date."
"You must be joking if you think I will dress in such a manner."
Her arrogant grin was unnerving. "You will dress like this or you will not be able to get close enough to your precious female." She dropped the bag over the couch and turned to exit with her bag in tow. "I will be back in a bit to do the makeup that goes with the costume."
My growl shook the walls. "I will do no such thing."
Layne flashed before me, her eyes beginning to change colors at a rapid rate, unable to settle on her natural blue-green. "You will, or you will be walking into an ambush. Unlike that ignorant jackass Gavin, I know for a fact that this is the female you seek. When I left the ring in her apartment, I sensed the magic flowing. If my hunch is correct, the Nine are here and they will never let you close enough to smell her, much less take her." As her temper flared, her eyes snapped to jet-black. "So you will wear this outfit and you will use the makeup to disguise your true self."
I shook with anger but knew she was right. In order to get her back, I would need to do what Layne said, but that did not mean I would like it. "I agree on one condition. You get me close enough to touch her, and I will do the rest."
Layne jerked her shoulders out of my grip. "I will not die for your obsession, but I will get you close enough to know the truth…that your beloved Aednat is alive and well and living here in New York. Beyond that, you are on your own. If the history lesson is correct, the Naio are not easily bested. Kylah is a goddess and her brothers will stop at nothing to protect her. Of that I am certain. So unless you have a way to kill a god, let’s just keep to my plan. A young couple in love and dressed as dead Victorians. Can you do that? "
"You may have the upper hand and something I want, but watch your tone, Layne."
Her eyes teetered between red, black, and blue before she turned and walked out. "Be ready when I return, Liam, we have much to do." The clicking of her heels ceased and I knew she had flashed out to wherever it was she lived. Layne was very private about where she rested her head, and while I had often wondered the answer to that question, the reality was that the only thing I really cared about was her talent for killing. I walked back over to the bar and refilled my glass, taking great care as I poured. Tonight I will take back what is mine.
Roan entered the room. "Sire, is there anything I can take care of for you?"
"Yes. Take that ridiculous outfit to my room and make sure that I am not disturbed until Layne returns."
"Yes, Sire." The heavy wooden doors to the study closed with a thud as Roan left the room. Once I was alone, I allowed myself a moment to remember the night I used the one thing capable of killing a god, and the one thing that would ensure tonight’s success. Nothing would keep me from bringing her home…nothing.
Chapter Thirteen
I woke to the sound of AC/DC’s Back in Black thumping the walls. I stumbled out of bed, realizing that sometimes naps were a good thing, and at other times they left you feeling even more exhausted. A shower should wake my ass up. I tossed my hair up in a makeshift bun and hopped into a cold shower. The cool droplets began to revive me almost instantly.
I needed this cold shower for more than one reason: the sexy male from my dream this morning returned during my little siesta. His sultry baritone was still fresh in my mind as I waited for the water to heat up. My Gaelic may have been a bit rusty, but from what I could understand, he had planned quite the erotic encounter under a sacred willow tree. I wasn’t sure I understood the reason for the tree, but he was quite adamant about it. Hey–tree or no tree, when he spoke and kissed my neck, I would have found a way to steal the Eiffel Tower if he had asked.
The water began to turn from cold to hot along with my libido. The kiss that followed his words was beyond intoxicating, and I found