Page 86 of Dark Gambit Reliance

"No, it's water." She rolled her eyes. "Valstar must have told you that I'm coming to see him tonight."

"He did," Boris said. "He also told me to thoroughly search you."

He licked his fangs as he gave her outfit an appreciative once-over.

The tight leather pants couldn't even hide a thin wire to cut someone's throat with, she'd checked, and the shirt was made from a mesh fabric that left her back, her arms, and her midriff exposed. A three-inch opaque panel covered her breasts, but her nipples were clearly outlined. It was a bit chilly for such an outfit, but she was a Kra-ell warrior, and she didn't let trivial things like that bother her.

"Go ahead." She lifted her arms, a bottle in each hand, and turned in a circle. "The only place I can hide something is in my boots. You're welcome to take them off for me."

"Right. So you can smash one of those bottles over my head."

Jade snorted. "I wouldn't waste good vodka on you."

He pointed to his chair. "Sit there and take the boots off."

She sat down and handed him the two bottles. "Go ahead, take a sip. I know you want to."

She pulled a boot off and stretched her long legs in front of her.

"I'm on duty." Boris handed her the bottles back.

"Don't you want to check that there is no poison inside?"

"What would be the point of that?" He lifted one boot, peeked inside, examined the sole and the heel, and put it down next to her leg before lifting the other. "Maybe you want to poison me and save the rest for Valstar. This visit is highly uncharacteristic of you."

"You know nothing about me, boy." She uncorked the vodka and took a swig, swishing it in her mouth for him to see before swallowing. "See? No poison. Do you want me to drink from the cranberry juice too?"

Checking her other boot, he nodded.

"It's not tasty on its own." She opened the bottle, took a sip, and swished it in her mouth before swallowing.

The purebloods enjoyed alcohol just as much as the hybrids and the humans did, and they could even tolerate mixing it with a limited selection of juices. Orange juice was not one of them.

She still remembered the cramps that had given her.

A few drops landed on her chin, and as she handed Boris the bottles to hold, she wiped them off with her fingers, and then licked them clean.

He watched her, transfixed.

"Don't drop these bottles," she warned as she pulled her boots back on. "The humans don't just give them away."

She might need a few swigs from the drug-infused vodka to be able to get through what she needed to do with Valstar, and even if she didn't, she would need to drink it if she wanted him to drink. It was harmless in small doses, so if she sipped slowly and kept refilling his glass, she should be okay.

"Why are you doing this?" Boris seemed unable to stop himself from asking.

She grinned evilly. "I figured that I'll get a rise out of Igor if I accept his second's invitation, and what's even better, I'll get Valstar in trouble."

His eyes flared red for a moment. "You are either stupidly brave or crazy."

"A little bit of both." She took the bottles from him and turned to walk away.

"Hold on," Boris called after her. "I need to check your hair."

She'd left it unbound, so that was unnecessary, but she stopped and turned back to him. "Go ahead."

He lifted the curtain of her hair almost reverently, and as his fingers brushed over her nape, she felt them tremble.

A small smile curved her lips. She could do that to any Kra-ell male even when she wasn't in her fertile cycle. The males drooled after her not because she was the greatest beauty but because she was a natural prime.