We followed without a word. Tonight Risqué wore aqua blue ruffled satin short-shorts. I hoped there was a top of some sort under those mounds of curls, but considering Risqué’s proclivity for a topless tease look, it was not likely.
She escorted us to the same rooms where she had fixed my hair for the Erus Veneficus induction ceremony. “Damn it,” she murmured. “They didn’t bring the beauty case over yet. I’ll be right back.”
In the back room I found zippered bags holding clothes for us. A piece of cardstock with a hole punched in the corner had been fastened to the zipper of each. My name was written in calligraphy on one. Johnny’s was on the other.
Though Menessos had promised me a sensible selection, I wasn’t convinced we’d have the same definition of how that word related to apparel. “I’m afraid to open this.”
Johnny stepped up beside me. “On three, we unzip and see what he expects us to wear.”
“Deal. But first, about that … telepathy … in the car.” I was still astounded by that. “It must be linked to the in signum amoris thing, but why didn’t it happen before?”
“It did happen before. For me, anyway. A day or so after you were inducted as the EV, when you asked me if I wanted the burden of knowing another big secret, Menessos’s secret, I could hear your voice in my head. You admitted you hadn’t told me everything yet. And you asked me if I wanted the responsibility of keeping it.”
I remembered that, now that he reminded me. I had been thinking those words to him, but I had no clue he actually heard me. Then, “Yeah. I kind of heard you weighing the pros and cons of it.” And I’d heard him at the beginning of our probing session with Great El’s slate.
“We were touching then, and touching in the car. Maybe physical contact makes it happen.”
He, of course, made physical contact sound dirty. “But we’ve touched a lot since the in signum amoris thing.”
“Okay, maybe we have to be touching and be in the right frame of serious-mindedness. Focused. Something. We should experiment. Maybe even when we’re naked and—”
“I agree. But not here and now.”
The moment wore on silently for a heartbeat, then Johnny said, “On three.”
He counted. We unzipped as one.
I was judging the contents of Johnny’s garment bag, not my own. He had been given a suit. Not a department store one, either. It was absolutely not anything Johnny would wear, but it was black, with a black silk shirt and tie. Even as I studied it I knew it was something that would clothe the Domn Lup. “Wow.”
“Touché.” He gestured toward my own garment bag.
A black silk evening gown with a sequined top cascaded from the hanger like glittering spilled ink. I held it up. It was floor length, with a high slit up the side. The straps crossed behind the neck, and the bodice had a plunging neckline, but all in all, it had good coverage. Then I turned it around and realized the back was virtually nonexistent.
Johnny gave a howl of approval.
“Keep it up,” I said.
“Not a problem if you’re wearing that.”
I shot back, “I hope you know how to tape a girl into her evening gown, because I’m going to need tape if I’m going to stay in this modestly.”
He laughed at me. “I’ve never taped a girl in a dress before, but it sounds like it includes man-handling. Let’s get started.” He grinned wider and added, “And since we have to get undressed, we could experiment …”
Before I could answer, however, Risqué returned.
“My second-in-command is off on a task tonight, so it pleases me to have the newly revealed Domn Lup honor me by sitting at my right.”
With a spotlight on him, Johnny descended the steps, crossed the theater’s house, and strolled up the ramp to make a show of clasping forearms with Menessos before taking a position in front of Goliath’s usual seat. When the polite applause died, Menessos said, “And now my Erus Veneficus.”
As I made my crossing, I mentally repeated how grateful I was for the practical two-inch heels on the sequined pumps Menessos had provided.
Risqué had not only done my hair and applied my makeup, she’d presented me with a scarlet garter. Though the hosiery that had also been provided wasn’t the thigh-high kind that needed a garter, I wore the red satin-covered elastic as the symbol of my rank in the vampire’s court. The bright color and the high slit skirt of this dress meant the garter was apparent to everyone.
Bestowed with a gorgeous gown and sensible shoes, my hair and makeup done, it was one of those moments when a woman should feel confident and beautiful, and I did. As I neared Menessos and Johnny, however, and took in the spot-lit view of them, both in stunning suits, standing side-by-side as if there had never existed any animosity between them, their attractive faces attuned to me, their eyes seeing only me, it hit me that I truly was the luckiest woman in the world. Not only because they were such handsome devils. Not only because I knew how desirable each was without the suits. But because I had nearly lost them, and I still had both.
My hand slipped into Menessos’s hand, and he guided me to my place, presenting me to the applauding crowd.
The house area was filled to capacity, with all of Menessos’s people and those he was taking on. I saw familiar faces in the crowd, specifically, Zhan, Seven, and Mark. There were others I recognized but didn’t have names for. Only Mountain was missing, and he had an excuse—tending the animals and especially Thunderbird.
Menessos kissed the back of my hand and bid Johnny and me to take our seats.
“Now. Eva de Monique. Join us on the stage, and sit on the dais steps to my left, that all may know you have rank here, second to my own Erus Veneficus.”
A tall slender woman in a dove gray one-shouldered sheathe dress stood up from a table in the house. She moved with a liquid grace uncommon for a mortal. Her ebony tresses were arranged in short angled lines that I guessed must be all the rage in Paris. Her skin was like smooth-chiseled white marble. Her gray-blue eyes seemed to capture not only the color but the threat of stormy seas. It was a face that would have been beautiful no matter what, with or without makeup, no matter the hairstyle. Not everyone could wear glossy black lipstick and make it look good, but Eva could.
Yeah. She was someone I could legitimately envy.
Menessos gestured to the steps before me. She sat, posture remaining as rigid as if iron bars lined her spine.
“Allow me to welcome all of you who are new to our haven. Let this celebration symbolize the first embrace of the family you are joining. Once your hungers are sated, you will be called up, table by table, and I will bestow your new marks individually, according to your previous rank. Henceforth, you will be mine, and this will be your haven. But first … feast!”
Menessos clapped his hands and caterers entered, taking lidded plates and placing them before those, like Zhan, seated at tables draped in black cloths. Those seated at the tables swathed in scarlet received tall stemmed glasses of dark fluid.
Ornate tray tables were placed before Johnny, Eva, and me. We were then each served by Risqué. Menessos was given a tall flute like the other vampires.
The meal was delicious, but being on stage made eating awkward. The fact that no one engaged in conversation made it more so. My appetite simply didn’t exist.
Our tray tables were carried off and as the servers moved into the house to clear the tables, Risqué crossed the stage with a silver-lidded dish. She lifted the shiny top and offered me chocolate-dipped strawberries. Eva twisted around and whispered, “I made those myself.”
Her French accent was thick. Menessos had told me she had a chocolate shop in Terminal Tower. The huge strawberries had to be luscious and juicy, and the dark chocolate was striped with white. I reached to take one.