“Well, that makes one of us,” I said with a quiet laugh.
Her forehead moved, and I could practically see her eyebrows raising beneath the mask. “What are you scared of?”
I took a deep breath. “I used to be scared of my past. Of people discovering what I had done, how my actions led to my father’s death…it’s haunted me my entire life. But you didn’t walk away, even after knowing the truth.” We swayed under the stars, fears I’d never voiced falling from my lips.
“I’m scared of failing him, of never freeing his legacy and clearing our name. I’m scared of letting my sister down after everything she’s worked for. I’m scared of…the truth.” I swallowed hard, letting her clear gaze seep into me, strengthening me. “That the curse truly rests on me and that it’s only a matter of time until?—”
“Stop,” she commanded, her throat bobbing. “I’m not going tolet anything happen to you. There are ways out of this, remember?”
I smiled and dragged a finger along the edge of her mask, skimming her cheek. “Not even you can stop fate, little wolf.”
Her features tightened. “Watch me.”
My eyes stayed trained on her lips, captivated by them. Byher. That ferocity inside I loved so much.
“And I’m scared ofyou,” I confessed.
Eyes wide, she said, “Ofme?”
My brow furrowed as I took her in. “All my life, I’ve been driven by a singular purpose. Steady, unyielding resolve. But you…you haveconsumedme, Rose. My every thought, my every breath.” I brought her hand up to gently kiss her palm, then her wrist. “I’ve placed all of myself into your hands, and that’s a beautiful, terrifying thing.”
“Why is that?” she breathed out.
“Because you can either crush me,” I said, closing her hand into a fist, “or love me.” I brushed my lips over her knuckles.
Her arm trembled beneath my hold. “You could do the same to me, you know.”
Slowly, I shook my head and put her hand on my chest. “I’ve already chosen to love you, Rose Wolff. Beyond sense, beyond reason. There is no part of you I do notchoose.”
Her lips parted on an exhale as her fingers curled around the fabric of my black jacket. “Leo, I?—”
“Ah, there you are, Rose. Arowyn and I—” A voice stopped as soon as it started, followed by the sound of someone’s throat clearing. I turned to face Nox. The moment I laid eyes on him, something vicious pounded in my sternum.
I straightened, inhaling sharply. Shifters had a certain instinct, a primal force inside that could sense the Shifter magic in others, if it was strong enough. While I’d never been to Drakorum, I was told that was often how roles of power and leadership were decided in their province; instinct helped decipher the strongest of the bloodline. It was an internal reaction to their magic.
I’d sensed it before when coming across other Shifters in the capital, but it always felt like a small prick. A nudge against my Shifter half. Sometimes it was so small, I barely noticed it at all.
But this man, this Shifter…
I had never felt something more powerful.
It was like a blow to the chest. Every muscle in my body seized for that split second his eyes were on mine, as if begging to submit. To bow down as an animal would to their alpha.
I gritted my teeth, a growl building in the back of my throat.
Rose trusted him. She’d once told me he didn’t want to be here, didn’t want anything to do with the power-hungry ways of the capital and all it stood for. And while that may be true, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more.
How had the Sentinels not heard of him before? We had eyes and ears in every province, spies among all the leadership, files on any person of interest across the empire. I wracked my memory, certain I’d never seen or heard the name Nox Duma in any report or document.
And yet here he was. A Shifter so powerful he made that half of my blood rise to the surface. A secret Drakorum had hidden from the empire.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to…interrupt.” He cocked his head. “Who do we have here, Rose? Seems you’ve been keeping some secrets from us,” he teased.
She met my eyes, and I gave an almost imperceptible shake of my head. Glancing back at Nox, she said, “He’s a…friend. Can you give me a minute?”
“As you wish,” he said with a shrug. His gaze lingered on me as he walked off. Not threateningly, but thoughtful. Curious.
Before Rose could speak, I moved us toward the edge of the balcony so the noise from the ball inside would drown out the sounds of our voices, should Nox choose to listen in.
