Theo sat on the edge of the couch, wearing only a pair of faded blue jeans. His hair was still mussed from the night before, and he held an empty coffee cup in one hand.

His gaze rose to meet hers, his pupils dilating. The memory of what they’d done together the night before seemed to dwell in his dark gaze. It made her cheeks heat and her sex along with it. Sarafina had to look away quickly.

Darren sat in an armchair, wearing a pair of expensive-looking gray trousers and a light white sweater. Two unfamiliar women and a man sat nearby.

She nodded. “Darren.”

He gave her a head-to-toe sweep. The kind men gave women when they thought they were attractive. Sarafina’s face warmed again. “Sarafina.”

“I see you’re eager to get back to the Duskoff.” That was from Theo, and it came out friendly enough to the uneducated ear. Sarafina heard the aggressive undercurrent, however.

She managed to meet his gaze levelly. “I’m eager to do what needs to be done.”

Theo motioned with the empty coffee cup toward a cart in the corner of the room, near the small bar. “I had breakfast sent up.”

She nodded, unwilling to look at him.

“I’d like you to meet Gina, Lily, and Carl,” said Darren. He motioned to the Boston Coven witches, who all nodded and said their hellos. “I brought ten total. The rest are staying in various places around Manhattan. We’re here just in case.”

Yes. Just in case.

“Thanks for coming.”

Darren shrugged. “Give us a crack at Stefan Faucheux, even the possibility of one, and we’ll take it.” His voice and expression had gone hard.

“So what’s the plan?” asked Gina, a dark-haired earth witch with a heavy build.

Sarafina walked over to the spread, picked up a croissant, and nibbled on the end. “The plan is,” she said in between bites, “I go back to Stefan this morning and tell him I want in. I find out as much as I can about what they’re doing. Simple enough.” She turned around to seek a cup of coffee and realized her hands were trembling. Damn it. Her stomach had a cold, empty, fluttery feeling, too: stage fright.

“What about the daaeman who is so enamored of you?” asked Darren.

“The daaeman is Stefan’s pet.” She sipped a bit of the hot black blend, closed her eyes, and relaxed for a moment. Ahhh, that was better. “I do think he intends to feed me to the monster at some point, but he wants something from me first. Until Stefan gets that from me, he’ll control Bai as much as he’s able.”

“But you’re not safe from him.”

She turned to face Darren. “I’m not safe from Bai anywhere.”