her red lips. “The memories remain, but the emotions are removed. That’s the only way I can get a pure exchange. You’ll remember each and every fight, but the emotional highs and lows, the pain—all that’s gone now.”
As I recalled the fight, it felt more like something I’d watched on television.
“See you on Friday.” Audrey gracefully drifted around the bend and disappeared from sight.
I put on the long duster and used it to wipe blood off my thigh. I had so many questions about how she started up a business like this, but too many questions out of the gate would have sealed my doom.
“She’s enamored by you.”
I looked down at Pablo, who was admiring my necklace. “What makes you say that? I didn’t exactly dazzle her with my charm.”
“No, but few women impress her. Most are too skittish in her presence—fearful they’ll say or do something wrong. They’re afraid; you’re not. That’s what makes you different. It also makes you unpredictable.” He let the necklace swing from his fingertips, his eyes trained on the black stone. “This is an odd choice for a father to give a daughter. It’s cheaply made.”
I snatched it from his hand. “I lied.”
Pablo cocked his head to the side. “Do you think it’s wise to lie to your future employer?”
I put the necklace over my head. “Rich people like you think everything and everyone’s replaceable. It’s a cheap necklace on a shitty chain, but it’s the only thing I have left of my mother. I don’t really like telling people I don’t know very well about that part of my life. I shouldn’t have worn it tonight.”
He clasped his small hands behind his back and strode past me. “How does a savage woman with a sentimental heart have such an astounding number of kills? One behavior seems to contradict the other.”
I fell into step beside him as we returned to the stairwell. “If you want to know the truth, that’s the question that keeps me up at night.”
“An internal battle between good and evil. I wonder which will prevail.”
“So do I, Pablo. So do I.”
Chapter 22
With a surplus of Mage energy crackling through my body, I flashed into the subway and snuck aboard a train. Getting past security was too easy in the city of Cognito. Especially for a Mage. I’d never had a reason to hitch a free ride before, but without any cash in my pocket, I had no time to waste.
I navigated through the cars on the train—most empty—until I reached the back. A Vampire watched me with mild interest before getting off at his stop. The train headed east, emerging from the underground tunnel and onto the street. City lights whirred by, and I went over the details of the evening in my head until we reached the next station. As soon as the doors opened, I stepped out and got my bearings. Lenore’s mansion wasn’t far, and with Christian assigned to her, he couldn’t be far.
After a few blocks, I came upon an elite housing division where the aristocratic hotshots lived. It was an older community, and all the homes had been restored to their original glory. Lenore’s property looked like a park with all the trees and winding pathways. I didn’t feel like ringing the bell and asking permission to speak to my man, so I selected a large oak tree by the house to climb. Christian occasionally talked about his days as a guard, and he had told me he’d either choose a shadowy spot near the house or perch atop a high vantage point. Once my boots were off, I scaled the branches like an acrobat. The bough reached the roof, making it easy to jump over to Lenore’s oddly-shaped house. A glass dome in front allowed visitors to be awestruck by unique architecture, chandeliers, gilded furniture, and life-size statues. But all that splendor diminished on a rooftop. From above, it looked as unremarkable as any other house. Only shingles, gutters, chimney pipes, and vents.
I avoided the windows. Lenore might be in one of those rooms, so I quietly climbed the steep roof on the second floor and made my way toward the top. To my surprise, there was a flat space by two chimneys and what appeared to be ventilation pipes. Without moonlight, it was too dark to make anything out beyond a few feet.
I padded toward the wide chimney. Just as I reached it, a shadow blurred around me, and the next thing I