Ch. 106 – We’re Just Getting Started

"I'm sure she'll show up soon," Marcus offered gently, trying to lighten the crushing tension anchoring the table. "I actually saw her up at the Spire earlier before I left. She stayed behind because... well, she said she wanted to look into another case."

I call bullshit, the dark voice sneered from beside Rhys. The shadowy figure was grinning from ear to ear, practically vibrating as it gorged itself on Shula's magical energy.

Rhys actively avoided looking at it. "I know she'll show up soon," he said to his friend, masking his rising anxiety.

Glancing out over the sprawling, packed ballroom, Rhys found a rare silver lining. Vespera was right about the massive crowd, but the young men he had hired from the director's wayward home were coming in absolute clutch. They moved seamlessly through the chaos, ensuring every guest had a champagne flute in hand while circulating the hot appetizers exactly to Rhys’s strict kitchen instructions. Well, that's a little bit of relief, Rhys thought, but I need to get this moving along. And I'm not just talking about the food.

Beside him, Shula’s breathing grew ragged. "Oh... the taste of it is just delightful," she mumbled under her breath, her eyes half-closed and glazed over. "Siring such beautiful, powerful babies..."

"Are you alright, my light?" Darius asked, his voice spiking with genuine concern as he reached for her shoulder.

"I'm... fine," Shula breathed out, barely hearing him. The shadowy figure was relentless, draining her with greedy, intoxicating pulls. Rhys felt a sharp twinge of guilt for exploiting her, but the raw, surging power fueling his own veins was undeniable.

Beneath the tablecloth, Vespera’s prehensile tail tightened its rhythmic grip on his groin.

"If you want to eat, then I'll feed you something you won't forget, partner," Rhys hissed, his voice laced with venom from behind the mask.

Vespera lapped the threat up instantly, flashing a disturbingly loving smile. "I've been waiting what feels like my entire life for it."

"I can't lie, I'm pretty dang hungry too!" Marcus laughed, completely oblivious to the supernatural warfare around him as he snatched a pastry from a passing waiter. "What’s the first meal on the menu?"

"Just wait and see, Marcus," Rhys replied smoothly. "That’s the fun part."

Suddenly, Shula’s eyes rolled back. She clamped a hand over her mouth as a violent, full-body shudder racked her frame, finishing hard right there in the middle of the cocktail circle. She slumped forward, trembling and smiling in a flushed, absolute daze.

"Oh my light! You must have had a coughing fit from those damn ladyfingers too!" Darius panicked, flabbergasted as he frantically tried to hold his wife upright. "Here, have the rest of my water!"

Shula weakly put up a hand, collecting herself as she played it off. "I bloody made that water—never mind. I’m really fine now," she panted, smoothing her dress with a calm, triumphant smile.

Rhys glared at the dark figure, which was now licking its lips in total satisfaction. Okay, bro. Can you learn some restraint with this freakish new power?

Ariadne looked absolutely livid, her knuckles bone-white as she fought to maintain her sweet housewife demeanor. "Are you alright over there, Shula?" she asked, her tense smile looking more like a snarl. "It looked like you were on quite a wild ride just now."

Ope. Bout time to go, Rhys thought. "Looks like it's time to get that next plate out for everyone. You guys stay right here and enjoy, please." He laced the final word with a subtle, commanding weight meant exclusively for the women.

As he navigated the crowded floor, Rhys's thoughts drifted back to Lira. She stayed back to study a villain case at the Spire? It doesn't necessarily sound odd for her, but does it really have to be tonight?

"Chef Rhys! The venue is absolutely breathtaking!" a neighbor called out as he passed.

"Thank you so much! I hope you brought an appetite tonight," Rhys replied with warm, practiced charm. "Please, enjoy the open bar and the appetizers, we're just getting started."

Nearing the threshold of the kitchen by the main bar, the sea of guests suddenly parted, and Rhys collided with another woman. It was Dione.

She looked absolutely stunning in a form-fitting, ethereal white dress that perfectly accentuated every dangerous curve of her body. Her flowing blue hair cascaded over her shoulders like a glowing waterfall. But something was distinctly different. The muted, plain housewife disguise she usually hid behind had been completely discarded; she had transformed, revealing her true, breathtaking form as a literal goddess of the sea.

Rhys’s mind went entirely blank. A deep, primal thrill washed over him as he stared at his gorgeous, unhinged stalker, genuinely liking what he saw. Suddenly, the deafening roar of the packed ballroom faded into total silence, making it feel as if it were just the two of them drifting magnetically toward each other in the center of the world.