Ivy couldn’t even tell what sort of shifter he was. With the scents of so many different kinds mingling in the air, mixed in with the fumes of mulled wine and the tang of evergreen boughs, it was impossible to get a good whiff of him.
His easy dominance told her one thing, though. Despite the powerful creatures all around—hyenas, vipers, even the hellhounds of the Bad Dogs—Gaze was the most dangerous person in the room.
“Who are you?” she asked warily, as he led her to the gleaming kitchen area of the vast open-plan penthouse.
“A broker, of sorts. I make connections. Bring people together for mutual benefit.” Gaze extracted a bottle of champagne from one of the many ice buckets clustered on the black marble counter. He let out a deep chuckle as he poured. “And you could call this a staff party. All the shifters here are…private contractors, shall we say, who do business with me. Very profitable business, I might add.“
Ice ran down Ivy’s spine. “Let me guess. That business isn’t exactly legal.”
Gaze smiled behind his sunglasses, pushing a glass of champagne across the counter toward her. “I’m sure you’ll appreciate that I can’t discuss past jobs. But I do maintain a small, very exclusive list of clients, who pay well for quiet solutions to delicate problems. And they would pay extremely well for someone of your particular talents.”
Ivy knew exactly how much unscrupulous people would pay for what she could do. She’d carry the shame of that until her dying day.
Never again.
She swallowed the acid rising in her throat. Much as she wanted to spit in Gaze’s face and tell him where he could stick his offer, she was standing on his territory. Surrounded by his people.
Who were also surrounding Hope.
It took all her control not to look round at her sister. Ivy picked up the champagne glass, taking a sip as cover for her furiously racing thoughts.
Have to play this cool. Make him think he’s got me interested.
“I know how much I’m worth,” she said. “Why should I let you take a cut?”
“Because I can provide what your previous employer didn’t.” Gaze leaned back, resting his elbows against the countertop. Ivy was pretty sure he knew exactly how well the posture showed off the hard swells of his biceps. “Protection. I know your previous experiences with this line of work, Ivy. You were, if I may be so blunt, appallingly wasted by Killian Tiernach. You nearly went to prison because of his mistakes.”
“Yeah, well,” Ivy muttered, the shame of the memory heating her cheeks. “He did. I don’t want to risk getting into that sort of trouble again.”
“I would never ask you to.” Gaze’s voice dropped to that deep, seductive murmur again. “A unique treasure such as yourself should never be put at risk. I would treat you as you deserved.”
Which, apparently, is from three feet away, Ivy thought with dark humor. For all his flirtatious manner, Gaze was being very careful to stay out of arm's reach.
Just like everyone did.
Ivy leaned a little closer, as though his attempt to charm her was working. To his credit, Gaze didn’t flinch, although his broad shoulders tensed.
“You’ve got my attention,” Ivy said. Under the excuse of turning to gesture at the luxurious apartment, she scanned the party for Hope. “You’re clearly doing well for yourself, and I could do with some cash. What sort of—oh, crap.”
One of Gaze’s hands shot up, touching the frame of his sunglasses. “Something wrong?”
“No. Just my irritating sister picking the worst possible moment to interrupt, as usual.” Ivy faked a grimace, putting her champagne down. “She needs me to take her to the bathroom. Where is it?”
Gaze dropped his hand again. “Just down the hall. But I’m sure I could get someone—“
“I’ll be right back,” Ivy called over her shoulder, already striding away.
Hope was deep in conversation with her fellow teens in the corner, but she broke off at Ivy’s approach. “Well?” she demanded eagerly, swiveling round. “Did you like him? Is he—“
“He wants to offer me a job.” Ivy took hold of the handlebars of Hope’s wheelchair. “We’re going to discuss the details after I’ve taken you to the bathroom.”
“What?” Hope said, as Ivy briskly wheeled her through the crowd. “I—“
“Need to go right now, I know.” Ivy desperately prayed Gaze wasn’t one of the sorts of shifters that had supernaturally good hearing. “Come on, let’s make this fast. I want to get back to the party.”
As Ivy had hoped, that finally clued her sister in that something was badly wrong. Miracle of miracles, for once Hope actually shut up.
Under the pretext of opening the door, Ivy bent level with Hope’s ear. “How’d you get up here?”