Chapter 24

Evening came without incident and I counted the day as a success. I had secured a pro tem job to go along with my pro tem living arrangements, and I had not been abducted by demons. To top it off, I found myself in the company of my boyfriend, his brother, and my bestie eating gooey cheese and fresh-baked bread.

The decadent hors d'oeuvres arrived by houseboy, and Bates insisted on setting up the spread, cutting apples into slices and decanting the bottle of wine Vincent ordered. Based on the performance Bates offered, doting over Vincent like a mother hen, I detected a kiss-up. As soon as he left, I ditched the scarf, which I'd worn to keep Bates out of the loop. Sylvie knew about the punctures and had forgiven Vincent, although she threatened to castrate him if it happened again.

"I learned how to make espresso today," Sylvie said as she piled gooey cheese onto her bread. "Rod drinks it and so does William. William called me into his office to make sure I was comfortable with the whole gargoyle arrangement. I told him not to worry since I was sleeping with one. He thought that was funny."

She grinned at Colin, who played the innocent card, shrugging as he popped an apple slice into his mouth.

"I didn't know his wife was pregnant," Sylvie added casually.

"Adele is pregnant?" I offered Vincent my indignant face, which usually resembled a scowl. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry. We all just found out... while you were in Providence." As soon as he said it, Vincent lowered his gaze to the table.

Oh, crap.

"You didn't tell me you were in Providence, Reese," Sylvie said as she chewed. "Why were you there?"

"Um..."

"Oh, dear. Another freaky story you forgot to tell me?"

"Yes. I'm sure it would have come up at some point... once you got more acclimated to the idea of gargoyles and demons."

Vincent arched a brow in my direction. "That's an interesting strategy. Deliver difficult news in small doses. Let me know how it works out for you."

I met his taunting gaze, letting him know I caught his drift. "Do you want to tell Sylvie where I was, or should I?"

Vincent lowered his weapons and gestured to the table. "You have the floor, baby."

Sylvie giggled at our banter, but she was soon rendered mute as I retold the tale of my journey to the demon hive. Vincent and Colin seemed just as intrigued, although they had already heard it.

"Did Cecile have you conjure the eternal flame?" Colin said. "I forgot to ask about that."

"No, she didn't. I wouldn't know how to conjure a flame even under threat."

"Who would know, then?" Sylvie said as she munched on her dinner. "That sounds like a pretty awesome skill to have. Are there other hybrids you can look up?"

"Locating hybrids is difficult. They hide themselves well," Vincent said, fielding Sylvie's question with his rendition of tact. "There is an inherent desire among gollums and demons to keep the species separate. Hybrids are seen as a threat to their existence."

"Is that why your grandfather is against your relationship with Reese?" Sylvie asked him. "She told me he verbally threatened her and you're taking him to gargoyle court."

Vincent's eyes flicked to me, and I read his silent question, then I used my eyes to flick my answer back. No, I haven't told Sylvie I took a flying lesson from the balcony.

"Gollum Council of Magisters," Vincent corrected her. "My grandfather is a magister, and he is held liable for his words and his actions."

Sylvie swigged from her wine glass. "Wow. Heavy shit."

I snorted. "Yeah. I'm pretty much the Yoko of the Valentino family."

Colin took out his phone and started scrolling. "While we're on the subject of things that make you go 'Wow', an article popped up on my news feed. Something about you, Vincent. Apparently, you stood-up the governor for lunch. I think that was the day Reese went missing."

Colin slid the phone to Vincent, and Vincent skimmed the article, looking indifferent. "Governor Bailey wasn't interested in anything more than a box of cigars. He'll get over it."

"I'm sure he will, but the photo and caption tell a different story. It says you've been roped in by a female who is distracting you from your commitments. Isn't that you and Reese kissing in front of our building?"

"Yes." Vincent offered his blunt reply as he pushed Colin's phone back at him. Sylvie quickly snatched it away and stared wide-eyed at the screen.

"Oh, my God. I remember that day. We were leaving for the Halloween party at the Governor's mansion."

"Vultures," I said. "It bothers me when people use others for monetary gain. Let me see that." I held out my hand and Sylvie plopped the phone into it. After giving the photo a quick once over, I offered my opinion. "A novice with a cellphone, but we do look pretty hot together."

"So, Reese. Tell me about this great gig you picked up," Sylvie said as she went back to assaulting the cheese. "All you said was renovation at Trinity Church. How did it happen?"

"I got a call from the architectural firm involved in the project. They want me to take pictures of the daily progress."

"Nice. Is it good pay?"

"Yep, and it's at one of my favorite churches, so that sweetens the pot."

"Oh, I'm sure there are other aspects of the job that sweeten the pot," Vincent mumbled deliberately under his breath.

I knew what he was driving at, and he wasn't roping me in. "You're right, Vincent. We can time our visits to the site together, since your foundation is funding the project."

"Half the project," he said. "And you know that's not what I meant."

"Gee, Vincent. Since you're the sweetest thing I've ever had, I'm not sure what you mean."

"Um, have I missed something?" Sylvie interjected. "Are we talking about sex in a church, because that sounds wicked cool."

Vincent's phone buzzed with a text, and his sober expression harshed the mood. "The magister council has agreed to see us Monday morning in Verona."

"That soon? Can you work it in?" Colin asked.

"I'll have to cancel a few appointments and arrange last minute air fare, but I won't turn them down when they have expedited the hearing at my request."

"Will Jonathan be acting magister while you're away?" Colin abandoned his food to look at his brother, picking up a few crumbs with his thumb. His attempt at nonchalance wasn't fooling anyone.

"Yes. Jonathan will act as magister while I'm gone. I thought you and Sylvie might join me and Reese in Italy." Vincent wore a smirk when he lifted his face from the glow of his cellphone. "If you're interested..."

Colin did a valiant job of looking cool as he offered his reply. "Sure, that sounds like fun. Well, not the part about taking Boris to court, but the rest of it should be sweet."

"Are you asking me to fly to Verona, Italy, the birthplace of Romeo and Juliet?" Sylvie stared at Vincent, her face awash with childlike wonder.

"Yes."

"But, I just started a new job. I'll never get the time off. And a passport. I've never been out of the country."

Vincent lifted a finger, cutting off her rant with polite stealth. "You just worry about packing for three days in Verona and let me handle the rest."

Sylvie and I exchanged stupid grins across the table, and although I didn't relish the thought of facing off with Mr. Misogynist in front of the high gargoyle council, I wanted to jump out of my seat and do the happy dance with her. Not only was Italy home to the relics of the Roman empire, it happened to be the country that invented some of the best food on the planet. I saw a lot of sit-ups in my future.

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