“May I come in?” he asks, and there’s a meaningful look in his eyes that makes me want to disappear.
“These are your delegation’s quarters,” I manage, stepping aside and desperately trying to will the flush in my cheeks away.
It doesn’t work.
He enters, his striking presence making the spacious room feel smaller. His gaze sweeps over the space before settling on me. “Do you like your new living situation?”
I glance around at the opulence surrounding me—anywhere but at him, because every time I look at him now, all I can think about is…
“It’s fancier than what I’m used to, but it’ll do.”
Silence stretches between us. I feel him staring at me and finally look up to find him watching me with one eyebrow raised, a hint of a smile on his lips.
My face heats further. “I mean…It’s good. Very good. Thank you.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up, and that small almost-smile does dangerous things to my pulse. He knows exactly what I’m thinking about. He has to know.
“I have your first order of business for today,” he says, mercifully moving on. “There’s a meeting you need to attend. The Umbra Council will be present, as well.”
My stomach tightens at the mention of the Council: the most powerful noble families in the Kingdom, wielding considerableinfluence over politics and policy. “I’ll be going with you and your delegation?”
“Yes.” He moves closer, and I catch the scent of him: pine and something wild, something that makes my wolf stir restlessly. “How did you find the food I sent last night?”
“You don’t have to keep feeding me,” I say, looking away from his perceptive gaze. Away from the memory of what’s beneath that perfectly tailored shirt he’s wearing.
“I like to do so.”
He says this low and warmly, like it’s something intimate rather than a simple courtesy. My breath catches. He’s dangerous. Very dangerous, because he makes me feel things I have no business feeling. Makes me remember things I definitely shouldn’t be remembering.
“I don’t eat that much as it is,” I mutter, more to fill the silence than anything else.
“You should.”
I frown, looking back at him sharply, grateful for the distraction from my traitorous thoughts. “Are you insulting me?”
He laughs—a real laugh, rich and genuine—and the sound of it washes over me. “No, Daciana. I’m not insulting you.”
How he says my name makes my skin tingle. I cross my arms, trying to regain some sense of equilibrium, trying extremely hard not to think about yesterday. “Then what are you doing?”
His eyes hold mine for a long moment, heat flickering in their depths. “Making sure you’re taken care of.”
My mouth goes dry. The air between us feels charged, electric. I’m suddenly very aware of how close he’s standing, how easy it would be to reach out and touch him, to see if his skin is as warm as I remember…
No. Stop it.
“Come with me,” he says finally, breaking the tension before it can suffocate me. “We should not be late.”
I follow him out of my new chambers and through the corridors of the palace. We walk side by side, and I’m hyperaware of every time his arm brushes mine, every accidental touch that sends electricity skating across my skin. I keep my eyes looking straight ahead, but in my peripheral vision I can see the strong line of his jaw, the way his shirt fits across his shoulders—shoulders I’ve seen bare, that I’ve touched…
Stop it, I order myself firmly.
“Nervous?” Kieran asks as we near the throne room, where Artisem is waiting.
“Should I be?”
His expression grows more serious. “With the division in the Umbra Council, one of the factions is not very happy with my pack’s presence in the capital. If we have enemies, they will be behind those doors.”
The significance of his words settles over me. This isn’t just some routine meeting; it’s political maneuvering. Possibly perilous. And he’s bringing me into it.
