She took it with a coy smile.“I thought you would leave me in suspense for a little longer.”
“Never,” he told her.
The two left me to hold up the wall, waltzing toward the dance floor, a string quartet playing as people slowly rotated before them.
Sofia’s guard hesitated, giving me a small nod before she and the man slowly trailed after their matriarch.
“I’ll never understand the draw between those two,” a slightly accented voice said by my side. Anton stared after the two clan leaders, a considering expression on his face.
I felt a small flicker of surprise that he was addressing me. Another of Liam’s enforcers, Anton had made no secret of the fact that he wasn’t my biggest fan—even going so far as exiting any room I happened to enter, or turning on his heel and heading in the other direction if he happened to approach me in the hall.
That he was addressing me now, had even made a point of tracking me down to talk to me, left me feeling like the world might be in imminent danger of ending.
His dislike of all things me was understandable—up to a point. It was my presence and stubbornness about joining a clan that had, in a roundabout way led to the death of his human companion. Granted, she’d been plotting against me and had gone so far as to attempt to place the blame for several werewolf killings at Caroline’s feet. In addition to that, she’d had several vile things planned for my eventual demise.
“Then again, Liam’s obsession with you doesn’t make sense to me either,” he said as an aside.
My lips twitched at the statement. So, we had progressed from him ignoring me to thinly veiled hostility. I suppose that was progress. At least he wasn’t pretending I didn’t exist anymore.
The formal uniform Anton was dressed in seemed ill-suited for the man. He wore it poorly, like he itched to tear it off. He would have been more at home on some battlefield swinging a sword, a warrior from some long-ago era.
His skin was permanently tan. The crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes and the faint lines on his face said he’d been turned later than me, after a lifetime spent living to the fullest and laughing at every opportunity.
“Speechless. This is a first.” His words were dry and cutting, his dislike coming through very clearly.“I hadn’t thought you capable of such restraint.”
“Tell me—are you mad I exposed your companion for what she was or because you didn’t see it?” I asked, finally turning to look at him fully.
I’d had time to think since everything had gone down. Granted, his obvious problem with me didn’t take up a lot of headspace given all the other problems in my life, but I had given him some consideration.
My bet was on the latter reason.I’d seen him with his companion before she died, and while there’d been affection there, it had seemed almost patronizing—that of an older man with a woman he thought cute but ultimately slightly stupid. Not to mention, Anton had a bit of a reputation as a player.
His expression turned frosty, implyingI’d guessed correctly. It seemed finding her killer and delivering him for Anton’s revenge hadn’t been enough to alter his attitude toward me.
I didn’t let it bother me. I had never aspired to be liked by everyone. His sour outlook, while slightly irritating, had little impact on me in the long run. One of the perks of not being very involved in Thomas’s affairs.
A waiter appeared before us, a woman whose gaze was bright and her smile cheery as she offered a tray of drinks.
“Can I interest you in a refreshment?” she asked, tilting the tray our way to entice us. She was a bright spot in the somber room where the laughter seemed more playacting than reality.
“Run along, the adults are speaking,” Anton said in dismissal.
The woman’s smile wilted and for a moment she looked like a kicked puppy.
I smiled at her, noting the small fangs denting her lower lip and the faintest trace of power. She was older than me by at least a century but not much more than that.
“I’ll have one,” I told her, grabbing a glass of what looked like white wine.
She beamed at me.
Anton made a small scoffing sound, waiting until she had left.“Kindness won’t get you far in our world.”
I shrugged. Maybe, maybe not.
I sniffed the liquid. It smelled lighter and sweeter than any wineI’d ever had. Given the fairy wine circulating, I decided it might be best to hold off on tasting the drink.
“What is it you want?” I asked, still considering the liquid. It was obvious he wanted something, or he wouldn’t have deigned to visit me in my little corner.
He handed me a pair of opera gloves.“He said you forgot part of your outfit.”
