shrug, which made her arm slide against his. Even that innocent touch made him clench his teeth. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been so physically attracted to a woman so fast, but he was sure he liked it.

“I’m not a fan of weddings, high society or otherwise. Plus, every person in my entire chain of command is here.” She toyed with the necklace she wore, licked her lips, and glanced up at him.

“I can see how that could be hard on a person.” It was hard on something, all right. His cock stiffened in his slacks as his gaze locked on her mouth. He could picture those full lips moving over very intimate parts of his body. Not a good thought to be having if he didn’t want to embarrass himself in public. Everyone in his chain of command was here, too, including every ranking member of the All-Magickal Council.

A little smile curled up the corners of her lips. He got the feeling her smile wasn’t something people readily got to see. He knew for certain he hadn’t seen it before today. If he had, he would have asked her out a long time ago. Something that powerful deserved to be appreciated.

“You’re staring,” she said, the smile growing wider.

He didn’t stop. “I’m in law enforcement. Observing people is part of what I do.”

“Is that what you tell the girls?” She shifted closer, her dark gaze flashing unmistakable interest. And heat.

“No.” He grinned. “I tell the girls ... that’s a nice necklace.”

Her dark brows winged upward, her palm covering the pendant that rested below her collarbone. “It’s a talisman.”

“Oh, yeah? Where did you get that?”

For a second, wariness shone in her gaze. She was not used to telling anyone her business. How he knew that so certainly, he wasn’t sure.

“My cousin made it for me. Elves have a special gift for bespelled objects. We’re the best at it. The Elven Assembly even regulates the use of these kinds of objects.” She dropped her hand so he could see it more clearly. “This talisman is for protection. My cousin thought I could use it, since I’d just graduated from the police academy.”

The chain was silver and a little thick for women’s jewelry, and the charm was made up of a few colored stones woven into an intricate design with more silver and perhaps copper.

“A little luck in the line of duty is a good thing.” He’d had his fair share, and he was hoping for a larger share in order to get lucky tonight. “The elves regulate jinxed, hexed, and cursed objects, too, don’t they?”

Her lips pursed. “Cursed objects don’t exist anymore, thank gods. They were outlawed a century ago, and all the remaining ones were destroyed. Hexed and jinxed objects, on the other hand, are tightly regulated. I’ve busted several teenagers messing with that kind of magic illegally.”

“Oh, yeah?” He grinned. “Sounds like something I’d have done as a kid, if I were a Magickal.”

Her gaze dropped to his lips when he spoke, and she leaned closer until his nose filled with the scent of her perfume. He wanted to touch her. Badly.

“Are you married or otherwise spoken for?”

They both winced at his bald question. He had no idea what her grimace was for, but he had more ugly memories about being married than he could handle in a lifetime. Weddings like this didn’t bother him—his own wedding had been great. It was the marriage that had fucked up. None of it was something he liked to think about, though. The silence stretched, so he answered his own question, hoping to encourage her to do the same. “I’m single now, but I was married once. A long time ago.”

“Same here.” She looked down at her glass. “A couple of centuries ago, in fact.”

“Mine is more like decades, but it averages out in human-to-elf years, I guess.” He didn’t ask how old she was. Even Magickal women who had such long life spans didn’t seem to like to admit when they passed thirty, so he’d learned to avoid the topic for the most part.

“I suppose it does.” She finished the last of her champagne and set the flute on the bar behind them. When her gaze met his, it was frank, no coy games, no teasing. “So, you’re available and I’m available. Isn’t that interesting?”

“I think so.” He smiled, and he knew the expression was nothing short of lascivious. He liked her forthrightness, and if he was reading this correctly, he was going to be enjoying a lot more of her tonight. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on that hot little body. Since he couldn’t strip her in their current surroundings, he asked, “Would you like to dance?”

She glanced at the couples swaying together slowly. “Sure.”

He held his hand out for her, and she slid her fingers into his. Yeah, touching her was just as good as he’d suspected it would be.

Drawing her out onto the dance floor and into his arms, he bit back a groan at having her slim curves pressed against his front. He made certain his hold wasn’t so tight that she’d notice his rising erection, but he still enjoyed the lust sizzling through his veins. It was rare that he met a woman who got to him like this, and the anticipation just made it all the more arousing to have her near, smell her sweet scent, slide his hands down her back.

“This is good.” She settled herself against him, arching to let him know she’d noticed his erection. He grinned. Of course she’d noticed.

He pulled her closer. “I know what you mean.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

“Exactly.” He hadn’t been looking for this kind of distraction, but being a sane man, he wasn’t about to walk away from it. Letting one hand slide up her spine, he cupped the back of her neck, enjoying the silky feel of her skin. Her short hair tickled the back of his hand. Goose bumps broke down his flesh when she slid her palms under his jacket and ran them up his back. He could feel the heat of her through his shirt, the way her nails dug in slightly. His breath hissed through his teeth as his cock jerked, and her throaty chuckle did little to cool his ardor.

He forced himself to keep his eyes open and not thrust himself against her. Another couple swayed to the music not far from them, locked as tightly together as he was with Selina. It took him a moment for his lust-fogged brain to realize he knew these people. Tess and Peyton. They were both werewolves who worked with him in the FBI. Peyton was an agent and Tess a medical examiner. The way they looked at each other was shocking in its intimacy. He hadn’t known they had any interest in each other. Luca still had a thing for Tess, and the fact that Peyton worked with both of them made for a whole lot of possible awkwardness. Jack looked away, ignoring that he’d seen a thing. It wasn’t his business.

He watched Merek and Chloe drift by, their gazes locked on each other, the rest of the world ignored. Newlywed bliss. He grimaced. Their marriage would work out better than his, only because he knew Chloe was nothing like his wife had been. Shaking his head, he dismissed other people from his thoughts and concentrated on the woman in his arms. The past was over, best to focus on his very pleasurable present.

Selina tilted her head back to whisper something in his ear, and her body stretching against his was exquisite torture. He bit back a groan.

Her lips brushed his ear, her hot breath washing over his skin and making him dig his hands into her hips. She nipped his earlobe, scraping it with her teeth. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”

Fuck, yes, he did. He forced himself to loosen his grip on her. “I’d like to go anywhere that’s not here. Would anyone notice a missing bridesmaid?”

“I’ll tell Millie I’m leaving. She’ll have her million minions handle anything else.” She skimmed her hands up his chest, pausing infinitesimally to graze his nipples with her nails. “The newlyweds should be leaving soon anyway. Millie is putting them up in the penthouse suite of the Mercer Grand Hotel for their wedding night and keeping Alex while they’re on their honeymoon in Bali.”

He swallowed hard and rocked his hips into her as subtly as he could while they moved across the dance floor. Soon the couple would leave. How much longer was that? Too damn long, as far as he was concerned. He wanted her dress gone, her body bared for his touch, preferably stretched out on a mattress and arched for his penetration. He shuddered, his heart pounding in his chest. Every movement of her slim form against his just made him hotter.

His cock throbbed, and it didn’t help at all when she slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, toying with his hair. Her eyes flickered with dark fire, and he could feel the tingle of her magic dancing down his spine. Almost a pleasure spell.

“Jesus,” he croaked.

Her full lips curved. “I want you.”

Leaning down, he breathed in her ear. “Are you wet for me, Selina?”

A low moan spilled from her, and he felt her shiver. “Yes.”

They both jolted when the DJ announced that the bride and groom would be leaving momentarily. Selina rolled her eyes at him when they announced the tossing of the bouquet. “Oh, hell no.”

He chuckled. “Well, all right then.”

“I’m older than dirt. I’m not wrestling with a vicious little teenager over wilting flowers.” She folded her arms, which just drew his gaze to her plumped-up cleavage.

“You could totally take a teenager, vicious or not.”

Her brows winged upward. “Well, yeah, but do I want to? Not so much.” A wicked little gleam reflected in her eyes. “Why go after the flowers and hope I snag a man, when I can just take a man to bed and get all the fun I want?”

“I’m ready for that kind of fun,” he growled, his gaze moving down her body. Oh, yeah, was he ready. They weren’t even touching and he was still hard.

She nodded. “Let me track down Millie and tell her I’m off. I’ll meet you at the bar.”