...The night was cool, the shadows long as Darren stepped outside. The patio had a polished stone floor, with a low matching wall circling its perimeter and statuary towering like watchdogs. Voices murmured in the darkness, too low to be discernible, but otherwise the area was deserted. Darren chose a spot in a corner by the double doors, one that would allow him to keep an eye on every available exit. After a moment, he sat down and crossed his legs. No reason he couldn’t rest his feet while he waited.

“So which part is supposed to be your costume?” The deep silken voice came from just behind him, close enough to his ear that Darren felt the hot breath. “The tail or the dress itself?”

“The tail, of course,” Darren said, resisting the temptation to turn around and confirm the speaker’s identity.

He felt a slight tug at the back of his skirt, and a broad hand appeared in front of him as the man flicked the tail across the top of Darren’s thighs. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. I’m very good at keeping secrets.” Something hard and broad pressed slightly against Darren’s shoulders. The stranger must have leaned forward. “Especially for someone as delicious as you.”

“Well, that’s very considerate of you.” Darren risked tilting his head back and to the side, which allowed him to have a view of Aden’s profile. He was even more gorgeous this close. Darren tried to dismiss that thought, but he wasn’t blind. He couldn’t deny his own eyes. “I wondered if you noticed me inside.”

“Wasn’t I supposed to?” The tail dropped lightly against his leg. So did Aden’s fingers. He caressed back and forth along the inside of Darren’s knee. “Any time an Argenti agent shows up in the same place I am, it’s not an accident.”

“Argenti?” Darren licked his lips and almost winced at the unfamiliar taste of lipstick. “Maybe you have me confused with somebody else?”

“I don’t think so.” The hand on his leg moved in a blur. Darren never even felt him pull the knife from the sheath strapped to his thigh. The silver blade glittered for a moment before Aden tossed it into the darkness. “Who else would come armed to one of Giessen’s Halloween parties?”

Fuckity fuck. Losing the knife wasn’t the end of the world, but it sure made life more difficult. “A girl who’s been to one of Giessen’s parties before, I’d imagine. Or maybe somebody who thinks she might get groped in the dark by a stranger.”

“So scream. Call for help. Or walk away. If you don’t want my attention, that’s all you have to do.” Aden pulled the edge of Darren’s wig away from his shoulder and tipped his head downward. The tip of his tongue traced along the exposed skin. “I’m not interested in anyone who doesn’t want me.”

Even without the knife, Darren wasn’t helpless. He could slam his fist into Aden’s face, send him toppling him backward, and then pin him to the ground. He was certainly strong enough to do that. If he wanted to. And he did. He absolutely wanted to complete this mission and go home with as little fuss as possible. Just as soon as Aden finished licking his shoulder.

“It so happens that this once, I don’t mind being groped by strangers in the dark.”

Aden’s chuckle rumbled through Darren. “Of course, you don’t. Because then your mission would fail.” He tattooed every word into Darren’s skin, his lips refusing to abandon the contact. “But I think you’ll find I don’t go silently into the night, gorgeous.”

Darren coughed, trying to clear the tickle in his throat. The altogether ridiculous tickle in his throat. “Oh, I wouldn’t expect you to. What fun would that be?”

“Is that what this is?” His hand was back on Darren’s thigh. It shouldn’t have felt so hot through the net stockings, but each almost gentle sweep scorched a brand new path. “Fun?”

“Of course. It’s a party, after all.”