His gaze skimmed over me like fingertips, and I felt it, my magic responding to his desire, a ripple skating along my skin. I already knew I’d shifted, but with him so close, I couldn’t see my reflection.
Slipping under his arm, I turned just enough to catch sight of myself in the mirror and gasped.
There I was. Same dress, same heels, same hair as when we entered this room. My appearance seemed untouched.
His voice coiled around my ear as his pale arms wrapped around my waist.
“What can I say? I like what I like.”
Taking advantage of my stunned stillness, he lifted my chin and crushed his lips to mine. He demanded my full presence, and I gave it, meeting him beat for beat. My fingers dove into his soft golden hair, yanking his head down so I could take control of the kiss, even at an awkward angle.
He growled into my mouth, hands sweeping across my body like he needed to memorize every line. I didn’t even realize he’d moved to my neck until I felt his breath against my pulse.
“With this kiss,” he whispered against my skin, “we make the everlasting vow. Bound now, until forever.”
I jolted when his fangs pierced my flesh, but the pain was instantly swallowed by a wave of bliss. I gasped, clutching his hair as each draw of my blood made my knees buckle.
Like it knew it had received my permission, his golden bond slammed into me.
My own thread peeked out, hesitant, but his didn’t wait. It seized mine and twined them together, bold, unrelenting. Just like him.
His moan vibrated against my skin, making the searing pain at my lower back fade to a warm ache. I arched into him, silently begging him to take more. Take everything.
I could feel him stiffen behind me, body coiled like he might bend me over and take me right there in front of everyone, but instead, he reined himself in, withdrawing his fangs and licking the wounds closed. Then he turned me around so that I faced him.
He cupped my face, eyes softened with rare tenderness, and kissed my forehead. When he spoke, his accent curled around the words like silk.
“You’re my whole world. Nothing can distract me from you, my darling.” He smiled, exhaling like he’d been holding that in forever. “I’m so glad I moved here.”
My brows jumped. “Moved? When?”
His smile became cocky. “Darling,” he said, the reprimand teasing, “the moment I left this building after our tour, I had my assistant find me an apartment and moved most of my work here. To New York.”
“Where?” I asked, still reeling from this development.
He grinned wide, fangs showing and all.
“Right below you. I made the other owners an offer they couldn’t refuse and took the whole floor. Want to make your apartment into a duplex?”
Joy lit through me like lightning. I launched into his arms, peppering kisses along his neck. With a laugh, he spun me around in his embrace.
“If I knew real estate would get me this reaction,” he murmured against my skin, “I’d have bought you the whole damn building.”
He finally set me down, glancing toward the others.
“Let’s finish this, darling. You’re almost there.”
Lucus was right. I smoothed my dress, blew him a kiss, and sauntered toward Maso.
He was waiting, hands clasped behind his back, eyes locked on me like I was the only thing anchoring him. I felt the illusion slip over my skin, transforming me without a word.
For a split second, I couldn’t look. Fear prickled at my spine—not fear of him, but of what I might see. What if the version he craved wasn’t the woman I was now, but the youthful echo I’d outgrown? Do you know what's more brutal than being compared to another woman? It's being measured against a version of yourself you can never return to. A ghost in your own skin.
Somehow, he must have known the feelings that were whirling around inside me because, without hesitation, his arms reached for me, folding me into a hold so fierce and grounding I had no choice but to open my eyes. I had to see whathesaw, what he wanted, without confronting him just yet.
Slowly lifting my lids, I gazed upon what my magic had to show me.
The first thing I noticed was my wings, unfurled and shifting behind me like sheer silk drifting in the wind. My arms clung tohim, sheathed in familiar black sleeves. My heels were tall and wicked. I knew, without even looking, I’d see that tight black mini skirt. It was the outfit from the shipping container. Fromourmoment.
