Vincent maintained his proprietary grip on my waist while he and Rizzo planned their logistical attack on Heath and his demon comrades. This meant Sylvie and I were forced into their paranoid world, planning our strategy for the rest of the night under the potted fern.

"I haven't taken a single photo in over fifteen minutes," I told her. "I need you to be my backup, Sylvie. I doubt Vincent is going to let me out of his sight."

"He better not. I've got this handled, girl."

"Just stay close to security and far away from Heath."

Sylvie rolled her eyes as she lifted my camera off my neck. Then she air kissed me and stepped into the crowd. A moment later, the lights dimmed and the music softened, prompting the ballad lovers onto the dance floor. Vincent pulled me against his hip, speaking over the deejay.

"Will you dance with me, Reese?" He held his palm out as he waited for my reply. Hell yes, I wanted to dance with my six foot three, sexy-as-sin boyfriend. I placed my hand in his and he walked us onto the dance floor.

Pretty much every set of eyes was on us, and I doubted it was due to my amazing moves. Vincent made a fine phantom, and the fact that his intense gaze never strayed from my face had me completely distracted. I barely noticed Heath dancing nearby with Sugar Skull. Heath never danced, which was apparent from the hack job he was doing, but this was all part of the game, and Vincent appeared to be enjoying it. He held me so close and danced so seductively, with his leg slipping between mine and his lips grazing my cheek when he dipped me, I worried he might lose himself, but the gleam in eyes was not caused by lust. It was the look of a gladiator waiting for the gates to open and the battle to begin.

When the rhythm sped up and the dance floor crowded with rowdy drunks, Vincent escorted me back to our bunker at the potted plant.

"Oh, my God. You two were so fucking hot out there," Sylvie said as she met us under the plastic canopy. "I thought the dance floor was going to catch fire."

Vincent didn't appear to hear Sylvie as he scanned the crowd. He was still holding my hand as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"I really need to act like I'm working, Vincent," I said, although I didn't put much enthusiasm behind my statement. He probably didn't even hear me.

Vincent turned to stare at me like he'd heard me perfectly well. "How many photos have you taken?"

Sylvie handed me my camera and I checked the readout. "Two hundred and sixty-five."

He jutted out his chin, looking satisfied. "That's enough for what they're paying you."

I raised my eyebrows, ready to challenge him on his perverse knowledge of everything related to me, but I didn't think it was appropriate to argue with the guy who had come to my rescue. An hour later, the music died and party guests started leaving. Debra found me still hiding out at the potted fern, and I felt a little foolish having Vincent clinging to me while I tried to do business, but there was no getting around it.

"Sylvie and I got a lot of great shots, Debra." I gestured to my camera, which I had slung around my neck to give the appearance I had not abandoned my duties, but Debra's eyes were not on me. They were on my clingy boyfriend.

"Sounds great, Reese. You can send the collection to me via an email attachment. Vincent, I hadn't expected to see you here."

"I may not have mentioned it." Vincent offered Debra a brief yet polite glance as he responded, but he was clearly distracted by the activity in the ballroom.

Debra looked hurt by Vincent's aloof attitude. Apparently, she didn't know him that well. "I'm sure Governor Bailey would enjoy seeing you, if you want to hang back."

"I'll let you know," Vincent said as he finally gave her his full attention. "If it's not too much trouble, I'm going to borrow a few of your security guards and walk the perimeter."

Debra's penciled eyebrows rose. "Why do you need to do that? Do you think there is a threat to the Governor? We always take..."

Vincent glared at Debra, immediately silencing her. "There is a threat. Let's leave it at that. Tell only those who need to know." Debra nodded briskly and hurried away, and Vincent turned to me, offering the same glare. "I should not have to give you the lecture. You will have an armed guard shadowing you and Sylvie while Rizzo and I look for the problem."

"Vincent." My voice came out small, which may have been exaggerated by the lack of music. "I have a bad feeling about this. Heath said something to Rizzo that has me worried."

"What did Heath say?"

"He said 'You don't know who you're dealing with.' Is Heath a big deal among... among them?"

Vincent scoffed. "Heath is a puppet in a much larger game. His death won't go unnoticed, but I'm willing to take those risks to release you from your burden."

I wrapped my arms around him, pressing my face into his hard body. "Please, don't take too many risks. There is still so much I want to do to you."

Vincent lifted my chin with his thumb. "That is my driving force." He pulled off his mask and kissed me on the mouth, spending enough time there to whet my appetite before pulling away. Then he slipped something into my hand. "Put this in your boot. It's an Adamantium blade. If you're threatened, use it."

I glanced at the pint-sized dagger, which was sheathed in leather to protect me from gauging myself. I knew how to use a knife to cut vegetables, but I'd never used one on anything living. I consented with a nod, trying to look confident as I slid it secretly into my white vinyl boot. Then Vincent and Rizzo left to meet with a pair of security guards, and they soon vanished down a hallway. That's when my stomach bunched up like I'd swallowed a roll of toilet paper. The showdown between Vincent and Heath felt too real. Too risky. What if Vincent ended up like Colin? Or worse.

"What the fuck is going on, Reese?" Sylvie said as she tugged on my arm. "Does this have something to do with what happened at your parent's house? Was that Heath's doing too?"

"Um, the signs appear to be pointing in that direction."

"I knew it. I knew Heath wouldn't just let you escape to NY. He has a sick mind."

"You have no idea."

Sylvie pulled me in for a hug. "I may have judged Vincent harshly in the beginning, but now I'm glad you have a tough guy who is willing to fight for you, although I don't see how kicking Heath's ass is going to get the message across. He's a maniac."

"I think it will go way beyond a fight, Sylvie."

Sylvie gasped as she bit her lip. "Oh, shyte."

As soon as Sylvie and I got our equipment packed, a security guard walked over to us. He wasn't much taller than me and carried about forty pounds more around the waist, but he seemed pleasant enough as he introduced himself with a smile.

"Hi, ladies. I'm Roger. Capital security team. I've been asked to see that you two don't get into any trouble for the next hour or so."

"Thanks for humoring my overprotective boyfriend, Roger," I said as I shouldered my camera bag. "Do you want to join Sylvie and me at the buffet table? We're going to see what's left."

Roger looked at his watch then shrugged. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. I'm technically off duty."

We spent the next few minutes helping ourselves to the dregs of the whale-shaped watermelon and chatting with the wait staff about our most memorable Halloweens. I was grateful for the distraction, but it didn't stop me from imagining Vincent and Heath locked in a bloody battle of teeth and talons. After polishing off my third bottle of water, I finally listened to my body.

"I haven't used the restroom since we got here," I said to Sylvie as we threw our empty paper plates in the trash. "I gotta piss like a racehorse."

"Me too." Sylvie tapped on Roger's shoulder as he hovered over the pastry platter. "Hey, Roger. We're going to use the little girl's room."

Roger straightened and tugged his shirt further over his belly, looking like he'd been asked to protect the royal family. "Okay. I'll escort you there."

The bathrooms were located at the back of the ballroom under a spider web banner that read, 'Boys and Ghouls'. Roger insisted on checking the bathroom before letting us enter, then he took up residence outside the door, assuring Sylvie and me he would keep everyone out while we took care of business.

"He's scared shitless," Sylvie said as she entered her stall. "Vincent probably threatened to rip his balls off if he let anything bad happen to you."

"Vincent probably didn't need to threaten him," I offered as I took the stall next to Sylvie.

"You got that right. Vincent is an intense guy. So, how is he in the sack? You haven't given me a scrap of info about your hunky millionaire."

Yikes. Sylvie was never going to believe Vincent and I hadn't gone all the way, and she would probably get her feelings hurt if she thought I was keeping information from her. What to do?

"He and I have been holding off on that front, at his request."

"What?"

Before Sylvie had a chance to accuse me of lying, or to convince me I was dating a gay man, a loud crash echoed above our heads and a body fell through the air vent above Sylvie's stall. The next word out of Sylvie's mouth was a garbled version of 'Fuck', followed by a thud.

"Sylvie!" I yanked my purple tights up just as Sylvie's arm flopped across the floor, landing next to a pair of taloned feet. I gulped loudly and backed into the opposite wall as Sylvie's door slammed open. This was followed by another bang, which I assumed was Roger entering the bathroom, because the next sound I heard was him shouting.

"Is everything alright... in... here?"

"Don't bother using that weapon," said a female voice. "You'll just be wasting your bullets. I suggest you stay right where you are. Come on out, Reese. I'm taking over as chaperone."

As I listened to the demon, who I assumed was sugar skull girl, I crouched and took Sylvie's wrist in my hand to feel for a pulse.

"Your friend is fine, although she'll probably have a headache when she wakes up," Sugar Skull explained. "If you want her to live to see another All Hallows Eve, I suggest you do as I say and come out, now."

"And how do you expect to get past security?" I asked as I stalled. I thought about the magic dagger I had at my disposal, but I worried a showdown in the bathroom would put other people's lives at risk, namely Sylvie's.

"Security won't know we're here." The demon moved away from my door, and Roger found his voice again.

"Don't come any closer you... I'm prepared to use this."

"How about we make a deal, er... Roger. You don't fire that weapon and I won't kill you."

There was a scuffle, which came in the form of squeaking rubber shoes and screeching claws across marble, and Roger's gun clattered to the floor. A sickening thud followed, and Roger slid down the wall into a sprawled position in front of Sylvie's stall. I took that opportunity to dig into my boot and pull out the dagger, unsheathing it as I glanced at the open vent above my head. Was the demon planning to drag me out of the mansion through the air ducts, or was this going to be a quick kill?

I heard the bathroom door lock, followed by the click of talons as the demon walked over to my stall and stood in front of it. "Okay, Reese. It's your turn. And I suggest you put away that dagger? If you haven't been properly trained, it could easily be used against you."

I swallowed and the sound was audible. This was some serious shit, right here. "What do you want with me?"

"Oh, I don't think now is the time for chatting. We can talk on the way."

"On the way where?"

The demon pressed her face between the stall and the door so I could see one rose-colored eye. "I'm here to take you home."

PLAYLIST SONG: I Sell Society by Godhead