I sat back on my heels, admiring my work. It was so tempting to go through the gateway now, but doing so would defeat the purpose. We wanted—needed—all of the board members to be in the boardroom when we crashed the party. It was the only way to ensure all the required knowledge would be at our fingertips. Waiting would be a bitch, but at least there’d be crispy grilled cheese to help pass the time.

Which, as it turned out, was fantastic. Who knew Nik could cook? I suppose it shouldn’t have shocked me, what with the thousands and thousands of years under his belt, but still, I was impressed. Perfectly melted sharp cheddar on toasted bread that was equal parts crispy and buttery dipped into creamy tomato soup that I was fairly certain was homemade forced me to redefine my personal idea of heaven. I happily stuffed my face and wasn’t the least bit ashamed when I licked the last bit of buttery goodness off my fingertips.

“Guess you liked it,” Nik commented.

I froze, the tip of my thumb in my mouth, and met his eyes across the small kitchen table. Remembering where I was and who I was with, I opted to finish cleaning my hands using the paper napkin in my lap. “It was alright,” I said with a halfhearted shrug.

Nik snorted softly, then glanced into the kitchen. “Five till one,” he said, his eyes on the stove clock. “Let’s get suited up. We can take care of the dishes later.”

My heart rate was already picking up, and I could feel my chest rising and falling with more enthusiasm than usual. It was game time. I nodded, scooting back my chair and standing. “Would you mind doing me a favor?” I said to Nik as I reached for the leather sword harness hanging from the back of the chair adjacent to mine.

“Depends on the favor.”

I paused, leveling a flat stare his way. So far, I’d never asked a single thing of him that he’d refused, never asked him to cross a line he wasn’t willing to cross, and I couldn’t help but wonder where, exactly, his line might be.

“Can you make Mercy visible again?” I asked, holding the invisible At sword out to him. “I figure she might instill a little more fear if her potential victims can actually see her.”

A slow, wicked grin spread across Nik’s face. “I have to say, Kitty Kat—I like the way you think.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nik and I stood side by side in the hallway, staring into the active gateway to the Ouroboros lobby. The board meeting was scheduled to begin at one, ten minutes ago.

“They should all be in there by now,” I said, my elbow brushing Nik’s as I glanced at the watch on my left wrist. Nik had lent it to me so I’d stop asking him to check his phone for the time. The only other clock in the apartment was on the stove, and what can I say—I’m lazy.