Marina's Awakening (Seduced By Shadows Book 2)

Chapter Eight

Each ring of the phone makes my heartbeat tick up more until it threatens to burst through my chest like some sort of cartoon character. I push the speakerphone button, and the trill fills the car as I take the route back to my apartment.

”Emily here,” her voice replies after a moment.

”Emily, it”s Gabriel,” I say, glancing at Marina, who looks just as tense as I feel. ”I need to know what you”ve learned from that guy you took.”

”Ah, Gabriel,” Emily”s voice comes through, crisp and direct. ”We”ve got some information. The prisoner claims to be a member of the Shadow Extractors. They”re a group dedicated to eradicating vampires.”

I shoot Marina another quick glance. ”That aligns with what we found at the hotel,” I confirm. ”They”re organized, and they”ve been watching Marina for years. Do you have any idea how far they”re willing to go?”

Emily hesitates for a moment, and the weight of the situation is evident in her silence. ”We”re still piecing things together,” she finally says. ”But they”re definitely a threat. How did you find out about them so quickly? Have you been following me?”

”No,” I reply flatly. ”We were actually investigating something ourselves.”

”You need to tread carefully, my friend,” she warns. ”These guys are dangerous. You”d be better off leaving them to us.”

”Can”t do that,” I contend.

”Besides, careful”s my middle name,” Marina interjects, her tone defiant.

Emily lets out a soft chuckle. ”I have no doubt about that, Marina. I”ll tell you what. Given your... unique condition, there is something you could help us with. The prisoner also mentioned a masquerade ball coming up in a couple of days. It”s an event the Shadow Extractors use to raise money for their save the world schtick.”

”A masquerade ball?” I echo, the pieces starting to click into place. ”That could be our chance to get inside their operation, to gather intel.”

”It might be worth it,” Emily agrees. ”We”re trying to figure out where these people are coming from and how many they are, but it”s all secretive. We don”t know enough to infiltrate their operation, yet.”

”So, what do you need me to do?” Marina asks, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head.

”I”m going to send you the evite that I got from this guy”s phone,” Emily explains. ”Use that to get inside. Since you aren”t a vampire anymore, it”ll be easier for you to blend in. Just... stay safe. These people have killed before and won”t hesitate to kill again if they think there”s any threat. Keep your face covered, Marina. They know what you look like.”

”Got it,” Marina replies as I make a U-turn in the middle of the street.

After I hang up the phone, I turn to Marina, smirking. ”Looks like we”re crashing a party.”

”Well, if we”re going undercover, I need something to wear,” she comments.

”You mean you don”t think your hospital gift shop t-shirts and sweats will help you blend in?”

She laughs, shaking her head. ”Not even close.”

***

The boutique we enter smells like floral perfume mixed with the lingering scent of a flowery corsage, and there are racks and racks of gorgeous gowns surrounding us, along with racks upon racks of masks, shoes, and other accessories. I look around wide-eyed at the variety of choices available, but Marina looks right at home. Her eyes light up as she moves from one rack to the next, picking up each piece of clothing before setting it back down again.

”Wow,” she breathes, her gaze darting from one gown to another. ”I”ve never seen so many beautiful dresses in one place.”

”Let”s make sure you find the one that”s just right,” I reply, glancing over the outfits closest to me. All the styles range from Victorian Era to modern. They are stunning but not quite what I had in mind when I thought of ”undercover party attire.” With her figure, she”d draw every eye in the room if she stepped in wearing one of these.

She begins to sift through the dresses, her fingers trailing over the fabrics, her face a canvas of concentration. Finally, she pulls out a sleek black dress with a daring slit up the side.

”What do you think of this one?” she asks, holding it up for inspection.

”It”s stunning,” I admit, my eyes tracing the contours of the dress. ”The cut, the color—it”s all very elegant. But maybe something a bit more... mysterious?”

She raises an eyebrow at me but then shrugs and continues looking around. Within moments, she grabs another dress in deep maroon that appears to have been created by draping several scarves over each other until they formed a garment. This one looks like a gown straight out of the 1800s, and when she tries it on, the bodice is corseted tightly around her waist with thick lacing along the sides and long puffy sleeves that drape down past her fingertips. The skirt is full and layered, reminding me of a bell when she spins around in front of the mirror to examine herself. She looks absolutely gorgeous, as if the goddess of death itself has come alive right before my very eyes.

I can”t look away. I don”t want to look away. And that”s a problem, because nobody else will be able to stop staring at her, either. My cock twitches as I watch her admire herself in the mirror, trying not to imagine what it would feel like to run my fingers along those smooth curves and soft flesh of her body.

”What do you think?” she asks, turning back toward me. ”Too much? Too little?”

”It”s gorgeous,” I begin, ”the color is striking on you. But maybe it”s too attention-grabbing?”

She sighs and retreats back into the dressing room. The next dress she tries is a midnight blue, but there”s an open back that shows more skin than I expected. She poses in front of the mirror, examining herself, while I try to ignore the temptation of her exposed flesh. ”This one looks good too,” she admits, twirling around so the skirt flares outward.

”We need to make you look less conspicuous,” I remind her, remembering Emily”s warning to keep her covered up.

Marina shrugs, running her hands over the fabric. ”Okay.”

The next dress she brings out is white with intricate lace details on the sleeves and neckline. It hugs her form, leaving little to the imagination as she moves in front of the mirror to study herself. This one actually fits her figure without making her look like some sort of pinup model. I smile when I see how beautiful she is in it. She”ll still catch some attention, but not so much that it”ll blow our cover.

”That”s the one,” I finally say, my eyes meeting hers. ”You look incredible.”

I can”t stop staring at her body through the reflection in the mirror, so I turn my focus elsewhere, anywhere else. My gaze shifts to the dresses hanging from nearby racks and then to a table near me covered in various jewelry. There are sparkling earrings in different shapes and sizes, necklaces that glitter under the lights, bracelets made of gold and silver metal, and several rings with gemstones that catch the light.

Next to the jewelry is a case full of masks, and while Marina slips back into the changing room to return to her street clothes, I browse through them. They range in size, shape, and color, some simple and plain while others have feathers, beads, and other accessories attached. I find myself drawn to one in particular—a black and white one made of fabric similar to silk. It looks elegant but mysterious enough to fit the theme of the event we”re going to attend.

I grab the mask and wait for Marina, and when she steps out of the changing room I hold it out to her. ”What do you think?”

Her gaze darts over the mask then up to my face. She takes it carefully from my hand and turns it around in front of herself as she studies it. She places it against her face, and the way the black lace frames her eyes makes them even more captivating. ”It”s perfect.”

”I knew you would like it,” I admit with a soft smile.

At the checkout counter, the salesclerk carefully wraps Marina”s dress in tissue paper and places it in a sleek garment bag. The mask is nestled in a box as delicate as the item it holds. I pay for our purchases, and we leave the boutique, heading back toward my car.

”You ready for this?” I ask, unlocking the car doors.

She smiles, a glint of steel in her eyes. ”Am I ready to play cat-and-mouse with a group of people who want to see me dead? Hell yes, I”m ready.”

Her defiance is sexy as hell. I have no doubt she could take them all out by herself if she were still a vampire, but this is one battle I don”t mind fighting at her side. Something about it feels right, like this is how it should be. Like we are meant to do this together.