Her magic was riding his desire, multiplying it by her own, and feeding it back to both of them in an ever-stronger loop. She’d opened her shields after that first doozy of a kiss, and now her magic was running amok. Fey power crashed through barriers that would have prolonged the dating ritual for weeks before she’d have allowed this kind of heat. Oops.
“Guess what,” she murmured in Jake’s ear.
“Hmm?”
“I think my magic has got us on the fast track.”
“Better than striking me dead on the kitchen floor.”
“I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
He gave her a toothy grin. “Concern duly noted. Now, do you want to play Red Riding Hood or a really twisted version of Three Little Pigs?”
The gallery opening finally came on a clear, moonlit May night. Selina arrived early for two reasons. One was to deal with last-minute details — Janos had resumed complete command of the gallery and everything had to be perfect. The other was that Mrs McAdams had asked to meet Gary, and an antiques collector of her calibre couldn’t be denied. Not when her request was so easily fulfilled.
“Here he is!” said Selina, carrying Gary to where Mrs McAdams was standing by the plinth with her snuff box. Nearby, a waiter hovered with a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Another passed out flutes of champagne.
Gary blinked his big, green eyes and stretched out one of his front paws to the old lady. The appealing gesture melted everyone who saw it.
“Oh, he is adorable!” Mrs McAdams exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
The sound disappeared beneath the low murmur of conversation. It was still early, only half the expected guests present, but the champagne was already causing the sound level to rise. The gallery looked wonderful, its gilded plasterwork lit by candles and artfully concealed track lighting. The space had once been the lobby of an Edwardian hotel and still had the original high, coffered ceiling and marble floors. The rest of the fixtures were spare and modern, showing off the French antiques and artwork with no distractions.
Except for one baby gargoyle. Gary rapidly became the main attraction, especially with the ladies. They crowded around, cooing like a flock of diamond-studded doves. As they all watched, Mrs McAdams fed Gary a mini-quiche. He stuffed it in his beak and chirped happily, looking around for more. A collective “aw!” filled the air, drowning out the string quartet.
More guests crowded around, asking questions.
“What’s his name?”
“What a cute little tail!”
“What’s with the bandage? Is something wrong with his wing?”
“Where did you get him?”
“Does he eat caviar?”
It was at that moment that Selina saw Jake approaching, looking handsome in a dark suit and crisp white shirt. He’d even put on a maroon silk tie. Selina caught her breath. She’d expected him to dress up a bit, but this was above and beyond for a guy who lived in boots and old jeans. This is worth putting on a hundred of these shows!
They’d been going out for a month — movies, dinners, checking all the right dating boxes — and she’d caught plenty of glimpses of his alpha wolf side. But this was the first time she’d seen Jake on display, dominating a room. The guests turned as he walked past, their expressions both admiring and cautious. If Jake wasn’t that far from the wild, neither were humans. Their instincts still knew a potential predator, even when one walked by with a happy smile on his face.
That confidence was contagious. Just by being around him these last weeks, she could feel herself getting bolder, thinking far beyond her mind’s usual neat rows and columns. She’d broken her own rules and let her liaison with a supernatural boyfriend become public. After all, no red-, blue-, or green-blooded woman would miss an opportunity to point to Jake Hallender and say, “He’s mine!”
“Caviar would be too rich for a gargoyle’s digestion,” Jake replied, pitching his voice perfectly to carry over the cocktail hour din. “The consequences would be unpleasant.”
All attention, including Gary’s, switched to Jake. The gargoyle reached out, and Jake took him from Selina’s arms. She brushed the wrinkles out of her dress, thinking for the thousandth time how nice it was that Gary didn’t shed. Although it had cost her a mint, she’d broken out of the pin-stripe fashion rut for the opening. She was wearing a bolero of heavy Tibetan cream silk over a grey-green halter dress. The full skirt was cut on the bias and moved like water, kissing her knees in sensuous swishes. She felt beautiful and exotic, her fair hair piled on top of her head in a mass of loose curls. From the look on Jake’s face, the outfit was a hit.
Janos chose that moment to stroll in. Tall, with iron-grey hair and a stern brow, he looked like somebody had ordered him from the Tycoons “R” Us catalogue, complete with the extra-grumpy options.
“Good evening, Selina,” he said, giving Gary an evil look.
“Good evening.”
“I must admit, for an accountant you’ve done a fine job with the show.” Janos took a step over to the plinth where the snuff box was displayed on a black velvet cushion.
“Thank you, sir.”
It didn’t take an empath’s powers to tell that her success had irked him. Janos needed to be top dog — quite a contrast from Jake, who simply was the first among his pack.
Janos turned back to face her. “I’m not certain, however, how your gargoyle will do anything but distract our clientele. I would prefer that you put it away and circulate among the guests.”
She’d planned to do that anyway but refused to make excuses. “Understood, sir. I’ll put Gary in my office.”
“Thank you.”
“She brought Gary at my request,” Mrs McAdams said with an edge in her tone. “I thought it was kind of Selina to make the effort to please an old lady.”
Janos gave a slight, old-fashioned bow. “I would expect nothing less of my staff.”
Jake passed Gary to Selina with a look just short of an eye roll. He bent to whisper in her ear. “Just give the word and I’ll get the whole pack to pee on his Jaguar.”
Smothering a laugh, she shouldered the gargoyle in time for Jake’s cellphone to ring. He answered it as she watched Janos stride away in search of more employees to harangue.
Gary struggled, trying to lean out of her arms and snag more of the mini-quiche. Selina turned the other way, facing Gary away from temptation, and watched Jake’s face. Phone calls often meant problems with a patient. She hated the possibility that he’d have to rush off. This night was her triumph. She wanted him there to share it.
Waiters pushed through the double doors at the far end of the room, bearing trays with more food and drink. Like a school of fish, the guests drifted in their direction, leaving Selina and Jake behind.
She began to pace back and forth from table to plinth, waiting for Jake to get off the phone.
“Selina!”
She jumped. It was her boss, glowering and pointing. Jake abruptly hung up his phone.
“What?” Selina glanced down just in time to see Gary stuffing the snuff box into his beak. Oh, shit! Gary’s wing was still broken. She couldn’t exactly whack him on the back.
“Stop him!” Janos snapped.
Jake solved the problem by grabbing Gary’s beak and prying it open before the gargoyle could swallow. With one quick sweep of fingers, Jake pulled the snuff box off the gargoyle’s pointed black tongue. He dropped it, sticky with spit, back on the plinth.