I turned in his arms. “Take a guess.”

“Flying it is.” He took off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“If it’s easier we can drive…”

“Yes, because taking off my shirt is so much work.” We walked outside, and I waited for Levi to wrap his arms around me. I loved flying with him. As weird as it sounds, I rarely felt safer. I knew he’d never drop me.

Fighting the wind, I kept my eyes wide open. Levi flew low enough that I could watch the streets whiz by below. I watched as people walked around on the way to their New Year’s plans completely unaware of what was happening above them. The air was crisp but not freezing despite our altitude.

It was after nine when we arrived at the Eiffel Society. Levi and the rest of the group landed in the shadows of the building, and Hailey and I waited as the guys put back on their shirts and jackets. Hailey’s dress had left plenty of room for her wings. Levi took my hand and led me toward the entrance. Even though I’d passed the club tons of times, it was still amazing to walk up the elaborate staircase that wound its way up from the street to the front door.

“Sir.” A bouncer bowed his head when we reached the door.

“How’s the crowd?” Levi asked.

“Large but manageable. We’ve had some humans trying to crash, but we’ve been strict with the list.”

“Good. I don’t want a problem.” Levi led me forward. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the bouncer check something off his list. I wondered what I was listed as. I was almost positive it wasn’t Allie Davis. It was probably prince’s mate. Or maybe princess. Levi helped me out of my coat so we could check it. No one else needed one, even Hailey left hers back at the apartment. She’d only worn it so her dad wouldn’t see her short dress.

We moved toward the main room. It took me a minute to take everything in. Loud music pulsated from every corner, while bare light bulbs and chandeliers hung down from the ceiling. The room was large, with a dance floor, stage, and plenty of tables. It was a mix between a restaurant and a bar. Levi tightened his hold on my waist as he led me over to a table in the corner. I had a feeling it was the VIP section. He pulled out a chair and pushed me in. Hailey sat down on my other side. Jared and Owen took the remaining seats. We didn’t even have to order drinks. A waiter materialized out of nowhere and brought us a bottle of Dom Perignon.

“We’re not waiting until midnight for the champagne?” I watched as the waiter filled my glass.

“Why wait?” Levi leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. His lips remained a moment longer than necessary and the extra seconds of contact made me shiver.

As soon as the waiter left, Levi made a toast. “To a new year, a new night, and this amazing girl on my right. To Allie.”

I bit back a smile. If anyone else thought it was funny that he was toasting to me, they didn’t show it. Everyone sipped their champagne.

“So everyone here is a shifter?” I watched a sea of dancers move by. It was an interesting crowd. Although almost everyone was dressed formally, a decent number of party goers were in masquerade attire. I wondered if that was usual.

“Almost entirely. We let in a few witches this year, and one other Pteron mate, but that’s it.”

“Isn’t that boring for Pterons though?” Pterons were only supposed to date humans. The only one who seemed to mind this rule was Hailey. She had a thing for at least one shifter.

“I don’t know, is this boring?” Levi looked at his friends.

“No, I don’t mind taking a night off.” Jared winked.

I rolled my eyes. “Ugh. You really are gross. Do you think you’ll ever date the same girl for more than a day?”

He shrugged. “If I meet the right girl, sure.”

Owen laughed. “Yeah right. Good luck with that.”

“You should talk—” Jared stopped himself. Probably deciding it wasn’t worth setting Owen off. Poor Owen was still brokenhearted over a girl who ran from him when she found out what he was.

I sipped my champagne guiltily. It was hard to enjoy a night out when Jess was being held hostage. Levi could tell me about the importance of waiting till the right moment a hundred more times—I still wanted to get her out immediately. It was impossible to be calm.

“What’s wrong?” Levi put a hand on my leg. I hated how perceptive he was getting about me.

“I’m just worried about Jess.” I enjoyed the way his strong hand felt on my leg. It gave me a comfort I was learning to appreciate more and more.

“How is worrying going to help? Try to relax, I promise it’s going to be okay.”

“It should be me, not her.”

“No, it shouldn’t!” He slammed his free fist on the table, spilling several glasses of champagne in the process.

“Wow, man. Chill out,” Jared said carefully. Even he understood the danger of pushing Levi too much when he was angry.

“Then tell her to not say stuff like that. It shouldn’t be you.” I didn’t need to look at Levi to know his eyes were probably darkening.

I touched his arm. “I just mean she shouldn’t be punished. None of this is her fault.”

“It’s not yours either.” He grabbed a napkin and cleaned up some of the champagne that had spilled on the table in front of me.

“Do you want to dance?” It seemed like the best way to calm him down. Funny how it went from him comforting me to the other way around.

“Yes.” He got up and took my hand. He led me onto the dance floor. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know this is stressing you out too.” I wrapped my arms around his neck as he put his around me.

He leaned down and gently kissed me on the lips. “I love you, Al. I can’t even think about losing you.”

“People love Jess too.”

“I know. Her boyfriend is with her. If the Blackwells were going to hurt her, they wouldn’t have him there.”

I rested my head against his chest. The music was fast, but we were barely moving. “I hope you’re right.” I kept telling myself that Toby would never hurt Jess or her boyfriend. Emmett had been one of Toby’s best friends in high school.

“I am.” Moving his hands to my hips, Levi made us move faster. Before long, I got lost in the rhythm of the music and having Levi’s body pressed against mine.

We danced until I needed a break. “Let’s have some more champagne.” He let me lead him back to the table. He was grinning like a little kid. I loved how happy I could make him sometimes.