Shadow Thief - Eva Chase Page 0,33
closer. I could almost feel his eyes roving over me like a whisper of a caress. “I think it’s much more fun to speed that pulse up. I hope you’ll be down for some fun alongside all your hard work. You’ll deserve it.”
“Not at the bar,” I reminded him with a jab of my finger. “You’re staying put.” I’d insisted that my entourage let me navigate this part of the investigation alone. They might be able to pass for mortal among people who weren’t in the know, but there were bound to be at least a few shadowkind—including Jade herself, of course—enjoying a night out at the bar.
And Vivi. If she found out about my new roommates, I’d never keep her out of the perilous situation I’d stumbled into.
Ruse winked. “I’ll just have to wait up for you then.”
Thorn came out of the kitchen, where he seemed to have declared the one chair his official domain, to see what the fuss was about. His gaze skimmed over me and shifted to the incubus.
“She isn’t going out to make merry or invite intimate relations,” he chided. “This is about finding—and rescuing—Omen.”
Ruse rolled his eyes. “Forgive me, my lord, for daring to distract the fine maiden from her quest. I’ll just have to find another young lady to bestow my affections on.” He sauntered back to the living room and swept Pickle’s mannequin into his arms.
“You look absolutely exquisite tonight, my darling,” he said. “No one could possibly compare. May I have this dance?”
I raised my hand to my mouth to cover a giggle. The incubus dipped the headless, armless figure low, filling his voice with exaggerated passion. “How can I resist you? And yet—how can I possibly kiss you when you have no mouth? My heart breaks!”
My giggle turned into a full-out laugh. Thorn’s scowl deepened. “You’re ridiculous,” he informed Ruse, and turned back to me. “And you do look as if you’ve fashioned yourself to draw attention.”
My amusement dampened. I folded my arms over my chest. “I don’t see how what I’m wearing could be a problem, but maybe you should remember that I know a lot more about what I’m walking into than you do. This is how people dress at Jade’s. People will trust me more if I look like I belong there instead of like I’m some clueless newbie.”
Thorn let out a grunt that was barely conciliatory. He cut his gaze toward Ruse before returning it to me. “I suppose it’s for the best that this one won’t be along to divert you, then.”
Something in his tone pricked at me. He hadn’t said it in so many words, hadn’t given any indication before now that he knew what Ruse and I had gotten up to in the privacy of my bedroom, but he knew what the incubus was. It wouldn’t have been hard for him to guess. I was abruptly certain that I’d heard disapproval of our prior diversions under that statement.
As if there was something wrong with me getting a little enjoyment out of the company I’d been forced to accept. While I was running around the city and beyond it trying to solve their mystery for them, on top of that.
I let my lips curve into a smirk I intended to rival Ruse’s. “Maybe I should bring you along. You could obviously use some practice in loosening up. Constantly going around like you’ve just put your best friend in the ground doesn’t help us find your boss any faster, you know.”
Now I was getting the full Thorn glower. “Do you have a problem with my comportment, m’lady?” he asked stiffly.
“Yeah, actually, I do. Considering all the favors you’re asking of me, the least you could do is act like you’re at least a little happy for the help.”
“And what would ‘happy’ look like to you?”
I waved my arm in his general direction. “Allow a few words to come out of your mouth that aren’t criticizing or ordering people around. Convince your face to appear somewhat less solemn than a gravestone. Just as a couple of options.”
Thorn drew himself up even straighter, which with his considerable height meant that his head nearly brushed the top of the doorframe. Even Ruse, who’d set the mannequin back in place, tensed at the sight. Snap peeked out of the living room and promptly ducked away to return to the TV he’d become enamored with.
“I haven’t meant to disturb you,” Thorn said, his voice even deeper and more gravelly than