White teeth flashed in what I presumed was a grin, though it was an oddly unsettling one. “If you had answered any other way—if you had been less than honest—I would have walked out the door.”
“Then thank god for honesty.” I contemplated her over the rim of the champagne glass. “So, back to my original question—did Lucian fill you in on why we wanted to speak to you?”
“Yes.” The amusement died from her lips. “I know of the reapers—one such as I cannot help but be aware of them. However, I did not know there were beings called Aedh who once manned the gates to heaven and hell. Or that some fool wants the gates of hell opened permanently.”
That raised my eyebrows. “Don’t you trade with hellkind?”
“Of course, but that doesn’t mean I want all hell to break loose here on earth. If demons were as common as ants, it would destroy my business.”
I snorted softly. Consorting with demons was a business, was it? “Then you also know why I need your help.”
She nodded. “However, we are talking about a device created by beings who aren’t of this world. I will need to get the feel of it before I can say whether I could help you or not.”
“That’s going to be a bit hard, given that it’s woven into the fabric of my heart.”
Lauren gave me a cool smile. “I did not mean that in the literal sense.”
“Then how did you mean it?”
“I simply need to touch you. Stand up.”
I took a large gulp of champagne, then did so. She pressed her hand under my left breast, the coolness of her long fingers sending goose bumps skittering across my skin. There was nothing sexual in her touch, nothing dark or uneasy, and yet all of those things slid through me.
Lauren closed her eyes. For several minutes, she neither moved nor breathed, although she obviously was breathing, since otherwise she’d have passed out.
Then she retracted her touch and opened her eyes, a frown creasing her smooth features. “The device is very powerful. I’m not entirely sure if it could be stopped from functioning for any length of time.”
“Damn.” I sat back on my chair and met Lucian’s gaze. “It was worth a shot, I guess.”
“Young woman, you weren’t listening.” Her soft voice held more than a hint of rebuke. “I said I couldn’t stop it for any length of time. Meaning, it might just be possible to stop it for brief minutes.”
“A few minutes is better than nothing.” I hesitated. “But whether we could use it would depend on just what it takes to achieve that.”
Her gaze slid down my length. Horror swamped me. Not that, I thought. Anything but that. Or blood.
But when her gaze met mine again, there was little in the way of desire. Just cool calculation. And if I hadn’t been aware of it before, then that look alone was enough to tell me she was very dangerous.
“Lucian has already informed me of your aversion to blood magic—”
“I thought you said she didn’t do blood magic,” I cut in, glancing at Lucian.
He shrugged. “If I had said anything else, would you have come here?”
“Probably not.”
“Then that explains the lie. You need to explore all options, Risa. It is foolish to do otherwise.”
“Blood magic is not an option.”
“Which is a shame, as it’s the most powerful form of magic available here on earth,” Lauren commented.
I met her gaze again. “It also taints the user in the extreme.”
“That is a debate I will not get into. It does, however, lessen our options.”
“At least there are options.” Hopefully, there were some that were a little less unhealthy than blood magic. Although Ilianna was going to hit the roof either way.
“Perhaps.” She glanced at Lucian, then rose and finished her drink. “I will be in contact if I uncover any possibilities.”