Night Resurrected (28 page)

way.”

So, dressed to the nines—whatever

that meant—Remy hung out at the

festival with her new girlfriends until the

mayor happened by and they were

introduced.

“Remington Truth,” he murmured in a

low voice, his gray-green eyes settling

on her. They sparked with interest that

told her he knew precisely who she was.

“Welcome to Envy.”

“Thank you.” Remy glanced at Sage,

who quirked her brow and nodded.
Yes,

you can trust him
, seemed to be the

indication. “This is a nice celebration,

Mayor Rogan. I don’t think I’ve ever

been to such a large event, with so many

people. And it’s so well-organized.”

“Call me Vaughn,” he said. “Please.”

His attention seemed to wander off for a

moment, to where a cluster of men and

women stood talking. An elegant, sable-

haired woman with lush curves was

laughing with one of the men. Vaughn

refocused on Remy. “I hope you’re

enjoying it, despite the crowd.”

“Oh yes. It’s very enjoyable,” she

said sincerely. “And the food is

excellent. I always wondered what

cotton candy would taste like. It’s not at

all what I expected.”

“Did you try a corn dog?” Vaughn

grinned. “They’re my particular favorite,

and we only get to have them very

rarely.”

“Good reason to plan a party then,

hmm?” she replied, aware that this could

be considered flirting. “So that’s why

you came up with the idea for another

holiday. Very sneaky.”

He chuckled. “Ah, you’ve discovered

my ulterior motive. Don’t tell anyone, all

right? And I hope if you need anything

while you’re here, you’ll let me know. I

mean that sincerely. I understand from

Sage that you’re going to be staying in

her place while you’re in Envy?”

“That’s right. Apparently, her room’s

been vacant for a while.” Ever since

Sage and Simon had gotten together,

according to Jade. Remy smiled to

herself. While she was being buffed and

fluffed, as Flo called it, she seemed to

have gotten the entire history of half the

people of Envy—or at least of Wyatt’s

friends.

She knew, for example, that the

curvy, dark-haired woman who kept

drawing Vaughn Rogan’s attention was

Marley Huvane, and that she and Quent

had some sort of history. And that Jade

and Elliott had been an item ever since

Elliott heard her singing in the pub

shortly after arriving in Envy. They’d

gotten married only a month ago. And

she learned that Fence and Ana had

some sort of connection to the sea. And

that everyone was relieved Theo had

met and fallen in love with Selena, since

he’d originally had a thing for Sage . . .

and when she fell for Simon, that had

made things a little bit awkward.

But there was something else about

this group of men and women. Something

that wove them together, that made them

a cohesive group. Something between

them that went beyond mere friendship.

Remy felt as if she were missing

something. Not that she was being

excluded—no, they’d all been more than

nice—but that there was something else

she merely hadn’t yet discovered or

comprehended.

And she got the sense Vaughn Rogan

felt the same way.

So, feeling that kinship, she smiled at

him, appreciating his rugged good looks

in the same way any warm-blooded

female would. He reminded her of that

old famous soccer player—Becker,

Beckton, something like that. But a little

rougher around the edges. Like he could

go a few rounds with something more

dangerous than a black and white ball.

“Ah. Jade’s singing one of my

favorite songs,” Vaughn said, turning

toward the stage. He smiled with

affection rather than lust as he looked

over at the songstress. “She usually

manages to fit in at least one set because

she knows I like it. One of the perks of

being friends with the band.”

By now the sun had sunk below the

walls and most of the illumination came

from flames dancing in braziers and

torches set into the ground. Light from

the moon and stars filtered stubbornly

from behind clouds in the night sky. The

air was still warm and muggy, but there

was an edge to the breeze that indicated

it would cool off soon. Smoke from the

barbecues mingled with the scent of

summer flowers and something baking.

Remy listened to Jade singing about

an island in the sun, and for a moment

she was heavily aware of the fact that,

despite being surrounded by people, she

wasn’t with anyone. The realization of

loneliness shocked her with a sudden

intensity.

But why? She’d been alone for so

long . . . why did she now feel so

lonely
?

As the song ended and a rumble of

applause broke out, a nudge at her hip

startled her. Remy looked down and

gently pushed Dantès’s nose away from

her white skirt. It wasn’t her dress, and

she didn’t want to be responsible for

dog slobber on it. “Hey, bud,” she

crooned. “Where have you been?” She

hadn’t seen him since Quent took him off

so Flo could have their way with her and

the others.

Dantès butted her once more in the

leg. Then, instead of waiting for more

attention, he slipped off into the people.

A prickle of awareness skittered down

her spine, and she scanned the shadowy

crowd.

Her eyes locked with Wyatt’s.

Ignoring the little jump of her heart,

Remy focused instead on the well of fury

inside her. “Excuse me,” she said to

Vaughn.

Without

waiting

for

his

response, she started off, pushing her

way assertively through the crowds. She

figured Wyatt would be slinking off as

quickly as he could in order to avoid

her.

But to her surprise, he seemed to

have the opposite intent. Threading his

way through the crowd, he kept his

attention focused on Remy as he made

his way toward her. He was wearing a

white shirt that picked up the light like a

magnet, making his dark hair and golden

skin look even richer in color. When

they finally met up near a group of

people, she jabbed a finger at his chest.

“What the
hell
do you—”

“Christ, Remy, be quiet,” he muttered

before she could get the words out.

“Shouting is not a good way to stay

under the radar. And who the hell hit

you?”

She reached up automatically to

touch her bruises, amazed that he could

even see the injuries in the low light and

covered with makeup. “I ran into a duo

of bounty hunters,” she replied, then,

irritated that he’d redirected her demand

for the crystal, began in a more strident

voice, “Where the hell—”

“Sonofabitch.” He cut her off again,

this time curling his strong fingers

around the wrist of her hand, which was

still pointing at him. “Looks like they did

a number on you,” he said as he slipped

something small and solid into her palm.

Closing her fingers around it, he looked

down at her. His expression was as it

always

was:

exasperated

and

unapproachable.

Remy’s mouth snapped closed as she

realized she was holding her crystal.

Her ire evaporated, leaving her confused

and speechless. He’d stolen it and then

given it back to her? What the hell?

When she started to barrage him with

questions, of course he interrupted.

“And clearly, you don’t have

anywhere safe to put the damn thing,”

Wyatt said, his eyes scoring over her.

“No pockets or even—Jesus—a place

loose enough to slip it into without it

showing. Christ, could you be wearing

anything tighter?” The disdain had her

hackles rising.

Before she could gather her wits

beneath this verbal assault, he spun and

stalked off. To add insult to injury, he

took Dantès with him, bending over to

scratch the dog behind the ears as they

walked away.

Remy stared after him, curling her

fingers tightly around the crystal. She

couldn’t believe he’d given it back to

her so quickly and easily. She didn’t

even have to ask for it. She shook her

head, wondering what the hell she’d

missed.

“What was that all about?” Jade’s

amused voice startled Remy, and she

turned.

“He’s a jerk,” she replied, still

eyeing those broad shoulders in crisp

white cotton as they edged their way

through the crowd. Then she did a

double take. “I thought you were up there

onstage.”

“I just finished the set and was

heading over to get some water when I

thought I saw you talking to Wyatt,” Jade

replied. “I didn’t realize he was back in

Envy. So . . . what happened just now?”

Remy shook her head. “He returned

something of mine he had, demanded to

know who hit me, and made an

obnoxious comment about my dress.”

She tightened her fingers around the

crystal even more. “Then he stalked off.”

“Really.”

Jade

sounded

utterly

fascinated. “Wyatt didn’t like your

dress? Well, Vaughn and every other

man in the vicinity seem to think you

look wixy hot. You’re attracting a lot of

attention.”

“I am?”

Jade laughed. “You don’t get out

much, do you, Remy? So what exactly

did Wyatt say about your dress? Ugly

color? Too long? What?”

“He just made a comment about it

being too tight.” Remy’s gaze snapped

back to Jade as comprehension dawned.

“Oh.”
A warm little flutter in her belly

surprised her.

The other woman was nodding and

smiling. “Yeah.”

Remy couldn’t help but turn to look

in the direction he’d gone. To her

surprise, not only was he within sight,

but he was looking in their direction.

When their eyes met, he didn’t even try

to hide his irritation.

She looked away, biting her lip, and

realized Jade was still there. Watching

her with that knowing amusement.

“Wyatt would be a tough one to

crack,” said Jade. “He’s going to fight it

every step of the way, no matter how

badly he wants it. That man has more

anger and guilt weighing him down than

anyone I’ve ever met. He’s at war with

himself—about everything. But I have a

feeling he’d be well worth the trouble. I

mean—those
shoulders
. And all that

thick, dark hair. I can only imagine what

he looks like under that shirt.”

Remy shook her head, mortified that

this woman she hardly knew was . . .

sort of . . . giving her advice about a man

she could hardly have a conversation

with without getting into an argument. He

made

her

feel

prickly

and

uncomfortable. “I don’t think I’m

interested in cracking that nut.”

“Right.” Still with that grin, Jade

turned just as Elliott came up behind her.

It was as if she recognized his presence

before she even saw him. “Hi, honey.

How’s the expectant mom doing?”

“She’s going to pop that baby out

sometime in the next three to four hours.

Which means I’m going to miss your next

set, and maybe the one after it.”

“That’s okay,” Jade said, her hand

settling easily on his chest. “I’ll give you

a private performance later on.”

Remy’s cheeks flushed warm and her

mind was reeling. Such easy affection

and joking between the two of them

made her feel a combination of envy and

discomfort. She turned away, blundering

off into the crowd, unsteady on her high

heels. Wyatt was right: she didn’t have

anywhere to put the crystal and she