The shimmering notes of Liszt's La Campanella fill the air of the concert hall. Evony sits just out of sight behind the curtain, watching as the audience falls deeper beneath the pianist's spell, his fingers flying over the keys. A smile twists across her mouth and her eyes flutter closed as she feeds off his performance, pleasure coursing through her as his playing grows even more impassioned. The madness will take him soon, but it was a delicious ride. Of course this pianist doesn't quite compare to Liszt himself, but humans have that pesky habit of dying almost as fast as one can kill them. Which reminds Evony of another human she's pushed to the back of her mind—Doctor Lauren Lewis.

Recruiting Lauren for the dark may have been one of Evony's best moves yet. She's sure of that. But showing up at Lauren's apartment with beer and pizza hadn't gone as planned. Evony hoped to put Lauren more at ease with a drink or two and some friendly banter. She hadn't expected Lauren to kiss her. And she especially hadn't expected to feel anything when it happened.

As the audience drowns the pianist in applause and the rush of chi swirls hot in Evony's blood, her mind leaves the performer. Instead, the beautiful blonde doctor captivates her thoughts. She can't stop thinking of Lauren's kiss, or the way Lauren's hand felt on her neck, or the jolt that went straight through her entire body when the other woman touched her. When Lauren pulled away and trailed her fingertips down Evony's jawline, it felt like something sparkling had been left on her skin.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

The Morrigan isn't supposed to feel things. Ever. Feelings make one weak, and as the Morrigan, Evony can never afford to be weak. The thought that she might have even the slightest vulnerability in the armor she spent centuries building makes her want to melt a few humans just for sport. Most of them are more useful as piles of viscera on the ground anyway.

"Excuse me," a timid voice says behind her.

"What do you want?" Evony says, annoyed at having her reverie shattered. She turns to face the mousy girl who has helped her with classical music events for the past few weeks. The girl is so unremarkable that Evony can't remember her name, only that she hired her because she's bland enough to blend in behind the scenes.

"There's…there's an emergency back at your office," the girl says, shrinking further into herself.

Evony rolls her eyes. Fear from those who served her had long ago ceased to be titillating. Now, it was just annoying. "What kind of emergency? It's nearly ten o'clock at night."

"Someone is there to see you, but she wouldn't say her name. She said she would only speak to you." The girl trembles, her green eyes wide with fear.

Three weeks and you'd think the kid would be over working for the Morrigan. If she isn't by now, she probably won't ever be. A little fear in one's minions was helpful, but this much would only end up inconveniencing Evony someday.

"Thanks for the message, dear," Evony says, and dissolves the girl into a pile of slop on the floor with a touch. "By the way, you're fired." She turns on her heel and stalks away to find her coat and her ride, hoping the girl had the sense to call for a limousine before delivering the news. An unusually warm breeze greets Evony outside the concert hall, strange for late January. Hopefully this isn't related in any way to what awaits in her office. Last time the weather got out of control the paperwork was a nightmare. The last thing Evony wants is another headache like that. What she does want is another kiss…

Stop it, she tells herself firmly. The doctor is too useful to wind up a snack, and she can't risk losing what little of Lauren's trust and loyalty she has if things eventually go sour. Not to mention the credence she'd lose by stooping to a dalliance with a human that she can't even feed from.

At least her feeding at the concert has her energy topped off and is one less hunger she needs to sate. Though whoever awaits her at the office might get the same treatment as her dull concert assistant for being presumptuous enough to force her to come back to the office in the middle of the night. Evony would normally suspect Bo, but her assistants would all recognize the Succubitch by now. Besides, Bo and her motley gang of morons usually made a more creative entrance than sending Evony's underlings to fetch her.

When Evony arrives at her building, the night crew scatters as she prowls through the halls with the sleek elegance of a cat, still clad in the tight black dress and sparkling necklace heavy with diamonds that she wore to the concert. Curiosity wars with irritation in her as she opens the door to her office, but whatever she expects to see, this isn't it.

Someone is slumped in one of the chairs in her office, but the woman's face isn't visible because Lauren is standing over her, checking her vitals. Evony can't help a smile at the way the doctor so attentively looks at her patient, concern furrowing her brow. Who knew she would take to caring for the dark with such ease.

"She's weak, but should be fine after a rest and a feeding," Lauren says, turning to face Evony. Her face betrays nothing, though it's the first time their eyes have met since the kiss.

Evony's stomach drops, but she doesn't let it show. Still, she wants to cross the room, grab Lauren by her golden hair, and put her mouth on the soft part of the doctor's neck where her pulse beats just underneath the skin. But then Lauren moves aside from her patient and Evony has a bigger problem on her hands.

"Persephone, darling. What a surprise."