asked around, and he’s one of the most sought-after hairstylists in Cognito. Naturally I had to have him. I was afraid he might be booked up until Christmas, so I thought I’d come by and”—she touched Viktor’s arm—“see if Mr. Kazan could pull some strings.”
Viktor’s eyes sparkled as he patted her hand. “Call me Viktor.”
“I’m so accustomed to the rigid formalities of the higher authority.” She let go and rested her arms on the table. “If only you knew, Christian. So many rules, so many secrets. I had no idea they kept a dossier on everyone.”
Christian flicked his eyes up.
“Yes,” she said, confirming his bemused look. “Even me. But we’re not permitted to look at our own. Technically we’re not allowed to look at anyone we’re not investigating or prosecuting, but they’re flexible when it comes to those you do business with.”
Christian shifted in his seat, not only unsettled by the idea that the higher authority kept records on all of them but that Lenore had access.
“Let us not talk about work.” Viktor stroked his silver beard. He looked extra dapper this morning. His blue button-up had nary a wrinkle, and the sleeves were neatly rolled to his elbows.
Kira whooshed into the room and presented a round pan with a pastry inside. Then she set down two dessert plates.
“Spasibo, Kira.”
Kira wiped her hands on her white apron and returned to the kitchen.
“What a lovely creature,” Lenore remarked with the utmost seriousness. “I once wanted to be a redhead.”
Viktor cut her a piece of the pastry and set it on a yellow plate. “And what changed your mind?”
“Shifters.”
“Ah.”
“That isn’t the type of attention I invite, even if I’m not a Shifter.” Lenore pulled a cloth napkin onto her lap. “Where on earth did you find such good help? I need a servant with her discipline. Someone who knows how to be invisible. Everyone has an agenda these days. Before the higher authority and Mageri, we were allowed to hire humans. They’re so obedient—so willing to please. They romanticized the idea of immortality and perhaps hoped we would choose them. Isn’t that silly? Aside from that, they don’t live very long, so you don’t have to worry about someone knowing all your secrets.” She winked at Christian. “Now that I’m an official, maybe I should change the laws.”
Christian listened while Viktor and Lenore made small talk. He examined her body language and carefully chosen words, but nothing led him to believe she was up to anything nefarious. He’d made her out to be a villain in his mind, but what if she had changed? Even he wasn’t the same man he once was back in 1921. In any case, he needed to put his pride aside for Viktor’s sake. It was always better to be on a person’s good side than bad.
“Absolutely decadent.” Lenore wiped her mouth and simply beamed. “I don’t eat as much as I used to, but how can one resist something so sinful?”
Viktor brushed a few crumbs off his beard. “I will speak to Claude and see what he can do about fitting you in as a personal client. He is currently on an important assignment.”
She leaned into him. “Yes, do let me know if there’s anything you need.”
Viktor scooted back his chair, and Christian noticed the man’s heart rate had accelerated. He looked uncomfortable. Had Viktor told her about their confidential assignment?
“Please forgive me.” His cheeks flushed as he pushed in his chair. “I have much work to do, but I will speak with Claude and see if he can free up his schedule. You let me know a good time. Christian will see you out. It was a pleasure, Miss Parrish.” Viktor bowed before leaving the room.
“And then there were two,” she said offhandedly. “Sometimes I don’t think people have a clue how much they give away in body language. They guard their emotions around Chitahs and Sensors but never Vampires. Why is that? The less people say, the more they reveal.”
Christian folded his arms on the table. “Aye. Like the way you haven’t mentioned my tattoo.”
“Foolish actions are paid in kind. What is there to say?” Lenore took one of those deep, disapproving sighs. “Why would you desire a Mage? They’re fragile little things. It’s only a matter of time before you break her,” she said with derision. “Or perhaps it’s something else you’re addicted to.”
He bristled at her accusation. “What you know about our relationship could fill a thimble.”