He chuckled. “This is a gala hosted by Allcot. You could be wearing a clear plastic-wrap dress and it wouldn’t be too much.”
Proving his point, Pandora, Allcot’s consort, strolled by wearing a see-through, lacy black bustier and a skirt that had a slit up to her hip.
“Damn, Wil,” I said to my friend. “You look downright conservative in your green velvet dress.”
She smoothed the formfitting, off-the-shoulder number and nodded. “Someone needs to be the grown-up in the room.”
Considering she was the host of this fundraiser to benefit a new supernatural hospital in the city and would have her picture splashed all over the local papers in the morning, she’d chosen well. Everyone else, vampires and shifters alike, appeared to be trying to one-up each other in the outrageous department. So much female skin was showing it was starting to look like a Victoria’s Secret party.
“When does the auction start?” I asked Willow.
“In about fifteen minutes.” She grabbed a crab puff from a passing tray and popped it into her mouth.
I raised my glass in a toast. “May their wallets be as loose as their inhibitions.” As Willow laughed at me, I waved and strolled across the room, stopping only when I was side by side with Dax.
His hand landed on the small of my back, sending an electric shock of heat straight up my spine. I fought to stay perfectly still, to ignore what his touch did to me, while he continued to discuss the state of New Orleans football with a couple of young shifters. Dax and I had engaged in a short-lived, smokin’-hot affair a few months back, but I’d abruptly called it quits shortly after I’d learned he was my new partner at the Void. Dating your partner isn’t a good idea. Especially when you’re sure it’s never going to go anywhere but the bedroom.
That didn’t mean I’d stopped wanting him. No, far from it. Every time he touched me, my skin burned. I took a step to the side, putting distance between us. “Excuse me,” I said, cutting in. “I need to talk to Dax for a second if you don’t mind.”
The young shifter who’d been talking jerked his head in my direction and his mouth fell open as he stared at me. His eyes widened then he shook his head, his too-long locks falling into his face. He brushed his hair back and asked, “You’re Phoebe?”
“The one and only. And you’re…?”
“Leo.” He blinked and stood there, mute, until his blond friend nudged him in the gut with his elbow. Leo cast the other young shifter a glare, but when he turned back to me, he was all smiles and googly eyes. “Sorry. This is my friend Dali. We’re… ah, friends of Dax.”
My lips twitched with amusement. “I can see that. It’s nice to meet you both. Is this your first time attending one of Allcot’s galas?”
They both nodded. Then Leo leaned in. “It’s a little strange for shifters to be at a vamp-sponsored party, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but it’s all part of the plan to end the tensions in the city,” I said. Vampire and shifter relations in the city had deteriorated rapidly after Allcot had been apprehended by a rogue group of shifters a few months ago. Since then, both shifters and vampires from all over the city had started going missing and both groups were blaming each other. It was only after Dax had stepped in to facilitate a truce that they somehow managed to come together for Willow’s cause. And because vamps and shifters alike had a vested interest in a neutral supernatural hospital, they’d both been invited.
The only question was could they make it through the evening without any bloodshed?
“Ladies and gentleman,” the emcee started, but my attention was diverted when Dax stiffened beside me.
“What is it?” I asked him, scanning the crowd.
“Leo. He—”
Both of our phones beeped simultaneously, indicating we’d been called to track down a vampire. “Shit,” I muttered when I glanced at the screen and read the text. There was a description of the mark. Approximate age thirty years old, one hundred sixty pounds, six foot tall, bright red hair. Last seen on Bourbon Street entering Peaches. I rolled my eyes. “It figures it’d be a strip club.”
Dax let out a barely audible growl of frustration, his gaze still locked on Leo. The young shifter was surrounded by five vampires and the conversation didn’t look friendly. Worse, Leo wasn’t keeping his cool. He had a snarl painted on his face and his muscles were rippling as if he was getting ready to shift right there in the ballroom. Dax turned to me. “I have to deal with that now before this gets any worse. Can you go ahead and I’ll meet you down on Bourbon?”
I waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got this one. You just keep them from turning this into an all-out vamp-shifter brawl.”
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“I better be, because it looks like another one of your shifters is getting ready to join the fray.”
“Shit.” Without hesitation, Dax took off and jumped right into the middle of the circle. The vamps immediately backed up, but they didn’t disperse, and Leo wasn’t anywhere near calm. Still, if anyone could defuse the situation, it was Dax.
My phone buzzed again. I typed back a response, letting our handler know I was on my way. Then I turned on my heel and headed out to do what I did best.
2
An ominous rumble of thunder crackled overhead as a gust of wind chilled me to the bone. I glanced up at the angry night sky and scowled. My silver dress wasn’t going to fare well in a thunderstorm. Neither were my leather ankle boots. I cursed myself for forgetting to stock the car with a fresh change of clothes. I usually did, but I’d used my jeans and T-shirt during my last tracking mission and forgotten to replace them.
I clutched the lightweight overcoat around my body and prayed the weather held out at least long enough for me to make it to Peaches. Two more blocks to go. More thunder rumbled. I reached in my pocket and clasped my hand around my sun agate. The smooth, cool surface centered me. The agate had served me well over the past few years. One flash had the power to knock a vamp on his ass. With any luck, this run would be over within minutes, especially if my mark wasn’t expecting me.
A gust of wind whistled through the air and blew up my skirt, and I shivered. “Fuck.” I quickened my pace, but it was no use. The dark, angry skies opened up and unleashed a massive torrent of rain.
Tourists scattered into bars, restaurants, and hotels, their shrieks of alarm muffled by the storm. I kept on, the rain drenching me in mere seconds. With the tourists out of the way, it took no time at all to reach the entrance of Peaches.
I slipped through the door and came to a dead stop when one of the strippers let out a gasp.
“Oh, honey. Bless your heart, you look like a drowned rat.”
I cut my gaze to the woman wearing a strapless satin slip that barely covered her crotch. Her dark hair was piled high on her head and secured with a number two pencil, and she was wearing plastic-rimmed black glasses.
“Here, sweetheart.” A man about twice my height and three times my weight wrapped a thick towel around my shoulders. “We were starting to wonder if you were going to make it at all. Dry off and go find something sexy to slip into. You’re on in ten minutes. Minnie, show Carol to the dressing room.”
What? I opened my mouth to protest but suddenly closed it. They thought I was a stripper. I almost laughed out loud. But getting into the back of the house would certainly help me with the element of surprise when tracking my vamp. I tightened the towel around my body and smiled up at him. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Good luck out there.” He scanned my body, his gaze lingering on my chest. I glanced down to see my jacket gaping open and one breast nearly falling out of the dress. At least I looked the part.
Minnie gave me a flat stare then jerked her head toward a door that read Employees Only. “This way, new girl.”
I fell into step beside her.