I turned back to Elena with a cocky grin that hid my inner turmoil as I backed her towards the wall, ready to finish our conversation.

“Oh no you don’t.” She brought her knee up between us to block me and then dodged out from under my arm. “You’re here to learn and that’s not going to happen if you’ve got me pinned to a wall all night.”

“Debatable.”

She led us through to a courtyard featuring a gaudy giant fountain that people could stand on to perform.

Perched at the very top was a shirtless guy in flamboyantly colored tights and massive platform boots. His spikey white hair and dark eyeliner made him look like an anime character come to life. There wasn’t an extra ounce of fat on him, so every muscle stood out across his abs and torso, but he wasn’t bulky, just lean and cut. He was swinging two balls of fire around himself in an elaborate pattern that was hypnotic.

“That’s Reaper,” Elena said simply.

She hadn’t done him justice with her description on the way here. He was like a sexy spider, his every move calculated and sinuous. He was indefinable and magnetic, one of those people who had that something special that made them appear larger than life.

I considered myself a straight dude, but even I could understand his sex appeal.

He seemed to be inhabiting his own plane, oblivious to what was happening outside of the ring of fire he was creating around himself, but within seconds of us standing there his eyes found Elena, then flicked to me with interest. He looked back at Elena, winking when she made eye contact. She gave absolutely no reaction, leaving me to wonder what the story was there.

The flames on one of Reaper’s fire balls guttered out, and he spun the other in rapid little circles, putting it out too. As he started to climb down from the stage, Elena took me by the arm and steered me back towards the house.

She snapped, “Go find Ophelia. She’s on the main stage. Don’t leave her sight.” She pushed me through the doorway.

Her tone was different and I was pretty sure she was trying to keep me away from Reaper. “Why? What are you going to do?”

“None of your business, Mr. Chase. You agreed not to question me here.”

Her posture was as regal as ever, but there was a hint of panic to her tone.

“Fair enough. I’m not questioning you, but will you be safe alone?”

She laughed and turned away, closing the door in my face.

23

Elena

Once I’d given Alex time to walk away, I opened the door and stepped into the dark hallway. I took deep, steadying breaths.

Being at a play party with Alex was harder than I’d expected it to be. The awareness of him as I watched everyone around us giving in to their desires was excruciating. I wanted to know what he was thinking about each scene, to whisper in his ear when something turned me on, and laugh with him at how absurd human sexuality could be. It was like I was initiating him into my world, but I was selling him short because all he could do was watch.