He watched as gazes flickered to the entrance, searching for late arrivals. Snippets of rumors reached his ears, drifting on thewind like autumn leaves as fans of Midnight Magic whispered among themselves.
When would the famous Envy Castille finally make his grand entrance?
The anticipation built, pressing in on him from all side. It felt almost tangible, like a living thing that curled around the banisters and clung to the velvet drapes, waiting—like him—for the moment when everything changed.
Suddenly, the bands on his wrists started to flicker, the light pulsing to the beat of his heart. Every curving line of the intricate pattern expanded and contracted, as if the magic that bound him had awoken from slumber to take a deep breath.
“Luka?”Ruger’s voice drifted into his mind, cutting through the distractions.
Luka scanned the lobby, easily finding his mate in the throng. Standing near the windows, he looked striking in his soft gray sweater and black pants, but those amber eyes remained clouded with worry.
“Do you feel it?”he asked.“Something is coming.”
“Or someone.”
While every part of him wanted to be as far away from Blackhaven Manor as possible when that happened, he gripped the railing tighter and forced himself to stay. If he asked, he knew Ruger would leave with him, but he didn’t want that kind of life for the male.
Always running. Always looking over their shoulders. Existing but never really living.
Ruger deserved better, and for once, he was starting to think that maybe he did too.
Then it happened.
The front doors of the castle parted with a nearly silent groan, and a cold wind rushed inside, carrying a scent that sent a shiverof dread down his back. Although centuries removed, he would recognize that distinct signature anywhere.
Sunlight spilled across the threshold and gleamed over the tilted floor, the sheen interrupted only by the shadow that darkened the doorway.
“That’s him,”Ruger whispered through their bond.
But Luka already knew. Castor hadn’t changed at all, his appearance exactly the same as it had been the day he’d cursed him.
Tall and lean with broad shoulders and a muscular chest. Fiery red hair streaked with gold that fell to his waist and brushed against his hips. An easy smile on his lips, arrogant yet somehow charming in equal measure.
He paused just inside the lobby and lifted his head, his movements deliberate and unhurried. His gaze cut across the distance, and eyes the color of polished sapphire locked on Luka, stealing his breath and making his heart seize.
The moment stretched out into what felt like a lifetime, the weight of his stare holding Luka immobile better than any shackles ever could.
Castor smirked, an acknowledgment of the control he still exerted over him. Point made, he turned away and strode into the crowd, greeting the fans that swarmed around him like long-time friends.
“Luka?”
Gods, he hated the note of uncertainty in his mate’s voice. Even more, it killed him that he could offer nothing in the way of comfort or reassurance.
He had failed in every way that mattered, but it wasn’t a mistake he planned to make again.
The encounter had shaken him more than he had expected, but he didn’t retreat. Not yet. He needed to sit in that discomfort and accept it if he hoped to face the male again in the future.
He watched Castor, tracking him as he made his way across the room. Only when he had disappeared from sight did Luka finally unclench and allow himself to relax.
Locating an empty space in the crowd below, he leapt from his perch and sailed to the floor, landing in the lobby with a slight bend of his knees.
“We should go,”Ruger said as he rushed over to meet him.“Right now.”
He dipped his head in agreement, but not because he was afraid. Rather, his failure to act had highlighted an important and uncomfortable truth. His disadvantage had been coming at the situation from a place of emotion rather than logic. For now, he needed to focus and regroup.
Because the next time they met, he wouldn’t hesitate.
Neither of them spoke as they made their way from the castle and down the grassy slope to the lake. Rather than their usual companionable silence, however, this time, the quiet was filled with tension and doubt.
