Dark Intentions [ON HOLD UNTIL SUMMER]

Chapter 3

Bury it; act normal, she chanted to herself as she strode up the manicured driveway towards the warmly lit mansion. On either side of her, expertly trimmed shrubs marked the edge of the imposing gardens that assaulted her delicate nose with their floral scents. Ahead of her, the loud music and ruckus of voices promised another headache. Another pounding behind her ears to replace the one that seemed to have gone missing. The large French doors were left wide open, baring the scantily clad black tie regulars to the balmy Louisiana summer.

Stay sane. Need to dull the mounting memories, before they get out of hand.

Inside she was almost swept away by the brilliant array of colorful dresses matched by an even larger number of black tuxedos. The whole scene reminded her of a light and airy painted canvas, left with a madman wielding black and neon markers. She would definitely be standing out tonight, with her sheer, nude, designer gown that concealed as much as it revealed. It was practical, for now. Tonight she wanted to garner the attention of Ezekiel Wynn, and to do it she’d been advised to bare as much of her sun kissed skin as she could legally get away with.

And in the midst of summer in Louisiana? That was quite a lot of skin.

Her thick mane of brown curls were cut—at Xander’s request—and now hung in one straight wave that didn’t quite graze her shoulders, highlighting the soft blue contacts she wore for tonight. Without them, any immortal in attendance would recognize her as one of them. With them? She hoped they would only get mildly suspicious of the power she couldn’t help but radiate.

There were downsides to being a primordial, she supposed.

"Whiskey." Her voice was soft, almost husky from disuse as she answered the nearby caterer’s unspoken question. There will be no bubbly tonight.

The man struggled to maintain his pleasant façade even as a new appreciation sparked in his mud brown eyes. Mundane. The painfully mortal humans were everywhere now a day, exploding like a lost population of mice after a lab testing is called back to hypothetical stages.

Others around her were already growing skittish, their eyes darting towards her than almost as quickly away. Can they sense that I ache to kill? The whispers around her did nothing to calm her rising nerves as she realized a small group of immortals had already recognized her as an immortalia. Thankfully, it was only a small group of shifters…but still.

Only then did she realize, she knew two of the shifters. They were Xander’s lankeys, indubitably debted to the man for some reason or another. But the curious question, what were they doing here? This was supposed to be an elder council…unless that particular event was being disguised by this black tie formal.

"Is that Sin? What the hell is the primordial doing at Michael’s gathering? Unless... perhaps Xander has sent her here to kill for him."

"I thought she was a killer for hire! What possible hold could that warlord have over a primordial?”

Let’s see, a lot. She silently answered the minx as she mentally sent Xander the bird-it was a mortal gesture she was becoming extremely fond of. Of course, he’d send her after a kill when there were dozens of immortal witnesses who could recognize her even with her new guise.

Thank the Gods, her caterer chose that time to return with her much needed whiskey. She gracefully accepted it, noting how her hand was steady even as her mind was fracturing on its heels. Now, that was a dangerous combination. With nothing better to do, she mingled with the crowd and listened to the small group of shifters as they eagerly chatted away. As much as she disliked the fact, she might just have to kill them if they knew too much about her—even Xander's pets were only allowed so much information.