Elemental Assassin 01 - Spider's Bite

flowing.
    I spotted several prominent vampires, elementals, dwarves, and giants in the crowd, each one doing their best to make their importance known to everyone else in attendance. But no one shone brighter than Mab Monroe. The Fire elemental looked polished and glamorous in a floor-length canary yellow gown. A fringed shawl covered her bare arms, and the ruby in her sunburst rune necklace flashed against her cleavage. Mab had planted herself in the exact center of the ballroom. People stood three deep around her, jockeying to get a moment of her attention. But Mab’s giant guards for the evening kept the unwanted commoners from getting too close.
    The other two members of the triangle of trouble were in attendance as well—Mab’s lawyer, Jonah McAllister, and her enforcer, Elliot Slater. With his silver hair, snazzy suit, and capped teeth, McAllister looked every bit like the smooth talker he was. Slater’s seven-foot figure loomed large over the crowd. A diamond bigger than an eye winked on the giant’s pinkie.
    I stood near the back wall, just on the fringes of a group of businessmen dressed in dark suits. A few of them shot me appreciative looks, but the frigid chill in my gray eyes kept them from approaching me. At least until they’d had a few more drinks.
    To blend in with the rich folks, I’d donned a simple but elegant black wrap dress Jo-Jo had given me for Christmas last year. The garment was made of a loose-knit material and featured long, billowing sleeves that hid my knives. The material fell to my knees, allowing me to strap two more blades to my thighs. My purse held another knife. Black stilettos covered my feet, and I’d twisted my hair into a high ponytail, complete with two razor-sharp chopsticks.
    My cell phone rang, and I plucked it out of my purse. One of the businessmen eyed me.
    “My husband,” I said in a pleasant voice. “The giant. Such a protective man. Likes to know where I am all the time—and who I’m with.”
    He gulped and turned his attention back to his drink. Evidently I didn’t look fuckable enough to risk tangling with a jealous giant.
    I stepped a few feet away from the group of men and opened my phone. “Any sign of them?”
    “Not yet,” Donovan Caine replied. “Although Finn seems to be enjoying himself at the bar.”
    I looked across the ballroom. After we’d entered the country club, we’d split up. Together, we were too noticeable, too much of a target. It was easier and safer to get lost in the crowd. Finnegan Lane had ensconced himself at the bar just inside the main entrance. Like every other man on the premises, he wore a tailored suit. The classic cut of the navy fabric highlighted Finn’s broad shoulders, while the light filtering through the glass roof made his brown hair gleam. He was currently chatting up a dwarf dripping with diamonds. The woman had to be over four hundred by the looks of her wrinkled skin, rheumy eyes, and snow-white hair. Probably some client of his.
    Finn saw me staring. He winked, raised his glass in salute, and went back to his conversation. Very little could distract him when he was working or entertaining a lady—no matter how old she was. Finn might not sleep with the old ones, but he enjoyed charming them as much as he did the young stuff.
    “Finn always has a good time at these things,” I murmured. “Sometimes I think he should have been born a woman so he could be a true debutante.”
    Donovan chuckled through the phone. A low sound that warmed me from the inside out.
    My eyes drifted up to the second floor. Donovan Caine leaned over the balcony above my head, his phone against his ear. The detective wore one of Finn’s suits in a blue color so pale it was almost silver. Caine’s shoulders weren’t quite as wide as Finn’s, so the jacket didn’t drape perfectly. But I’d felt the strength in his lean muscles at the nightclub. He’d forgone a tie in favor of undoing the top button of his white dress shirt, which let more of his bronze skin peek through. Classic, rugged, sexy. Donovan Caine looked good enough to eat. Mmm.
    Our eyes met, gold on gray. Not for the first time, I fantasized about having my way with the detective. About feeling his mouth on mine, his hands on my body, the hard length of him moving inside me. Just the idea made me ache.
    Donovan Caine stared down at me. His hazel eyes darkened to the color of smoked whiskey as his gaze went from my breasts to my legs and back up again. His