North wrapped his fingers around one of Sierra’s gloved hands. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to some friends.”

He steered her through the crowded mezzanine. Several people greeted North and immediately turned to Sierra, varying degrees of interest and curiosity in their expressions. She recognized the heat in the eyes of a couple of the men and one of the women as polite sexual interest, but most were clearly intrigued by whatever they had heard about her. She realized she had become the subject of a great deal of rumor and speculation. She suspected her parents were at least partially to blame. Allegra’s ability to stabilize Chandler Chastain’s aura until North arrived with the balancing device had made the Raines family famous within the Foundation. The fascination had rubbed off on her father. Byron’s inbox was piled high with requests for psychic poems.

The discovery that Griffin Chastain had died a hero and that the machines he had helped invent had been intended as medical devices had produced an instant Foundation legend. As Byron had pointed out, it didn’t make the artifacts any less dangerous, but people were accustomed to the idea that a lot of medical instruments could kill as well as heal. The Halcyon doctors were eager to work with North in hopes of creating some therapies for the poorly understood disorders of the paranormal senses.

Perception was everything, Sierra thought.

She knew that tonight was North’s first visit to the club since his vision had returned to normal. It was his way of making it clear he was back and in full command of his talent. Given the significance of the occasion for him, she had spent the afternoon shopping at the pricey boutiques that were tucked away in all the big hotel casinos on the Strip. She had taken her mother with her for a second opinion. In Vegas there was a fine line between fabulous and over the top.

Allegra had declared the black slip of a dress to be safely in the fabulous category. It was discreetly studded with black sequins that caught the light in an elegant but understated way. Her black locket, black jet earrings and stiletto heels were the perfect accessories. The slim black leather gloves added an edge to the look.

The outfit had cost a small fortune, but thanks to the generous bonus the Foundation had tacked on to her normal commission, she could afford it. Earlier that evening she had concluded the dress was worth it when she descended the grand staircase at the Abyss and saw North waiting for her at the bottom. There was so much hot energy in the atmosphere and so much heat in his eyes that she was amazed they hadn’t started a fire right there in the foyer of the big house.

They made their way through the crowd to a booth on the mezzanine, greeting more of North’s friends and associates along the way. When they were finally seated at the table a waiter took their orders for drinks. Sierra asked for a glass of wine. North went with whiskey. More people dropped by the table to congratulate North and ask him when he would be rejoining his team.