“You’re really nervous about this reception, aren’t you?” Cyrus said.
She met his eyes in the hotel room mirror. Her senses stirred at the sight of him. He looked shatteringly formidable in a black-and-white tux. The severe, clean lines of the jacket subtly underlined the power of the man, she thought—both the physical and the paranormal variety. When he walked into the reception tonight he would look as if he owned the room.
“Shows how much you know,” she said, slipping on a pair of amber earrings. “I’m not nervous. I’m flat-out panicked.”
He smiled. “Can’t be any worse than a really hot gate or a Wonderland full of dinosaurs.”
“See, there’s where you’re wrong. Tonight is going to be a lot scarier.”
She studied her image in the hotel room mirror. She had gone with simple and elegant—a sleek, black silk boat-necked dress with long sleeves and knee-length hem. Black heels, discreetly trimmed with amber, the amber earrings, and an amber-studded bracelet finished the outfit. There was more amber set into the catch of the little black clutch bag she planned to carry. And all of it was tuned. You’d think I’m preparing for a job in the Underworld. In addition to all of the amber, she had tucked the flicker into the clutch. Really, you couldn’t be too careful in the big city.
“You’re still not convinced that your grandfather is sincere about drawing you back into the family?” Cyrus asked.
She wrinkled her nose. “Call me skeptical.”
Cyrus watched her in the mirror, heat darkening his eyes. “You look spectacular, if that helps.”
She flushed. “Thank you. Yes, that helps. A lot.”
Lyle chortled approvingly.
She smiled. “Thanks, Lyle.”
Her suitcase was open on the bed. Lyle was sitting inside, guarding his stash of Halloween candy. It had been clear that morning when she had started to pack that Lyle would not leave the sack behind. She had been forced to find room for it.
The bag of candy was still full. As far as she could tell Lyle had not made any inroads into his precious hoard. Instead, he continued to arrange and rearrange the treats. She wondered why he was saving his treasure.
“You’re going to have to stay here by yourself tonight,” she warned him. “Don’t bite the maid when she comes to turn down the bed, okay? And don’t run off and get lost.”
Lyle bounced a little.
“He’s not going anywhere without his haul,” Cyrus said. “Which reminds me, I have something for you—both of you.”
He took a small box out of his pocket and walked across the room to where Sedona stood. She glanced at the box and saw the logo of Charlotte’s shop. A thrill of delight tingled through her from head to toe.
“A gift?” she said. “For me?”
“For you.”
Cyrus handed her the box. She thought she caught a trace of veiled hope in his eyes. Did he really think she might not like whatever it was that he had given her?
She undid the ribbon. Her fingers trembled a little when she took off the lid. She caught her breath at the sight of the blue amber stone suspended from the gold pendant. Next to the pendant was another piece of blue amber. It was set in a shorter necklace that looked too large to be a bracelet.
“Oh, Cyrus,” she whispered. “They’re beautiful.”
She felt tears gather in her eyes. She blinked hard. She must not cry, she told herself. If she did, she would have to redo her makeup. Besides, everyone knew that Guild bosses were notorious for giving pricey presents to their women.
Still, this wasn’t just any piece of jewelry. It was blue amber from the cave in Wonderland. It had meaning. She looked up and saw Cyrus watching her.
“There’s something I want you to know,” he said.
She realized she was holding her breath. “What’s that?”
“If you ever disappeared I would look for you and I would not stop until I found you.”
She knew from the heat in his eyes that he meant every word. Cyrus was the kind of man who kept his promises, she thought.
“Thank you,” she whispered, still fighting the tears.
He looked relieved; genuinely pleased.
“The regular-length necklace is for you,” he said. “The smaller one is for Lyle.”
Sedona smiled. “He will be so excited.”
She turned back to the bed and dangled the shorter necklace in front of Lyle. “Here, this is for you.”
Lyle hopped out of the suitcase, chortling madly. She draped the little necklace around his neck and then held him in front of the mirror so that he could admire himself. The chain and the amber all but disappeared in his fluffy gray fur but he didn’t seem to mind. He was ecstatic.
She kissed him somewhere in the vicinity of the top of his head and set him down on the bed.
“Don’t get into trouble while we’re gone,” she ordered.
Lyle chortled and resumed the task of organizing his treasures.
“Any idea what he’s going to do with all that candy once he’s satisfied with the filing system?” Cyrus asked.
“Not a clue,” Sedona said.
Cyrus opened the door for her. “It’s going to be okay, Sedona. You can do this. What’s more, you’re going to look fantastic doing it.”
She touched the blue amber pendant and suddenly felt a lot better. She would not be facing a ballroom full of hostile relatives alone tonight.
They took the elevator down to the hotel lobby. The same sleek black limo that had picked them up at the airport was waiting for them. In addition to the driver, there was another man in the front seat. Sedona knew that both were probably armed. The Guilds were changing but the old ways died hard.
“How classy,” she said. “The Guild-mobile matches our outfits.”