Paz appeared at my side as guests crowded around, offering effusive praise. "Most impressive, sir. Though perhaps a bit more... intense than previous years?"
His meaningful glance toward Charlie told me he understood exactly what had happened.
"Innovation keeps things interesting," I replied smoothly. "See that the refreshments are circulated. Our guests will be particularly energized after this display."
As the evening progressed, I found myself repeatedly drawn to Charlie's orbit, watching as she managed the event with flawless precision despite the energy that occasionally flared around her when emotions ran high.
"Charlie is causing quite a stir," Toren commented during a brief moment of privacy. His massive frame blocked gossiping guests from view as he leaned closer. "Half the guests here sense something unusual about her but can't quite place it. The Vampire Countess is particularly curious."
"Let them wonder," I replied, watching as Charlie defused a territorial dispute between two rival werewolves with nothing more than a pointed look and a subtle gesture toward security. "She's handling herself admirably."
"She is," Toren agreed. "Though those energy flares are getting more noticeable. You might want to get her somewhere quieter before she accidentally reveals what's happening."
He was right. With each passing hour, the signs of escalation became more pronounced. Crimson traceries appeared on her skin with increasing frequency, and her eyes flashed gold whenever her emotions spiked.
I found her on the terrace, taking a rare moment of solitude while Jada managed the dessert service inside.
"Escaping your own perfectly executed event?" I asked, closing the terrace door behind me.
Charlie turned, moonlight illuminating the faint patterns that now traced her skin almost constantly. "Just catching my breath. It's going well, don't you think?"
"Beyond expectations," I confirmed, moving to stand beside her at the balustrade. "Especially our collaboration."
"I didn't do it intentionally," she said quickly. "The power just... responded to yours."
"I know. That's what makes it remarkable." I studied her profile, the elegant line of her neck, the determined set of her jaw. "Most practitioners spend decades learning to harmonize energies that way. You did it instinctively."
"Because it's your power," she replied. "It recognizes its source."
"It's more than that." I turned to face her fully. "The integration has progressed beyond simple recognition. The power has become part of you, Charlie. And you've become part of it."
She met my gaze, no longer hiding the fire in her eyes. "What happens after tonight, Malrik? If we can't reverse this?"
"Then we find a way forward," I said simply. "Together."
"Together," she repeated, testing the word. "A demon and a mortal. That sounds like a disaster."
"I prefer to think of it as an unexpected harmony," I replied, taking a chance and moving closer. "Like what happenedduring the performance tonight. Two separate energies creating something neither could achieve alone."
The air between us seemed to shimmer with possibility. Inside, the Gala continued in perfect orchestration, the result of her meticulous planning. But out here, in the moonlight, plans and preparations fell away.
"I should get back," she said, but made no move to leave.
"The event is running flawlessly," I countered. "Jada has everything under control."
"Professional first, personal later," she reminded me, though her voice had lost its conviction.
"I believe we're firmly in the 'later' portion of the evening." I took another step closer, close enough to see the rapid pulse at her throat, to feel the warmth radiating from her skin. "Why are you fighting it?"
Charlie moved with surprising speed, closing the distance between us. Her hand found my lapel, pulling me toward her with a decisiveness that I found utterly captivating.
"I don't know what's real anymore," she said, and pressed her lips to mine.
The moment of contact sent a surge of power rippling through us both. Crimson light flared around us, dancing across our skin like living flame. The power within her reached for me, and my own power answered, creating a pulse of energy that hummed with perfect harmony.
Her lips were soft but insistent, her body pressed against mine with the same determination she brought to everything else. I pulled her closer, centuries of carefully maintained controlgiving way to something far more powerful than demonic energy. Genuine desire.
When we finally broke apart, breathless, the air around us shimmered with an afterglow. The patterns on her skin pulsed with each rapid heartbeat, no longer hiding beneath the surface but proudly visible.
