"What are you…"
Without warning, she blows the enchanted powder directly into my face. I reel backward, coughing as the particles fill my lungs, they land on my eyelashes and lips like liquid fire.
"What the hell is that?" I demand, trying to wipe the dust away. It clings to my skin, sinking in like molten gold.
Ivy's smile turns wickedly knowing. "Faerie dust mixed with powdered moonstone, essence of night-blooming jasmine, and a touch of healing magic. I can sense all that pent-up tension in your body, sweet one. This will strip away your inhibitions, let you feel what you truly desire, and ease that wrist injury. It also temporarily overrides any suppressants that might still be in your system—let your true Omega nature shine through."
"Ivy, what did you…"
But she's already fading, her laughter lingering in the air like silver bells. "Consider it a gift! Sometimes the only way forward is to stop fighting what you truly crave. Let that Omega side of you out to play!"
Before I can respond, she disappears entirely, leaving me alone in the alcove with liquid fire coursing through my veins. My skin becomes hypersensitive to every whisper of air, every nerve ending alive with raw awareness. The throbbing pain in my wrist fades, replaced by a warm, tingling sensation that spreads up my arm.
My natural Omega scent is beginning to seep through. My body temperature rises, a telltale sign that my biology is asserting itself. The mental barriers I usually keep firmly in place start to soften like wax near flame.
"Licking your wounds, are we?"
Malakai's voice coming from directly behind me sends a jolt of electricity through my body. I turn to find him leaning against the stone wall, arms crossed over his chest, shadows dancing at his feet. His nostrils flare—he's scenting me. He can smell the change, the way my Omega nature is breaking through.
The thin cut I gave him is visible through his torn tunic, a line of crimson against golden skin.
"Better than nursing your wounded pride," I retort, fighting the sudden, inexplicable need to trace that cut with my tongue. "How does it feel to bleed like the rest of us mortals?"
He pushes off the wall, moving closer with hunting grace. "Exhilarating, actually. It's been a very long time since anyone managed to mark me." His eyes gleam in the dim light, and I see his pupils dilate as he breathes in more of my scent. "I find I rather like wearing your signature, Omega. Perhaps you should give me more."
Something about the way he says that word—Omega—with such possessive hunger, sends molten heat coursing through my veins. What is wrong with me? I blame Ivy's cursed dust. I shouldn't be noticing how his tunic clings to broad shoulders, or how his Alpha scent—cedar smoke and dark magic—wraps around me like a physical thing.
"Don't get used to it," I manage, my voice breathier than intended. "Next time I'll aim for something more vital."
"Promises, promises." His smile is sharp enough to cut. "Though I must admit, your skill with a blade was unexpected. Where does a diplomat's daughter learn to fight like a trained warrior?"
I lift my chin, fighting the urge to bare my throat to him in submission. "I told you—my father believed in a comprehensive education."
"Yes, and I'm beginning to think your education was very comprehensive indeed." He takes another step forward, forcing me back against the wall. The stone is cool against my heated skin. His scent intensifies, wrapping around me, and I can feel my body responding—slick beginning to gather between my thighs. "What other talents are you hiding, I wonder? And why do you smell so inviting right now?"
"You'll never find out."
"Oh, I will." He places one hand on the wall beside my head, leaning in until I can feel the heat radiating from his body. "I've always enjoyed solving puzzles, and you, Seraphina of House Lumina, are the most intriguing puzzle I've encountered in centuries."
I should push him away. Should knee him in the groin and run. Instead, I find myself transfixed by the intensity of his gaze, by the way his shadows seem to reach for me with their own hunger.
"There's nothing to solve," I say, but my voice lacks conviction.
He laughs, the sound rumbling through his chest. "What I see is a woman wearing too many masks. The obedient daughter. The reluctant bride. The composed diplomat." His fingers brush my cheek with surprising gentleness. "But I saw the truth in the training yard today—the warrior beneath the facade. The killer in those golden eyes who wants to taste blood. And now..." He leans closer, inhaling at my throat. "Now I smell the truth your body can't hide. I can scent your arousal."
His touch leaves a trail of fire across my skin. The fated mate bond between us, usually controlled by my mental barriers, suddenly flares as those barriers weaken under the influence of Ivy's magic. I'm flooded with his desire—dark, consuming, obsessive—and it mingles with my own heightened need until I can't tell where his hunger ends and mine begins.
"Stay out of my head," I warn, though I can feel my defenses crumbling.
"I can only sense what you're feeling through our bond," he murmurs, his thumb tracing my lower lip. "Your emotions, your desires, your body's responses. And right now, you want me so badly it burns through the bond." His hand moves to my throat, fingers wrapping lightly around it, thumb pressed against my racing pulse. "Even now, your heart is pounding. Is it fear, Seraphina ? Or something far more dangerous?"
I should deny it. Should spit in his face and walk away. Instead, I hear myself asking, "And what do you want, Malakai? The obedient wife? The broken victim who submits without question?"
Something shifts in his expression. "What I want," he says slowly, his voice dropping to a growl, "is the truth beneath all your perfect lies. I want to see who you really are when all those careful masks fall away. I want to watch you come apart in my hands until you forget every reason you have to hate me. I want to make you beg for my knot."
"You couldn't handle the truth." Even to my own ears, the words sound like a challenge.
His laugh is dark honey, rich and dangerous. "Try me, Omega."
