Unreap My Heart (The Reaper Series) (21 page)

“Don’t obsess, Arianne,” Balthazar said in a grumbly voice, like he forced himself to speak. “Niko’s done far worse things than be at a whorehouse…”

“What do you mean ‘worse things’?”

His lower lip jutted out. “I’d rather not say. If you think he’s a good guy, then maybe he is now. I haven’t seen him since I got banished to the Nethers. Maybe he’s changed.”

“Are you actually trying to comfort me, Balthazar?” Arianne put together her best “aww” face.

“Don’t get all mushy on me,” he barked, but his words didn’t have the same bite. “I’m more the bang ’em then leave ’em type.”

Gross, but Arianne smiled anyway. Balthazar did have some good guy in him. He could deny it all he wanted, but she believed. He coughed out the f-bomb, apparently in reaction to her thoughts, but said nothing to contradict her. “So,” she began, taking a seat on a chair opposite the couch. She’d chew on the latest piece of information Balthazar had given her another time. “What happens next?”

“We wait.”

“The Underball.”

“Yeah.” Balthazar’s brow crinkled, but he didn’t open his eyes. “What are the chances you’d stay here while that’s going on?”

“Slim to none.”

“You’re such a stubborn bitch.”

The doors opened. Arianne and Balthazar both looked to see who’d come in. The Voyeur, still dressed in her Elvira-inspired gown, stood by the doorway flanked by two lesser demons in equally revealing maids’ uniforms. So little cloth covered them that their clothes couldn’t be considered decent, not even by hooker standards.

Balthazar flicked his wrist and Arianne found herself kneeing on the floor, her eyes glued to the carpet as if commanded by an unseen force. She bit her tongue to keep from reacting. The impact hurt her knees, but she’d complain to Balthazar later. Right now she had to play the role of obedient slave. She placed her hands flat on her knees and waited. She figured Balthazar had sat up based on the feet he planted firmly in front of Arianne’s line of sight.

“Twice in less than thirty minutes,” he said. “I can’t say I like it.”

Arianne got the feeling Balthazar hated the Voyeur more than most. He coated his words with honey every time he spoke to her. Like he forced himself to be extra nice, but in a sarcastic way.

“You’ve always been my favorite, Balthazar,” Solara said in a voice that reminded Arianne of smoke and secrets.

“I’m the only one who’s still alive. Eaten the Prince of the Ghouls yet?”

“I brought my two most prized demons to help with your slave,” the Voyeur said, her tone clipped.

Arianne froze at the mention of slave and demons. What the hell was happening? Why would the Voyeur bring two demons to help her? She instantly didn’t like where this was going and hoped Balthazar had the sense to refuse.

“I’m saying no to whatever you’re offering.”

Arianne had almost sighed in relief when the Voyeur said, “Oh, but I insist. She’s not dressed properly for a slave belonging to someone like you.”

“Solara.”

She didn’t think it possible, but Balthazar managed to growl out the Voyeur’s name in a respectful manner. Arianne had really hoped he’d win this one. Unfortunately for her, it didn’t look like she could escape whatever the Voyeur had planned. If they wanted information on the Redeemer, they had to play nice.

“Whatever it is I’ll do it.” The words shot out of her mouth without her thinking twice. If she kept thinking, she’d chicken out. Just to relieve some of the tension she felt coming from Balthazar and Solara like lightning bolts, she’d agreed. She immediately regretted it.

Chapter 23

RTFM

A
RIANNE
W
OULD
B
E
T
HE
D
EATH
O
F
H
IM
. Balthazar’s heart stopped when the stupid girl agreed to be dressed by Solara’s demons. She didn’t know what she’d gotten herself into, yet she boldly—foolishly—agreed. He wanted to smack the girl so hard her fraying thread would snap. He’d come close to helping her get out of all this. A quick stare down with Solara would have worked. Or maybe not.

What the hell had possessed her to suddenly say she’d do it?

The satisfaction on Solara’s face bruised his ego the most. Arianne agreeing made him look weak, like he didn’t control her like a master should a slave. Oh, he’d remedy that as soon as she finished playing dress up.

Liking the idea more and more every second he thought about it, Balthazar licked his lips and grinned. With Arianne’s eyes firmly on the carpet, she couldn’t see the thoughts surfacing in his expression, but she could feel them. The shiver racking her body—the ones she tried really hard to hide—were too obvious to his hunter’s eyes. He looked to Solara and wiped the grin off his face. He didn’t want to give the Voyeur the wrong idea.

“She changes in this room, nowhere else,” he said.

Solara nodded her head once. “But you must come with me.”

“And miss all the fun here?”

The Voyeur gave him a pointed glare. “We have much to discuss, Balthazar. Come with me.”

He felt the push in her words. Part of the Voyeur’s charm was her ability to make creatures of the male persuasion obey her by adding a mental push into her voice—almost like a combination of subliminal persuasion and hypnotism. Balthazar blocked it but nodded anyway. The way she looked at him said more was going on here that he hadn’t picked up on.

He pointed at Arianne and said to Solara, “She does not leave this room.” He added his own push. Solara wasn’t the only one who knew this little parlor trick.

“You heard him.” She tilted her head at her demons. Both bowed deeply before they entered the room and flanked Arianne. They took one arm each and eased Arianne from her kneeling position.

Balthazar ignored the apology in Arianne’s eyes. He pushed off the couch and shrugged on his coat. Only then did he saunter toward Solara. The Voyeur moved out of the way, giving him just enough room to exit the suite. Once he had his back to the doors, they closed with a soft click. Oh, he’d be back, he promised himself. And Arianne would learn what it meant to have him as a master. He gestured to Solara, and she swayed her hips down the hall.

“Your seduction won’t work this time, Solara,” Balthazar said when he took his place at her side.

She snaked her long arms around his. He allowed the contact, knowing a dead Voyeur would be no use to him. She seemed to believe the time they’d spent together bought her some leniency from him. He continued to give her that impression by bending the arm she hugged so she wouldn’t have a hard time holding on to him. Then he patted her hand.

“Am I not beautiful anymore?” she asked in a whisper that had her lips touching his ear.

Only a fool would deny the beauty of the Voyeur. He’d been telling Arianne the truth when he said Solara had the tendency to eat her lovers like a praying mantis. Balthazar plastered a grin on his lips.

“You’re as beautiful as the day I first met you.”

His words garnered him the desired effect, an almost girlish giggle. No matter how powerful, the Voyeur was vain. Stroke her ego a little by telling her how pretty she looked and she’d give up most things. Of course, Balthazar reminded himself, he entered a tricky trail now. Say the wrong thing and his head would roll. Literally.

Solara led him down the flight of steps to the second floor. The sounds of creatures getting it on rang out. Balthazar remembered Arianne’s reaction. He knew just by feeling her thoughts how much she blushed. The girl truly was a virgin if she turned red at the sounds of sex. To him, it sounded no different from watching two women play tennis. Close your eyes and it sounded the same. Dirty. Noisy. And full of sweat.

“Business is doing well,” Balthazar said.

Judging from Solara’s silent agreement, the creatures of the Underverse still patronized her establishment.

“The auction this year is more popular than ever,” she commented.

“I’m not here for that.”

“Oh, I know.” She gave Balthazar a sidelong glance. “But you’re already here. Might as well.”

A couple of maids carrying various whipping canes scurried past them. Balthazar raised his eyebrow at the pair. Solara waved her hand in dismissal.

“You know we live to serve.”

“Oh, how well I know.” Balthazar guided her down the last flight of steps to the first floor. He’d guessed they were heading for her office. He didn’t have to ask. If Solara wanted to speak to him, her office gave them the most privacy.

“I trust you know the way,” she said, her purple lips pulling up into a seductive smile.

He steered them to the back of the mansion past the grand ballroom. Several lesser demons scurried about, preparing the massive room that housed three large chandeliers for the night’s festivities. Several male demons—at least Balthazar thought they were male, hard to tell sometimes—built a platform at one end of the floor space. It would serve to showcase the different auction items for the evening.

Solara must have noticed him staring at the platform a little too long because she said, “Are you sure you don’t want to participate in the auction? We have another mermaid up for bidding tonight. And this one is triple jointed.”

Balthazar’s mouth watered, but he quickly swallowed.
Focus
, he barked at himself. It may have been more than a thousand years since he’d tasted the pleasures a mermaid could offer, but he wasn’t here for that. After he’d completed his task, he could always return and ask Solara for the mermaid. She’d oblige one of her oldest and most prominent clients. He’d slit her throat if she didn’t. She knew that.

They crossed the ballroom into a secret hallway hidden by a column. Mirrors for walls gave the long passage the illusion of continuing forever. Walking through it could confuse the uninitiated. Solara did it on purpose when she built this particular part of the mansion.

If you didn’t know about Solara’s office, you’d miss the entrance to it. Only a handful knew. Mostly her past lovers. Solara didn’t trust anyone any more than Balthazar did. She hardly invited anyone to her inner sanctum. Balthazar had been in her office twice before, and both times not really for business purposes.

“Not tonight.” Balthazar pushed against the mirror at the end of the hallway. It slid to the side, revealing Solara’s office. Several lamps gave the room its soft lighting. Solara never cared for bright lights when alone. The softer the better. On one wall hung a tapestry of naked women dancing around a fire. Statues of naked men flanked the fireplace. Solara liked the human form. Throughout the mansion she chose more mythical themes for her erotic sculptures, but for her office, sculptures of humans dominated all the art, some by the great Michelangelo himself.

Solara let Balthazar go and arranged herself on a daybed by the crackling fire. The light from the flames danced over every curve and hollow she possessed, every move a show for his benefit. Balthazar watched her intently. He couldn’t blame her for trying to seduce him. The Voyeur hadn’t gotten her name for being meek. He moved to the reading chair opposite Solara’s daybed and took a seat, stretching his legs out toward her.

“Unfortunate what happened to D,” she said when she’d positioned her body to her satisfaction. “Brianne’s Bitterness isn’t a joke.”

Balthazar shook his head. “Straight to business.”

She stabbed him with a glare. “You made it perfectly clear that you weren’t here for anything other than business. Has your mind changed?”

Again he shook his head, meeting her purple eyes. She shivered.

“Those eyes of yours.” She ran the tip of her finger over her lower lip. “They scare me and turn me on at the same time.”

“The Prince of Ghouls. Is he still alive?”

She huffed, leaning her elbow against the curled lip of the daybed, her body lying sideways now. “He’s such a bore.”

“He’s still alive.”

“The Ghoul Woods is all I’m after. Eating him would throw the place into more chaos.”

Balthazar tapped his fingers on the chair’s armrest. “The Ghoul Woods have never interested you before.”

A perfect eyebrow quirked up. “It’s the easiest way to get into my territory. The woods serve my purpose of protecting what’s mine.”

“It’s none of my business.”

“Not yet.” Her lips smiled but her eyes didn’t.

“Ah.” Balthazar leaned back further into his seat. “You know I’m challenging D for control of the Crossroads.”

“I’ve known since you left the Nethers.”

“Keeping tabs on me. I’m touched.”

She waved her slender hand. “Don’t feel special. I keep tabs on everyone.”

“That you do,” Balthazar agreed. “Tell me what you know about the Redeemer.”

“Only one knows the location of what you seek.”

“Don’t play cryptic with me, Solara. I don’t have time for games.”

“I’m not playing games. Even I don’t have that far a reach into Haven.”