He held his hand out to me. In his palm was a small red pill with a happy face on it.
"I don't take candy from strangers." I finished my water.
Samson pressed a hand to his heart with an exaggerated wince. "Strangers? After our chat? Our shared taste in home decorating? You wound me."
"Poor baby. I'm not about to take a random pill that allows you to do God knows what to me."
He broke it in half and popped one piece in his mouth. "Not to. With."
I rolled my eyes. "Right. So I take the red pill and see how far the rabbit hole goes?"
He shot me a crooked grin. "More MDMA, less Matrix. Let's see if you've got what it takes to intrigue."
Ecstasy, huh? Leo and I had done our fair share. I wasn't crazy about the touchy-feelies it would induce around him, but Rohan had said that some demons might reveal themselves under extreme emotion. The drug was brilliant for lowering inhibitions and creating intense emotional bonds with whoever you did it with. Plus, if I did intrigue, maybe I'd get to spend more time with him one-on-one.
It sucked that Rasha couldn't communicate via a psychic hotline. I looked over at Rohan, willing him to sense my dilemma, but he was busy holding court, Poppy's hand clamped on his arm like a wheel boot on a tire.
"Go big or go home, kitten."
"Don't call me ‘kitten.'" I swiped the other half and swallowed it.
11
"What the fuck did you do?" Rohan hissed into my ear.
"I told you. Took E." I fixed my gloss, wishing the drugs were kicking in. "Consider yourself informed." I looked over to see if Samson had gotten our coats yet, since I'd insisted on going somewhere I could dance.
Rohan shifted to block my view. "Hotel. Now."
"No. We're connecting. He had this tattoo and –"
He blinked rapidly at me, his cheeks flushing red. The very shade my brother had dubbed "Nava Red," in honor of my tendency to bring it out in people. "You took drugs from a suspected demon because of a tattoo? Are you insane?"
"Too bad you were too busy to monitor my every move."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"Language, Snowflake." I waggled my head to the catchy tune playing on the speakers. "Don't wreck all my hard work. You have your role and I have mine."
He leveled me with a mocking gold gaze. "You mean swallowing?"
I threw him a pitying smile. "It's such an easy option for getting what I want."
Drio sidled up beside us, preventing us from coming to blows. Not that I would. Punching was no fun. Swaying my hips was. "Is there a problem?" he said. "Because you two are not playing the agreed upon dynamic."
"Rohan's kvetching over nothing," I said.
"Samson gave her ecstasy," Rohan said. "Or a roofie." What a drama queen.
"You know, Ro, E could actually work." Drio nodded his approval.
I smirked at Rohan. "I don't think roofies come with happy faces on them. Besides, Samson took the other half."
Rohan gripped the edge of the bar.
Across the room, Samson held up my jacket, two of his bodyguards hovering silently behind him. I held up a "hang on one sec" finger. "I need –"
"You need to keep quiet for thirty seconds so I can take that time to convince myself I shouldn't strangle you," Rohan bit out. It seemed prudent to do as requested.
I counted off the time, enjoying the music, then turned to Drio. "I had a breakthrough with Samson. I want to continue pursuing this lead, which I promise to tell you all about tomorrow. But for tonight, will you come with me to this private party? I don't want to go there alone with him."
Rohan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now she speaks sense."
"I'm supposed to take the Two Stooges to another club," Drio said.
"I'm going with you." Rohan grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd toward Samson.
Why did the heat of Rohan's hand against mine make me giddier than total nudity with other guys? I stroked my thumb over his.
"Quit it," he snapped.
I barely had time to pluck my jacket out of Samson's hands as we passed. "Rohan's coming."
"Great," Samson said in a voice that made it clear that despite the smile, this was absolutely not great at all.
I, however, thought it was seven kinds of fantastic. So much so that I had to share my delight. I enthusiastically waved good-bye to Poppy.
"Bhenchod," Rohan muttered and pulled me out of the bar, where a limo awaited us.
A brick wall of a driver opened the back door, standing rigidly beside it. I immediately dubbed him Brickie. "Cute cap," I said.
I'm sure that would have kicked off an enthusiastic fashion exchange except one of the bodyguards hustled me into the backseat where I was pinned between Rohan and Samson, the two of them traveling in chilly silence. Whatever. I was buzzed, happy Eurotrash was playing on the speakers, and the ecstasy was tingling my fingers and toes. I was being taken on an adventure in an incredible city. Yay!