“We have a new honored guest this evening!” Professor Owen’s voice echoed around the room, breaking the silence. “May I introduce a very old—er—friend. I hope,” he added under his breath. “Please welcome His Highness, Prince Donovan y Tyrnn!”
One of the Saxby sisters, her mouth wide open, walked into the other one on the way to their seats. They both wobbled on their six-inch heels, clutching each other to keep from falling.
“Holy shit,” Juliette whispered, her eyes bulging out of her head, looking like a strangled Pekingese. “Holyshit.”
“Oh.” Delia clutched the pearls around her neck. “Oh, my.”
Donovan stood in the doorway, huge, brooding, his dark emerald eyes flashing. His beauty felt like a punch to the gut.
Dan Raine let out a squeak. “A prince?”
“Italian nobility,” Professor Owen said hastily. “They’re a democratic republic now, but they still have a royal family. They like to keep, er, a low profile. Because of all their money, y’know?”
Everyone froze and watched as Donovan sauntered into the room. His movements were languid and graceful, almost careless, yet vibrating with that intense, menacing power simmering just underneath the surface of his skin. The guests watched him, open-mouthed, looking as shocked as if the Morningstar himself had fallen to earth and stalked in to join us for dinner. Juliette tried to get to her feet to intercept him as he walked in, but he ignored her.
He ignored everyone, in fact. He walked straight up to me.
“Chosen.” His tone held a warning.
My knees shook. I couldn’t breathe.
Donovan reached out towards me and took my hand. Gently, he unfurled my clenched fist and deliberately wound his fingers in between mine, holding my sweaty palm against his own.
Those blazing dark eyes bored into mine, his gaze intense, overwhelming, but they also held a command that I couldn’t ignore.Hide your power, Chosen.
Oh, good God, his hand. The touch of his skin, right now, in this moment… I’d never felt anything like it in my whole life, and I never will again. The power in his palm was so heady I almost blacked out. His fingers in between mine, thick, strong—they were gravity, holding me in place. They were torrential rain, dousing the wildfire that threatened to overwhelm me. He was ice; I was fire, and he was holding me together so I wouldn’t explode.
I held his gaze, took a breath, and exhaled it slowly. The burning heat inside me dissipated.
The tension in his jaw eased. “Susan,” he murmured. “Mi amore. I am sorry to keep you waiting. My business with Ahdeannoywn is concluded. You have my full attention.”
I needed it. The fire inside me roared as he beat it back. I stared into his eyes and breathed in and out slowly.
Low mutters echoed through the room. “He’s withher?”
“Like, her date? Did Susan bring an actual prince as her date?”
“The professor said that he’s a friend, so he must be a real, actual prince. Look here, the internet says there’s a whole Italian royal family, but I can’t find any recent pictures. They must just keep a low profile, like Dean said.”
“No way. Noway. She must have bribed him. He might be one of those poor nobles who sell interviews toprop up their huge estates. I mean, I know better than anyone how expensive it is to maintain all my properties.”
“She’s broke, Juliette. Vincent got everything in the divorce. She doesn’t have any money to pay him with.”
The voice turned vicious. “Why the fuck is he here with her, then? She’s a crazy dried-up old cow.”
“Well… You have to admit, she looks incredible for a dried-up old cow, Jules. She never looked that good when she was with Vincent, and they were always the most beautiful couple at any party.”
“Shut the fuck up, Saxby.”
The other Saxby sister’s high-pitched voice floated over. “They… they look like they like each other. He’s staring at her pretty intensely. I mean, I’m sure they can both hear us, but they’re ignoring us, and they’re still staring at each other like they want to?—”
“Susan? Your Highness?” Professor Owen’s chirpy voice cut through the whispers. “You two lovebirds are over here.”
Donovan raised his eyebrows—a silent question. I nodded. I was okay. He squeezed my hand, pulling me forward. “Come,amore. I am famished.”
We walked towards the table. My heart sank a little when I realized the professor had put me right in the middle of the table, with Donovan opposite me. It felt like there was a whole ocean between us. “You’re next to me, Your Highness,” Juliette smoldered, patting the seat next to him.
Ignoring her again, Donovan held my hand firmly, leading me to my place at the table. He pulled out my seat for me. My heart thumping, I lowered myself stiffly into it, carefully arranging the red silk dress around my thighs. Donovan didn’t push me in. Instead, he lifted the chair inhis hands as if I weighed nothing, stepped forward, and placed the chair under the table.
