But all I could see before me was the dangerously beautiful Fae prince.
Wolfe moved through the crowd like darkness made flesh. Formal attire only sharpened him — refined the danger rather than hiding it. His raven hair caught the light in dark, lethal glints. He loomed tall and broad-shouldered, the kind of strength better suited to battlefields than a ballroom.
The crowd parted without realizing they were doing it.
Not dramatically, not with fanfare or announcement, simply a natural shift that created a path between us.
The music continued but it felt distant now. Muffled. Like I was hearing it through water or from another room entirely. Or another realm.
I was vaguely aware that I was moving toward him too. And each step I took made the bond pull stronger. The very bond Arielle had warned me about.
I was glad she wasn’t here to see it take effect. She’d met Bastian outside, so I’d decided to come in on my own.
I thought I’d be fine and completely in control. I was so eager to tell Wolfe about the progress I’d made today with my magic, and all the things Magdalena had taught me that I didn’t think of anything else.
Iwasfine and in control, until I saw Wolfe.
I’d felt the stirring of the bond low in my belly from the moment the carriage drew near the palace, but now that I was near him, it had become undeniable, a tether wrapped around my ribs, drawing tighter with every breath.
My magic stirred beneath my skin in response, recognizing him,reachingfor him.
The closer we got the more everything around me shrank, and the glittering nobility with their watchful eyes faded into shadows.
My breath came shorter when Wolfe reached me. He closed the remaining distance between us with one more step. Now he was barely a pace away. Still, he felt too far from me for relief.
“My Lady,” he said quietly, the words meant for me alone.
“My Lord.” I dipped into a curtsey, but my gaze never left his.
He extended his hand. I placed mine in it, and he turned my wrist, lifting my knuckles to his mouth. His lips brushed my skin in a slow, deliberate kiss.
The contact sent a quiet pulse up my arm. It was potent I had to take a breath.
His eyes darkened as he observed. “You look beautiful. Like a queen.”
“Thank you,” I replied, lifting my chin despite the tremor in my breath. “You…look like you intend to devour the room.” Gods, I hadn’t meant to say that, but the words just tumbled out of my mouth.
A faint curve touched his mouth, then it deepened into an unhurried smile. “No. Not the room, Ziyka.”
The meaning behind his words wasn’t lost on me. Then it lingered in the space between us, impossible to ignore.
His fingers closed around mine, and heat raced across my skin. I’d almost forgotten he was still holding my hand.
“What… do you want to devour?” The words escaped again, but this time the bond hummed with approval, telling me I was asking all the right things.
His smile widened revealing his very long elongated canines. My lungs seized. Heat shot straight to my groin and all I could think of was him feasting on my skin, grazing it with the sharp tips of his teeth.
“Come here. I’ll show you.”
I moved closer like I was attached to strings. He moved to me too, angling his head to meet my lips.
“Ahem.”
The sound cut through the moment like heat cracking glass.
I froze, Wolfe's mouth mere inches from mine, close enough that I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin. And the quiet protest of the mating bond. It hated protested the interruption.
A snarl of frustration echoed through my body but I maintained my composure.
