“Oh, that explains your lack of formal wear. I was surprised they let you in. Maybe they thought you were one of the workers.” She laughs.
“So what if I were?” I question with a fake smile etched on my face.
She waves a dismissive hand at me. Then, without a care that his “girlfriend” is standing right next to him, she touches him again in a more-than-friendly manner. I notice his subtle flinch, and it’s so clear he doesn’t want her touch any more than I want to be here.
He once again shifts away from beneath her hand, and she brings it up to rest on her chest, where the swell of her breasts presses against the neckline of her top, a deliberate display of soft skin framed by the low dip of fabric meant to draw attention. I know she’s waiting for his gaze to drop, for that flicker of maleinterest she’s used to commanding. But it doesn’t happen. His eyes stay on her face, unbothered, and, unreadable. Then slowly, he scans the room, his gaze skimming over me before settling back on her.
“You must excuse us; I’m needed.”
Without even glancing back, he reaches for me, his hand finding mine easily. His palm is so much larger than mine, and his grip is firm and unyielding. I try to pull away, but it’s useless as he leads me away from Miranda. I go because, really, what else am I supposed to do? Under normal circumstances, I’d kick him or tell him exactly where to shove it, but this isn’t normal. I’m standing in a room full of prominent people in my field whom I want to impress, and every one of them is watching.
So, I let him drag me over to someone I recognize but don’t really know personally—Arlo Graves. A highly respected therapist. Probably one of the most sought-after among the extremely wealthy.
“I see you brought company. Did you not tell her about the dress code?” Arlo drawls.
Soren spares me a look, and I know he can see the flush of embarrassment on my cheeks as I once again try to pull my hand from his.
“Cressida, is that you?” I turn my head to watch Cora approaching in a stunning light-pink dress and bright-pink heels. “It’s been too long. How is work?”
Soren stares at me, waiting for me to speak.
“Good” is all I can give her in reply.
“Are you crashing the party?” Cora asks.
The last time I crashed one of the parties, I used Arlo’s interest in her as my way in. Now they’re together and clearly happy, as evidenced by her bright smile while his hand skates around her waist, and he pulls her against his side.
I’ve warned her about their reputations and that of the Forsaken. About how people have mysteriously gone missing. And while no evidence points to them, I know their secret little Society has something to do with it.
“You could say I was dragged here.” I smile and lift the hand that is still clasped in Soren’s.
SIX
SOREN
The reasonI invited Cressida is that I needed a buffer from Miranda. The woman has been messaging me all week, telling me how excited she is to see me again. I’ve never given Mirandaanyindication that I’m interested in her, even though she’s thrown up every sign that she is interested in me. The Society has asked me to play nice. That means no bloodshed or tears being spilled because she is important to some, as their lawyer. So, I have resorted to using Cressida instead.
She is well-connected—there’s absolutely no denying that—and she’s a brilliant lawyer I’ve hired many times. We have lawyers in the Forsaken, of course. But we recently had to end the life of our go-to attorney. He’d become too cocky and too high and mighty for his own good. So, I’ve had to use Miranda for some contract work, and now she won’t stop.
While I can admit she’s a beautiful woman, I’m not interested in her in the least. When she touches me, even on the shoulder, it feels wrong. I have never been, and will not ever be, in a serious relationship with anyone. If I’m forced to marry because of the Forsaken’s rules, it will be strictly transactional, with no feelings involved. I’ve seen too many people do stupidthings because they’ve fallen in love. It’s ridiculous. It’s like they lose half their fucking brain.
I love only one person, and that’s my sister, even if I wish she weren’t so needy all the time. I thought marrying her off to one of the Forsaken members would help, but that didn’t work out, and it ended up ruining one of the closest relationships I have outside of her. Thankfully, I’ve been slowly rebuilding my relationship with Reon, though I think the trust is still a long way off. I’ve never trusted anyone implicitly in my life, but Reon would be the one person I trust the most. He’s as guarded as I am, and I respect that about him.
“You kidnapping people now?” Arlo jokes, forcing my attention to turn from Cressida and back to him. Her baby-blue eyes may give off the appearance of innocence, but the way she was glaring at me indicates that she wishes she could slit my throat.
When I meet Arlo’s gaze, I know he’s analyzing everything I say or do. He was once all about the Forsaken, but when he met Cora, that all changed. He’s still very active within the society, but now his world revolves around her, and not so much the hunts.
“Just the annoying ones,” I reply, and Cressida huffs from beside me. I could loosen my grip and let her get away, but where would the fun be in that? I know the minute I release her, she’ll put distance between us and make it appear as if she isn’t here with me, when the whole reason I brought her is to give off the impression that we are together.
She’s been sneaking into events that I attend, or someone willingly invites her for who knows how long, trying to find God knows what and where I am. Granted, this is probably one of the safest events for her to attend, since only a few members are in attendance. I know she’s itching to ask questions, to snoop around and see what she can find out, but I won’t let her do that.
“You should be holding your own hand, then, since you’re the most annoying person I know,” she bites back in response to my taunt.
“Do I stalk you?” I ask her.
“Yes,” she says, raising her chin defiantly. “How did you know where I live if you didn’t have someone stalk me? Answer me that, Mr. Big Shot.”
Cora laughs, but I don’t dare take my eyes off Cressida.
