Magic Side: Wolf Bound Complete Series: Books 1-4, page 85
“I’m Jeanette.” The blonde smiled, her hands full. “Ready to try on some amazing outfits? Where should I put all of this?”
I let them in with the key Jaxson had lent me. Temporarily.
“Uhm. In the bedroom?” I glanced at the shoeboxes and makeup bag that Jeanette had shoved into an oversized tote. “That’s a lot of stuff.”
Neve grabbed three champagne flutes from the kitchen. “Are you kidding? You’re going to be mingling with millionaires tonight. You’ve gotta fit in.”
A light dizziness overcame me. Mingling with millionaires.
What’s this obsession with clothes? Wolfie asked. You’ve already got a perfectly fine fur coat.
I helped Neve and Jeanette haul their stuff upstairs and dropped several bags of clothes onto Jaxson’s bed. I felt like a vagrant, with no home or belongings, squatting in Jaxson’s luxury apartment and taking handouts from Neve. “Are you sure we need all of this?”
Neve watched me closely, seemingly reading my unease with the situation. “Absolutely. I love clothes, and Jeannette is a stylist at Madison & Main, so technically, this is part of her job. She gets the latest fashions each month and decides which styles are selected for the store’s main display. We’re helping her.”
“Really?” I raised my brow at Jeannette.
“Really.” The woman nodded, and I couldn’t detect a hint of dishonesty. “Since Neve has started helping me, I’ve gotten two promotions. Girl’s got an eye for fashion.”
“That’s right.” Neve popped the cork off a bottle of champagne and poured three glasses, handing me one. “Now strip. We’ve only got three hours to find the perfect dress and do your hair and makeup.”
Why had so much of my life started to revolve around getting naked in front of other people?
The first problem we had to address was the wound on my shoulder, which was seeping a little again.
“It really won’t heal?” Neve asked me for the third time as I self-consciously covered my chest with my hands.
“Trust me, it won’t. It’s from a cursed knife. Every time I think it’s getting better, it just starts bleeding—and I’ve even got werewolf healing now. I’ve tried potions and ointments, and Jaxson can, uh…heal me, too.”
Neve raised her eyebrows. “Mm-hmm. Healing magic is so hot, isn’t it?”
Heat flushed my cheeks, and I’m sure I turned as scarlet as the lipstick Jeanette had picked out.
We settled on using a bunch of tiny bandages to suture it closed. “Hopefully, that works. I don’t think it will show or bleed on the clothes,” Neve said.
Then it was on to the dresses.
Two hours, ten outfits, and two bottles of champagne later, Neve was on the floor cracking up at something Jeannette had said, and Jaxson’s bedroom was strewn with tissue paper, bags, and makeup.
Maybe this would make him think twice about getting me my own apartment.
Slightly tipsy, I giggled as I sucked in and zipped up a red silk dress that fit me like a glove. So far, I’d selected a silver tulle number and a slightly more modest black gown as potential options for tonight.
I definitely shouldn’t have eaten linguine alfredo for lunch, I thought as I adjusted the satiny fabric over my hips and turned to face the bathroom mirror.
Holy tits. Literally. The plunging neckline and embroidered lace panels that hugged my hips accentuated my curves. I turned to examine my derriere and smiled at the open back.
Hussy, my wolf said.
Maybe. But when else would I have a chance to wear a—I glanced at the tag, Vera Wang—dress and feel like a million bucks?
I stepped out of the bathroom, and Neve and Jeannette’s laughter cut off.
“Holy fates, Savannah.” Neve stood up and strode around me. “I think we found the winner.”
“You don’t think it’s too much?” I’d never worn anything like this before, and though trying it on in the bedroom with the girls was one thing, wearing it in public was another. Butterflies—or the bubbles from the champagne—churned in my stomach. What was Jaxson going to think?
I’m pretty sure I have an idea, my wolf chirped.
“This dress was made for you. But…it’s missing the most important part.” Neve scooped up a black shoebox from beside the bed and shot me a wicked grin. “Jaxson had Jeanette pick these up.”
Huh? Why the hell would Jaxson have ordered shoes for me?
Because you’re a hobo, Wolfie answered.
Heat rushed up my neck as I flipped the box open and pushed the turquoise tissue paper aside. Oh. My. God.
My heart skipped two beats, and I froze as I gazed down at the gorgeous pink platform heels I’d fallen in love with the day Jaxson had taken me to buy my magic boots.
Jeannette grabbed my arm and peered into the box, her eyes bulging. “The newest line from Andrea Todorova? You lucky girl.”
Jaxson had remembered that day and bought these for me.
Something stirred in my chest, and I suddenly felt flushed and breathless. I set the box down and rushed into the bathroom. Leaning on the white marble sink, I splashed water over my face and breathed in and out slowly. Why was I freaking out? It was just a nice pair of shoes, that’s all.
Because there are definitely strings attached, Wolfie said.
“You okay?” Neve asked, stepping into the bathroom.
“Yup. Just a little nervous about tonight. I haven’t been to a fancy party before. I wish you were going.”
Neve handed me a bottle of water. “You’ll be fine. Jaxson and Damian will be there. They know how to navigate.”
Damian, I had no doubt. But I hadn’t really thought of Jaxson that way. He was so rugged and down to earth. I knew he had political connections—hell, he owned half of Dockside—but he seemed more fitted to a truck than a tux.
Surprised the Wolf King might have a different side? The waitress sure does.
I looked at myself again in the mirror as my stomach twisted. I hope I do.
Neve stepped up holding my new pink pumps. I glanced down at my red dress and frowned. “Unfortunately, I’m going to need to pick a different dress to wear with those shoes.”
“They’ll be perfect. Trust me, I know shoes.” She laughed and slipped my feet into them. Maybe she knew shoes, but was Neve colorblind?
As soon as they were on my feet, I glanced down and gasped. They felt like walking on clouds, but more importantly, the leather on them began shifting its color, like a chameleon changing its skin, until the pumps matched the red of my dress.
My jaw dropped, and I looked to Neve and Jeannette. “They change?”
Jeanette looked personally offended and frowned. “They’re Todorova heels. What did you expect?”
Neve laughed. “They feel good, right? They’re magic. Not only can you run in them like sneakers, but they change color to match whatever outfit you’re wearing.”
Holy hell. “I might never take them off.”
“You’d better not,” Jeannette said enviously.
They spent the next half hour doing my hair and makeup.
Jaxson had returned in the meantime, and I heard the shower down the hall running. A fluttery feeling filled my chest, and my mouth went dry. I was beginning to see the softer, kinder Jaxson beneath that hard exterior, and I liked it.
Jeannette finished with my mascara and stepped back, admiring her work with apparent satisfaction. I glanced at myself in the mirror, and a smile spread over my lips. She’d put beach waves in my hair, and my smoky eye makeup made my eyes pop. Subtle yet sophisticated. I looked like a freaking movie star.
The doorbell rang.
Neve glanced at me in the mirror. “Ready for the ball?”
In this dress and these pumps? I was ready to slay.
Neve was right, I thought as I sauntered down the stairs. These heels were like walking on freaking clouds.
Damian and Jaxson stepped into the room, their gazes falling on us. I inhaled sharply as Jaxson tracked my movement like a predator, pupils dilated, assessing me carefully. He wore a dark charcoal three-piece suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and slim waist, his five o’clock shadow adding to the alluring effect.
Now that’s a Werewolf King.
“You clean up nicely,” I said awkwardly as I stepped up to him, sure that he could hear my heart thudding against my ribs.
His eyes fell to my lips “So do you. I’m going to have to keep a tight leash on you tonight.”
A deep, aching need flashed through me.
“Mm,” I said, like tasting a delicious dish. My eyes went wide as soon as the sound was out of my mouth.
His chest rose rapidly as he sucked in air, and I could smell the heady mixture of desire, possessiveness, and something else.
“Thanks for the shoes,” I blurted. “I love them.”
“It’s nothing. You needed shoes.”
Neve’s voice startled me back to my senses. “Are we all set?”
Damian nodded. “A car will pick us up from the portal to take us to Alejandro’s. Unfortunately, according to my source, he always watches the attendees from his balcony but never mingles.”
“So how do we talk to him?” I asked.
“Sometimes, he grants audiences to people who acquire a favorite object of his. The showpiece tonight is an enchanted sapphire and diamond brooch that once belonged to the Romanovs. I’m guessing Alejandro will be keeping a close eye on that sale. That’s how we’ll reel him in.”
The Romanovs, like Anastasia? Man, the price of that would be staggering. Was it Damian’s intention to buy the brooch just to help us out?
Apparently, he owed Jaxson a mighty big favor.
“What if we don’t catch his eye?” I asked.
“Then we do things the hard way.” Damian cast Jaxson a knowing look and drew a folded set of blueprints from his pocket, which he then unfolded. “We steal it.”
40
Jaxson
We emerged from the Magic Side portal onto a stone platform overlooking an open, shrubby landscape.
“What is this place?” Savannah asked, her voice lost in wonder as she slowly turned and took in the sprawling ancient complex.
“Cañada de la Virgen,” Damian said.
But the ruins meant nothing to me. I couldn’t take my eyes off her in that fucking red dress as she turned. It hugged her curves too closely and made me want to devour every inch of her.
At last, I forced my gaze away from the woman to assess the scene. We stood on the highest platform of a step pyramid, illuminated by the warm glow of the fading light. Our vantage point revealed that the whole complex was oriented east to west, to the rising and setting sun.
“It must be ancient,” Savannah said, her voice tinged with awe.
Damian smiled. “It’s an astronomical complex that was built by the Otomi peoples fifteen hundred years ago. We’re standing on the House of the Thirteen Heavens.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I mean, I’ve only left the States twice.”
“You should visit when you’re not trying to shake down a vampire.” Damian laughed. “The place is actually a tourist attraction, though the park is closed to visitors after three p.m. That allows Magica to use the portal undetected as long as we arrange it ahead of time with the landowners. This way, now. The car should be waiting.”
Damian headed down the long stone staircase. It descended to a sunken patio covered in sparse grass and surrounded by raised walls and another staircase at the opposite end.
Savannah glanced at me quickly and followed.
With her red hair flowing over her pale shoulders and her crimson dress clinging to her hips, she was like the setting sun, yet more captivating by far.
I gave a low growl and followed, not liking how easily she ensnared my mind.
Shrubby trees and newly sprouted grass covered the sprawling landscape. A black limousine with tinted windows pulled down a dirt road. We couldn’t have been more out of place if we’d tried.
The limo wound through old roads until fifteen minutes later, we entered the small town of San Miguel de Allende. Historic buildings in various hues of red and orange lined the cobblestone streets. It was a wonder how the driver navigated through the narrow thoroughfares.
At last, we came to a stop in front of a deep russet mansion. Not just a mansion, I reminded myself, but a vampire’s lair.
A man in a tuxedo stepped up and helped Savannah out of the limo. I drank her in as her dress slid over her skin.
The man in a tuxedo noticed the alluring effect as well.
Jealously flared within me—that, and doubt.
Parading her in front of a vampire dressed like that was probably a bad idea. Werewolves were already after her for her blood. And while most vampires were civilized, they were all blood addicts. It would be like offering a crack addict coke on a silver platter.
She shouldn’t have come along.
I glared at the man in the tux and, taking her arm, I leaned into her ear. “I want you to stay close to me tonight.”
What I meant was, If someone touches you, I’ll gut them.
Her fiery beauty and unconscious flirtations had a way of bringing out my murderous side, and once unleashed, there was no telling what would happen.
More men in tuxedos escorted us through a pair of carved wooden doors that opened into an ornate reception area with a double staircase and central dome. The place was bustling with pretentiously dressed men and women, who pretended not to watch us as we came in. Most of them were Magica, but a few didn’t have signatures, which meant they were humans. An interesting and potentially problematic mix.
Damian checked us in with the auction organizer while I scanned the space, memorizing the exits and the guards who patrolled the balconies of the second floor.
“For your convenience.” A young man in a double-breasted tuxedo handed Savannah and me a silver phone-sized tablet. “Please enter your financial information. If you see an item that strikes your interest tonight, simply select it and enter your bid.”
I grunted and scrolled through the items for sale. A surprising collection of art objects and people.
Savannah tensed as she examined the auction listings, and I could sense the bitter tang of her sudden shock and outrage. “There are people on the menu.”
Despite all that she’d experienced over the last month, she was naïve and far too innocent.
I gestured to the artists working around the reception hall. “Contracts, I’m guessing.”
Though I suspected some might be more than that.
We passed through a hall lined with Greco-Roman statues that led to an open-air garden surrounded by a candlelit portico covered in vines. The place was flamboyant and ostentatious.
I could only imagine how conceited Rivera had to be to live in a place like this.
“It’s gorgeous,” Savannah muttered, eyes lingering on the fountain in the center of the garden.
“I think you mean garish,” I said, scanning the guests.
She shrugged. “I like what I like.”
I gave a noncommittal grunt. We couldn’t be more different, and yet, something kept pulling me to her—more than just the power of our mate bond. A taste of all the things I couldn’t be. Impetuous. Free. Completely herself and uncorrupted.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” a voice boomed from above, drawing my gaze to a second level balcony where a man in a black suit scanned the garden like a lion. Alejandro Rivera.
The asshole was just as I’d imagined.
The bloodsucker wore a flashy smile and tailored linen suit, the top three buttons of his shirt left open to reveal his muscled chest. Rings adorned the hand he rested on the stone railing, and his manicured nails and gelled curls screamed pomp.
A pretty brunette hung off his arm like the year’s newest fashion accessory, and more groupies hovered behind.
Everything about him and the entire place revolted me.
“Welcome to my home, my friends. Please make yourselves comfortable and enjoy the refreshments while you peruse the pieces and people on sale tonight. The auction will begin at the top of the hour, and as always, I promise this night will be one to remember.”
For one moment, before he turned away, his eyes rested on us. But I knew it wasn’t me he was looking at. His gaze was lecherous and made me want to throttle him.
I grabbed a glass of tequila from a passing waiter and downed it while Damian broke off to find the brooch.
“Nervous?” Savannah raised her brows as she took a sip of champagne. Several men around us were watching her closely, and the scent of their lust burned in my throat. My muscles tensed.
“I’m eager to get what we came for and to get you out of here,” I said as I felt the heat of the room’s eyes on her.
What Alejandro noticed, everyone noticed.
My wolf struggled in my chest.
Savannah’s eyes dilated, and I knew she’d sensed the change in my signature. She gave me a sly grin. “What are you worried about, Jaxson? Alejandro? Or the other men?”
And why shouldn’t I be?
My mate was a feast for the eyes. Fiery and beautiful, and more than any man could tame. But she hadn’t accepted our bond and did whatever she wanted, unpredictable as an autumn leaf on the wind.
I couldn’t stand being so close to her and not having her.
“You are my mate, and my wolf is the jealous type.” I stepped closer, pressing my hand to her lower back, causing a shiver to work down her spine. Blood flushed her cheeks, while for me, it travelled somewhere else.
Almost instantly, she clamped down the overwhelming scents of her delight and arousal and fixed me with an iron stare. “I’m not yours, Jaxson. I am my own.”
She tilted her glass back to down the last of her drink, and the pale skin on her exposed throat drew me helplessly in. “You have no more claim on me than anyone here. Now, I’m going to go look at the things that are available for sale.”
With that, she snatched another glass from the waiter and pushed into the crowd.
