Dark brown hair with a streak of gray, strong chin, sharp jaw, high cheekbones. A short, clean-cut beard that spoke of control and precision. Black eyes beneath a raised brow.
I instantly knew who this was.
Kane Scarven’s gaze met mine, replacing the heat from Nox’s stare with an iciness that chilled my blood.
I gave him a hint of a smirk before turning away.
Game on.
30
Nox
ThesecondScarven saw her, I knew this was a bad idea.
This was the plan. This wasmyplan. She had to get his attention. She had to intrigue him.
But when I saw her in that dress, all I wanted to do was grip her in my claws and fly us far away from this place. To shield her from the hungry, predatory gazes in this room. To rip out the eyes of every man who so much aslookedat her.
Was it rational? Absolutely not. But the dragon stirring in my chest didn’t care.
Scarven straightened when he saw what I’d been staring at. I knew it would work—anything I showed a modicum of interest in, he immediately homed in on. I wished I could say that had been my strategy, but truly, I wasn’t able to look away from her.
I didn’t know what this woman was doing to me, but I hated it.
Her hips swayed as she descended the steps to the lower level of the ballroom. That red dress hugged her curves, with thick hair pinned over one shoulder to expose the side of her neck. I hadn’t been able to get her scent out of my head, the way it felt to run my nose along the curve where her neck met her shoulder, to feel her chest rise and fall beneath me.
My body remembered her even as I forced my mind to forget. It was intoxicating. It wasmaddening.
It was dangerous.
I took another sip of my drink, my fingers clenching around the thin glass.
“I’ve heard stories about your land and its Shifters, but I must say, no one said anything about the silk and chandeliers,” Lord Silenus from Mysthelm was saying as he glanced over all the resplendent decorations. He seemed impressed, if not a little stiff.
Scarven hummed. His deep, rich voice filled the air as he asked, “And did you expect us to dine in caves, Your Grace?”
Silenus cleared his throat and dabbed a handkerchief over his balding head. “Of—of course not, Governor. There is so little we know, obviously. My eyes were opened to your kind when the lovely Empress Aris visited us this summer. Such a shame she couldn’t meet us here.”
Scarven’s eyes narrowed at the mention of Rissa before he schooled his features. “Yes. A shame. I hope you enjoy your evening, Lord Silenus. If you’ll excuse us,” he said with a dip of his head. I nodded to the lord, then followed Scarven.
“Who was that woman?” he asked sharply.
My stomach tightened. “What woman?”
“Don’t be coy. You couldn’t take your eyes off her.”
I shrugged and took another drink. “She was beautiful. Hard not to notice.” I motioned toward the hordes of women in elegant ballgowns. “But there are plenty of beautiful women, if that’s what you’re after. Take your pick. I’m going to gofraternize.” I gave him a lazy half-smile.
“Keep an ear out,” he said. “We don’t want these foreigners getting too comfortable.”
I raised my glass to him, then sauntered off to chat with various members of Mysthelm nobility. I hardly heard a word anyone said to me. I simply smiled and nodded and exchanged pleasantries, keeping my focus on Scarven’s movements.I was painfully aware of every step he took toward Devora, every table he made conversation at as he moved closer and closer to her.
We were as prepared as we could be. Silas had even cast a spell that covered any trace of mine or the others’ scents, so Scarven would have no idea she’d spent time with Shifters. But there were still so many ways this could go wrong.
And so many people who would pay the price if it did.
“You look like you need something stronger than wine,” an unfamiliar voice said. An elbow hit mine, and I looked over to see a man perhaps fifteen years older than me, with long black hair and a hooked nose.
