Chapter Eight – Make Me Sway
The Morrigan's Compound, 1pm
Evony, or The Morrigan to those who wanted to keep their heads fastened to their necks, slipped out from under her fifteen-hundred thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. She strode to the dresser, unabashed despite the fact that she was stark naked. All she wore was her new trinket, the Necklace of Harmonia. She grabbed the handcuff keys and sashayed back to her bed, where tonight's dinner was panting and attempting to regain his mental faculties and the power of speech.
She almost felt bad for the kid – just another low-talent 'pop sensation' whose career was peaking at age 19. Little did he know it was all downhill from here. The Morrigan had seen it a hundred times – blond haired blue eyed boy band brats usually devolved into balding, overweight sad sacks with two stints in rehab.
Ah, the circle of life.
The Morrigan uncuffed him from the headboard. "Time to go," she said. Her boy toy leaned in for a kiss, but The Morrigan snapped her fingers and two body guards entered her bedroom. They dragged the pop star out by his arms, and The Morrigan wrapped a bathrobe around herself. She removed the necklace and carefully placed it in her lock box next to the Llangareth Stone. Both had done their job so far. The necklace had taken a few years off already; she noticed a distinct lack of crow's feet when she peeked into the mirror. When she saw the Necklace of Harmonium pop up on the black market, she knew she had to have it. And the stone…my goodness the stone. Better than advertised.
She walked to her closet, footsteps muted by the sixteenth century Persian rug. Her eyes flashed with anger as she caught sight of the burn mark where Vex dropped a hot poker the last time he was here. She'd wanted to kill him for it, but instead she demoted him to an eternity of mindless chores and embarrassing errands.
Really, wasn't that a fate infinitely worse than death? Especially for a power hungry attention whore like Vex?
The Morrigan slid her closet doors open and stepped inside a cavernous room filled ceiling to floor with clothing from every designer label ever conceived. The collection stretched all the way back to Cleopatra's Alexandria line from 40BCE. Her eyes flicked from gown to gown, and she tapped her foot on the ground.
As soon as that pompous Santiago fool announced a ball for his spoiled, equally pompous daughter, The Morrigan knew she had to throw herself a party – one bigger, fancier, and with more important Fae on the guest list. The Light and Dark were on better terms these days, but that didn't stop them from trying to outdo each other at every possible opportunity.
"Lizzie!" The Morrigan screeched for her personal assistant. "Get in here!" She knew Lizzie would be standing outside, clipboard in hand, Bluetooth in ear, waiting at her beck and call for instructions. The Morrigan looked around her closet and frowned. She needed something new. What kind of Fae leader wears the same dress twice in a millennium?
The Morrigan heard footsteps approach behind her. She didn't bother to turn around. "Lizzie, call Giovanni and his Beldam friends and have them sew a new gown for me tonight. Something in gold – I want to look like a trophy. And if he can't finish on time, tell him I'll sew his eyelids shut with his own knitting needle." Her order was met with silence. Crickets. She slowly turned around to rip her assistant a new asshole.
But whoever, whatever was standing there, it didn't look a thing like her mousy assistant. She wasn't sure who it was – he wore a long, black robe with the hood pulled up over his face.
How tacky.
"Oh honey," she stepped forward. "I know the ghost of Christmas Future. We go out for pina coladas. And I can tell you, he would be appalled by this second hand get up. Cheap knock off robe – is this velour? Velour?" She felt the fabric…and then she felt eight sharp fingers pierce her skull and tickle her brain. Her body went numb and her jaw dropped. She started to drool.
"Is she out?" Another man in a hood asked his partner. A nod was the only reply. "Where is the stone?"
"Dresser. Lockbox." The hooded assailant drew in a breath and hissed like a snake.
"Good. Let's get it and be gone."
Lauren's Apartment, 7pm
Lauren stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom, checking herself out. Her blonde hair was done up high on her neck, with not a strand out of place. She bent and squatted, to make sure she had freedom of movement in her ball gown – just in case the night brought something unexpected, like hand-to-hand combat or the Electric Slide.
"Are you dressed?" Dyson asked, his voice muffled by the door. Lauren did the Twist a few times before responding.
"Yeah," she said. Dyson let himself in, and Lauren got her first look at him. He was swanky and dapper from the neck down, in his black suit and bow tie. But his face was as scruffy as ever, and he wore an expression of pain like the tie was slowly cutting off his airway and choking him to death. Lauren tried not to laugh at his misery as he tugged at his collar.
"Just in time wolf man. I need you to zip me up." She turned around. He helpfully pulled up her zipper, spun her around, and dipped her so low she almost touched the ground.
"Doctor Lewis, you're looking better than a human has the right to." He grinned and kissed her forehead before letting her back up.
Lauren laughed. "You're a sweetheart when you aren't an asshole."
"Thanks, I think. What about me? How do I look?" He struck a Napoleon pose, with a hand tucked up in his jacket.
"Like a very hairy penguin." She scratched his beard, and his face fell. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You look very handsome." She straightened his tie. He seemed satisfied with the answer, and joined her at the mirror as she put on a few final touches.
"When was the last time you wore a tux?" Lauren asked.
"Hmmm…probably the coronation of George the Fifth in 1910. Or the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson…I always get those two confused."
"I can see how that might happen." Lauren put in a pair of dangly diamond earrings, which accentuated her graceful neck perfectly. "So how did Hale end up with Ciara and you're escorting me?"
"Are you kidding? I volunteered."
Lauren rolled her eyes. "Was it rock paper scissors?"
"Best two out of three. I lost in the third round, when paper covered rock."
"How disappointing for you." Lauren applied lipstick and puckered. Dyson held out his handkerchief so she could blot.
"It's a stupid game. There's no way a sheet of paper can beat a rock in the real world."
"You should lodge a formal protest with the authorities." Lauren replied absentmindedly, as she slipped into her heels.
"Eh, I'll survive. It's not worth the trouble." He grinned. "Where are you hiding your prick?"
"Excuse me?"
"Scots call injections 'pricks'. Get your mind out of the gutter."
Lauren groaned, and lifted her gown up to her thigh, revealing a white garter. The garter held a hypodermic needle case snugly in place, pressed up against her inner thigh. "I'm packin' heat."
Dyson laughed, and looked at her wall clock. "Uh oh, time to go. If you please, m'lady." He held out an arm, and Lauren daintily placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.
"Let's go snatch ourselves a stone," she grinned.
The Santiago Mansion, 8pm
Kenzi hid behind the bushes in front of the huge brick mansion, and watched the Fae freaks pull up in their limos and gowns like they were going to the damn Oscars. They even had a red carpet – the very height of self-congratulatory bullshit. Kenzi rolled her eyes and held her binoculars to her face. She looked at the front door, where Bo was already getting flirty-flirted with by some dude in a purple suit who looked like Mr. Monopoly.
"Can't make this shit up," she muttered to herself. She took note of the security guards – there were six of them manning the perimeter in front of the building – ogre types who could give the Incredible Hulk a decent nine round fight. She frowned. There had to be an opening somewhere.
"Aha!" She dropped her binoculars. There was a spot behind the pool – a walkway full of statues of goblins and monsters and other ugly creatures. She could hide behind them and sneak all the way up to the walls of the mansion. "Boom, baby." She grinned and shuffled from a squat to a crawl, lining herself up for a sprint to the first statue.
Lauren gripped Dyson's arm like a vice. As the only human in the crowd, she was nervous – almost shaking. But her face and body language didn't betray an inch of that. Lauren Lewis strode confidently among the upper class Fae, and she smiled widely any time one of them cast her a sideways glance as they headed down the red carpet. She leaned over to whisper in Dyson's ear, "You're sure I was invited, right?"
Kenzi crouched down into a sprinter's stance. "Ready," she whispered to herself.
Dyson smiled. "Of course you were invited. Why?"
"I remember what Hale said about the Boraro security barrier. I don't particularly care to find myself flying through the air like a beach ball," Lauren replied.
Kenzi stuck her butt in the air. "Set."
"Val promised me you'd be on the list," Dyson said. "I pity the poor sucker who isn't."
Kenzi took a deep breath, and crossed herself. "Aaaaand, GO!" She ran as fast as she could toward the first statue.
"Still," Dyson continued, "I wouldn't mind seeing what would happen if…"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" They turned to see a body fly thirty feet in the air and do six cartwheeling somersaults before landing in the swimming pool in a massive, skin-smacking, splashy belly-flop.
Lauren and Dyson turned to each other and broke out in a fit of laughter, completely unable to suppress the giggles. "Well," Dyson finally wiped a tear from his eyes, "now we know."
Bo felt Doctor Lauren Lewis enter the room. When she finally caught a glimpse of her rival, she noticed that Lauren was draped on the arm of the wolf shifter who looked like that guy from Coldplay.
Bo hated Coldplay.
But she loved watching Lauren move in that silky, pale blue dress as they descended the stairs into the ballroom. The dress was tight in all the right ways, flowing in all the right places. And when Lauren turned to accept a glass of champagne, Bo noticed that a slit on the left side of the dress stretched up the Doctor's sculpted leg, almost to her hip. Bo nearly lost her composure and jumped the Doc on the spot. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and brought herself under control.
She had a job to do, after all. With any luck, Kenzi was already in position for Phase One.
"No…not the boots." Kenzi sobbed, watching the water drip drip drip from her soaking wet Steve Maddens as the Santiago security team lifted her in the air by her underarms. She looked back and forth between the two Fae guards. "Look fellas, I don't know what kind of invisible bouncy castle shit you have going on out here, but I'm supposed to be in there." She pointed to the mansion, but her words had absolutely zero effect as she was led off the property and unceremoniously dumped on the side of the road.
"Can't we work something out?" She shouted after them. "I can pay you off in palm reading coupons and knock-off Air Jordans!" The ogres kept walking. "Chyort voz'mi," she swore. She grabbed her phone to call Bo, but the waterlogged cell wouldn't even turn on. She plopped down on the curb and leaned against an electric pole. She hoped Bo would be able to handle things by herself, without getting distracted.
Kenzi wasn't optimistic about that.
Bo swayed in place as the band struck up a smooth waltz and the floor filled up with dancers. She still hadn't gotten the signal from Kenzi. It had been a half hour. She looked around the room – Arthur Naia was already being chatted up by the fairy chick with the British accent. While Bo was waiting for Kenzi to get her head out of her ass, the Doc Squad had pulled miles and miles ahead.
She searched the room for the rest of the rival team. The Wolf was flirting shamelessly with the Ash, near the punch bowl. Lauren was standing on the opposite side of the room next to an ice sculpture, animatedly talking to her Siren friend. Whatever they were discussing, Lauren seemed excited. She used her hands to talk a lot, and every once in a while burst into laughter. Bo licked her lips. The whole thing was incredibly sexy. Although the Siren didn't seem to think so; his eyes were glazed over, and blank.
"Idiot." Bo muttered to herself. She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, realizing that those four were the only people here that she actually knew. This place was boring as hell. And Bo didn't do boring very well. Her eyes slid back to Lauren. The Doctor was many things. Sexy. Provocative. Alluring. A cooch-tease. Boring, she sure as hell wasn't. Time to play.
Lauren waved her hands. "Okay, okay, okay Hale, you'll like this one," she grinned. "What do you do with a dead chemist?"
Hale took a deep, deep drink of champagne. "I don't know Doc, what do you do with a dead chemist?"
"Barium!" Lauren replied, erupting into giggles. Hale stared back, and groaned. "Don't you get it? Barium? A soft metallic alkaline earth metal? Atomic number 56 on the periodic table of the elements. No? Never-mind, it's geek humor."
"Sorry Doc, I slept through tenth grade chemistry." Suddenly Hale's eyes lit up, and he grinned at something taking place over Lauren's shoulder. "Since we're all up in chemistry right now, why don't you keep an eye on the Succubus while I go get my mack on with that hottie over there."
"I'm not sure I like that idea." Lauren frowned.
"I'm not sure you have a choice." Hale winked, as Lauren felt a light touch on her arm. She turned to see who it was, and almost spit her champagne out when she saw it was Bo. Her eyes raked Bo up and down; it was like a reflex these days. The Succubus looked amazing, and amazingly sophisticated, in a sparkling, deep emerald gown. Lauren swallowed.
"Hi." Bo smiled.
"Hello again," Lauren replied, keeping her expression completely neutral.
Bo's smile slipped a little. "You're pissed off about yesterday."
"You're perceptive. Although I wouldn't call myself pissed off. Just disappointed. I think you made the wrong choice." Lauren sipped her champagne.
"Yeah well, I don't respond well to coercion techniques."
"I think we both know that's a lie," Lauren's mouth crept into a sly grin. "You seemed to be responding very well, as I recall."
"Nonetheless, here we are. On opposing sides." Bo fingered the stem of her champagne glass like she was playing the flute. Lauren was slightly mesmerized by the movement. "What's your role in all this tonight?"
Lauren was distressed to discover that the flirting technique she'd worked so hard to perfect over the years, the deadly hair-flip, was not possible when her blonde locks were in an updo. Shit. She ran her thumb along her bottom lip instead. "In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that my job tonight is to keep an eye on you and make sure that you don't do anything that would run contrary to the interests of my team."
"You're spying on me?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
"Well, why don't I make your job easier on you?" Bo set her glass on the table, and ran her hands up Lauren's bare arms, resting them on her shoulders. "Dance with me."
Lauren laughed out loud. "What makes you think I have any interest in dancing with you?"
Bo ran her fingertips up Lauren's neck. "Come on, Doc. You should know by now that I can read you like a book. That big, beautiful brain of yours might be saying 'no thanks'," Bo leaned forward, "but your body is saying something entirely different. Right?" Bo nipped at Lauren's earlobe with her teeth.
"Yes," Lauren whispered. "I mean…no." her eyes shot open, "No. I don't feel like dancing."
Bo grinned, and sent a glowing red pulse rolling through the doctor. Lauren felt her knees buckle as a familiar warm ache spread through her entire body. "I could always make you," Bo said.
"Would you really do that?" Lauren asked, breathlessly. "It's cheating."
"I'm not above bending the rules to get what I want, Doctor." Bo removed her hands and stepped back, and Lauren's rational thought patterns slipped back into place. "But only if I have to. Come on. Dance with me. Make me sway." Bo grinned playfully, and rolled her hips.
Lauren looked at the ground and smiled, before meeting Bo's eyes. "Okay. But just remember – you asked for this."