Kope will be working for the first time since he was fifteen, and I know he’s doing it for our sakes. For Anna’s sake. I’m grateful.

We park at the hotel and I chug from my flask before I get out. I straighten my tie as we walk, and feel the heavy slap of my wallet’s chain against my thigh. I try to concentrate on these small details so as not to freak the hell out. Thankfully no whisperers are in sight. Yet.

It takes me half a second to find Anna when we walk into the darkened ballroom. She’s dancing with that Veronica chick, in true Anna fashion, as if this were an ordinary party and not a test in which her life is the prize.

My worries are momentarily sidetracked as I watch the way her body moves with fluid grace—the way her arse shakes in perfect time to the beat. I reach down to adjust myself through my trousers, and Ginger huffs next to me, mumbling, “Oh, gawd.”

Whatever.

Anna is smiling and fanning herself when the song ends. And then she sees me and stops. I want to go to her and remind her of everything we told her about dealing with the whisperers. I want to shield her and protect her and take this burden from her, but she’s got to do this on her own. I cannot be a distraction, so I will make myself scarce; however, I’ll be listening and watching when I can.

It doesn’t take long for the whisperers to show—two of them—and they stalk her like the creepers they are. I want to tell them to back off and give her room to breathe. She’s completely rigid when they first take to her, but to my surprise she heads straight for the bar and shakes off the stiffness with determination.

Knowing she’s okay for now, I find a brunette in an emerald dress to talk to in a corner where I can see Anna from across the room. I manage to keep up a conversation, answering, nodding, even making the girl laugh, but she’s only got a small portion of my attention.

I’m more than a little proud of the way Anna handles herself at the bar, but I’m worried her friend Veronica is going to be an issue. I think she’s together with Jay, and . . . oh, fantastic. Marna has him in her sights. What is she thinking? She should not be working on Anna’s friend and causing unnecessary drama for her to deal with when she’s trying to bloody concentrate! The moment Marna breaks away, I excuse myself and head over to her.

I catch Marna near the poker tables. “What are you doing? Not Jay, okay? Leave him be so Anna can focus.”

Her eyes are sad and she whispers, “Sorry.” Ah, shite. I think her play for Jay was less about work and more about her possibly fancying him.

Ginger marches up, frowning at me. “She’s got nothing to be sorry for. She’s working the way you should be. Come on, Marn.”

She takes her sister by the elbow, and Marna casts an apologetic glance over her shoulder at me before they walk through the room, making eyes at all the guys who’re coupled up. I shake my head and catch sight of Kope at a poker table. The blokes he’s with are all edgy, their auras stirring with gray. We give each other a nod.

I grab two wines from the bar and head back to the girl in the emerald dress. I don’t care for wine, but she’s a chardonnay type, so I suck it up. Anna finally finishes with the Veronica/Jay drama and is making her way to the bar again. She’s only got one whisperer flanking her now. I duck behind someone when Anna’s eyes move in my direction.

Loud chaos ensues and suddenly people jump up, running to see. I stretch my hearing and nod to myself when I realize what’s happening.

“What’s going on over there?” asks the girl I’m with.

“Fight at the poker table,” I say. She stands and shifts side to side, trying to catch a glimpse.

The room’s energy zings and auras are fading as more alcohol is consumed, along with other drugs. The music gets louder. The brunette finishes her drink and eyes mine.

I push it toward her with a grin and she smiles up at me, running her pearl necklace back and forth between her fingers. The last thing I want to do is talk to a girl right now. I can scarcely concentrate, but with whisperers about, I can’t afford to stand here and watch Anna all night.

When I glance toward the bar again, I can’t quite believe what I see. Anna is quite the little entertainer, working the bar crowd and throwing back shot after shot. I hope she still knows her limits.

“You seem distracted,” says the brunette as she sips my chardonnay.

“Sorry, luv,” I say. “I’m here with my cousin and she’s quite the lush. Just trying to keep an eye on her.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet.” She gets off her stool and moves closer to where I sit, fitting my knee between her legs. My arm goes around her back automatically, and I fight to keep my eye on her instead of turning to the bar again. Especially as people whoop and cheer.

“I had to break up with my boyfriend last week, because he cheated on me. Now I just want to have fun.”

“That right?” I ask. Declarations like that used to make me rejoice. Her hand rubs my shoulder, and she angles slightly sideways. She’s way tipsy.

Hollers blast from the bar area, and the brunette peers over my shoulder. “Uh-oh. Is one of those your cousin?”

I turn. Anna, Marna, and two other sauced girls have climbed onto the bar and are dancing. The whisperer is going crazy, dancing its own nasty jig all over the patrons. The bartenders stand almost directly under them, staring up their dresses, pretending to be there to catch them, no doubt. The wankers.

“Yeah,” I say absently. “The, uh, brown-haired one on the end.” Marna.

“Aw, they’re just having fun,” says the girl. “Don’t worry about her. She’s fine.” The girl begins to nuzzle my neck, and two other immaculately coiffed girls approach.

“Tasha, we’re going up to do a line. Wanna come?” They look me up and down approvingly. “He can come, too.”

Tasha, the brunette in emerald, looks at me. “Come with?”

“I can’t.” I nod toward Marna, thankful to have an excuse.

She shakes her head at her friends. “I’m staying with Kaidan.”

They give her knowing smiles and leave us. Damn. I was hoping she’d go, too. She slinks over to face me.

“You know,” she says, “we could go to my room. Your cousin’s a big girl. She’ll be okay.”

“Er . . .” I look over. Bloody hell, Anna is so sexy in that little dress, completely letting loose.

I feel someone staring at me and catch Ginger at a table with a guy. She’s frowning at me and throws her thumb over her shoulder, telling me to take the girl to her room. I narrow my eyes to tell her to shut up.

The brunette runs a finger along my jaw, leaning forward as if to kiss me, and I have a moment of paranoia that Anna will see. The whisperer is in sight, and more could show at any moment, so I can’t very well ignore Tasha’s advances, but there’s no way I’m going far from Anna.

“Come on.” I take the girl by the hand and lead her from the ballroom, going the long way around to avoid the bar, where the girls are being helped down. I’m just going to snog her to pass the time and make it seem as if I’m working toward more. No offense to Tasha, but I’m ditching her the first moment I know Anna’s safe and we can go.

My emerald-wearing brunette turns out to be drunker and randier than I thought. The moment we’re out of the ballroom she flings her arms heavily over my shoulders and goes up on her toes to smash her mouth against mine. People walking past us in the hall snigger and one guy yells, “Get a room!” I flick him off behind Tasha’s back, and the group laughs.

I can’t unhook her from around my neck, so we sort of swerve and stumble our way to the empty supply hall near the bathrooms. I shove my hearing back into the ballroom while experiencing the wettest kiss of my life. Before I can find Anna’s voice in the mass, I feel a prickle on my neck and the space around us darkens.