Releasing my hold on the shadows, I spun to face him with a pasted-on smile. “Up to no good, as usual.”
He wore no mask, just a dark gray dinner jacket, matching pants, and a crisp button-down. I had to admit, Kane Scarven wasn’tunattractive. He was classically handsome, even. He had strong, clean-cut features. Every hair was perfectly in place. His black eyes were like obsidian jewels, sharp and piercing.
But it was almosttooperfect.Tooput-together. I found myself imagining rough stubble on my skin, running my fingers through windswept hair, staring into a pair of navy-blue eyes that made fire lick up my spine.
I hurriedly blinked away the vision as Scarven said, “I’m glad you came.”
“I didn’t exactly have a choice, did I?”
He put a hand over his heart. “You wound me, Miss Nyte. Here I thought you simply enjoyed my company.”
“I haven’t seen enough to make a decision,” I said with a shrug. “And please, call me Selena.”
His eyes flashed. “Did my party run you off, Selena?”
I smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have wandered. I got curious. Forgive me, my lord.”
He assessed me for a moment, small wrinkles of scrutiny appearing around his eyes. I didn’t think I would ever earn histrust, but if Nox was right, the man before me desired companionship—or at least, his twisted version of it. There was a degree to which he’d be willing to let me into his world, as long as it meant he could keep steady control over me. As long as there was something we could do for each other.Thiswas part of his world that I could understand.
“Do you like it?” he asked, catching me off guard. I raised an eyebrow, and he motioned to the two portraits of the lions. “The paintings.”
“They’re certainly…intriguing.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Some would call it distasteful, but I think it’s part of nature. That’s the way this world works. Survival of the fittest, after all. The strongest always come out on top.”
I swallowed and nodded, unsure how to respond when all I wanted to do was scream.
“Come, Selena,” he said, taking me by the arm. “Dark corridors are no place for a woman like you.”
“Did you pick this out for me?” I fingered the edge of my mask as we walked back to the party.
“Ah, yes. The panther. A symbol of strength and mystery.” He grabbed a flute of wine from the table as we passed. “What better mask for the beautiful Mysthelm cook with a taste for life?”
“You seem to think you have me all figured out, Lord Scarven.”
He leaned in closer. “If I had you figured out, love, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
A chill swept through me. Goosebumps appeared on my forearm, and he smirked when he saw them. The power dynamic between us was shifting. He was beginning to take control, just the way he wanted.
I hated that I had to let him.
I lowered my gaze with a small smile, then turned to face the tables full of gleaming food, some of which now littered the floor. It smelled sweet, spicy, and rotten all at once.
Brandishing a hand to the room, I said, “Quite the party.”
“What do you think?” he asked, tilting his head.
Ilicked my lips and thought about how I wanted to play this. He seemed to enjoy the “lamb in the lion’s den” act. Innocent but interested. Like he wanted to push me to the edge and see what made me squirm.
I exhaled slowly, forcing my voice to sound breathless as I stared at the dancers. “I—I’ve never seen anything like it.”
My eyes flicked over to the goat mask pouring water behind the table. Everett’s eyes tracked me from a distance, easing my worries by a fraction.
With his hand still at my elbow, Scarven led me to the nearest couch. The heady scent of smoke and floral perfume struck me in the face as I sank into the soft cushions. Scarven’s hand instantly splayed across the top of my knee. A heavy ring rested on his finger, and it dug into my dress. I resisted the urge to slap his hand away.
“I think you’ll find this entire province to be unlike anything you’ve seen before, Selena.” He summoned a servant in a serpent’s mask carrying a tray of sugar-coated fruit.
“Shifters are complex creatures,” Scarven continued. “Some believe we cannot control ourselves. That we’re ruled by baser instincts and carnal desires. But, in truth, we have the most control of them all.” He motioned for the serpent to come closer, and he took a vine of grapes. “You see, our instincts tell us to take what we want at whatever cost. Pleasure, violence, power.” With each word, he plucked a grape off the vine.
