After dismissing almost everything I’d said, she couldn’t even find it within herself to stay in my company for longer than a fucking minute. Fine. Whatever.
I pretended to focus on Petru and our chat about his stupid library, but my eyes kept tracking Emma as she moved through the room with the kind of effortless grace that made my teethclench. The one that made her look like she belonged here, as if she were meant for this world of polished floors and whispered conversations. She moved like a fucking swan, gliding through still waters, every step practiced, every shift of her body controlled.
Until she stopped.
The change was instant. Unmistakable.
Her entire body froze—stiff, unyielding—like she’d seen a ghost. She locked onto something—or someone—in the crowd, her breath visibly hitching, her posture snapping so tight she looked seconds from shattering.
What the fuck?
A bolt of unease shot through me, fast and vicious. My chest went tight, and my pulse hammered as I watched the color drain from her face. Whatever she’d seen—whoever she’d seen—it had hit her like a godsdamn freight train.
I scanned the room, cutting through the sea of bodies, searching for the threat. For whatever had shattered her composure so completely.
Nothing. Fucking nothing. Which only made it worse.
My instincts roared.Move.
I surged forward, shoving through the crowd without a second thought, not giving a fuck who I elbowed aside. Was someone here? Watching her? Targeting her? My mind couldn’t keep up with my body—all I knew was I had to reach her.Had to.
Get to her. Getbetweenher and whatever the hell had cracked her open like that.
Fuck this.She was the most powerful maga in the world—she had no one to fear. No reason to need protection, not even mine.
And yet?—
It felt like I had to be here.
Like I was the only one keeping her tethered to reality, keeping her from being swallowed whole by whatever had made her forgetwhothe fuck she was.
And why the hell did it feel so right?
“You okay?” The words came out fast, impatient. I needed confirmation.
Then—before I even realized what was happening—she was in my arms, moving with me in a slow, instinctive rhythm.
Her body was still tense, every muscle coiled tight, but it didn’t stop the way her scent wrapped around me, fuckingintoxicating. Sweet, but not in some cheap, overpowering way. More like fresh-cut pear, laced with something softer, something almost floral—like lilies. It wasn’t loud, wasn’t begging for attention, but it lingered, subtle and undeniable, making me want to breathe her in.
Holding her this close was… unexpected. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to step back, to put some godsdamn distance between us. But my body—hell, my fucking instincts—betrayed me.
Instead of letting go, I pulled her closer, my hand sliding lower to grip the curve of her waist, fingers digging in just enough to feel her flinch—and then lean. Her body pressed flush against mine, all soft heat and taut muscle. She was soft in all the places that made my pulse jackhammer, tense in ways that made me want to strip her down, piece by piece, until she forgot how to hold herself together.
I should have stepped back. Should have created distance before this turned into something neither of us was ready for.
But I didn’t, because for the first time in a long, long time it felt like I wasn’t supposed to.
Like I was meant to hold her like this—close enough to feel the heat of her breath against my throat, close enough to know that if she tilted her chin a fraction higher, our lips would meet.
And fuck me, I wanted to know what it would feel like.
Now, I found myself standing outside the room, looking in, watching Emmaflirtwith a fucking Radical. She flashed him her stunning smile and gazed up at him through her lashes. I had to hand it to her though; she had him outside the door in under two minutes.
“I think this way we can talk a bit more privately.” I heard her giggle.
The guy followed her like a lost puppy.
As soon as she closed the door behind them, I was on him, emerging from the shadows. He gasped as I seized his throat and slammed him against the wall.
