"Can wait." His voice dropped to that dangerous tone that made her core clench. "But first, let me make something very clear."
His shadows curled possessively around her waist, not quite touching but close enough that she could feel their presence. Her own shadows rose to meet them. Light meeting dark, intertwining.
"You will only be dancing with me tonight."
Brynn's eyebrow arched. Challenge sparked in her chest. "Is that so?"
"If another man so much as thinks about asking you to dance—" His voice went darker, edged with possession. "If you even consider accepting?—"
He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze. His eyes were pure black now. "I will drag you back to these chambers and ensure you can't walk for a week."
Her breath caught. She knew he could see it in the flush spreading across her chest, in the way her pupils dilated, in the pulse jumping at her throat.
His satisfaction bled through the bond.
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" She kept her voice level.
"It's a promise."
She leaned forward slightly. Testing. "Because it only makes me want to test your limits."
His teeth ground together. His shadows tightened around her waist, still not touching, but the pressure was there. The vanity beneath his palms creaked.
She could feel him fighting. Fighting the urge to make good on his threat right now. Fighting the need to pin her against this vanity and show her exactly what happened when she pushed him.
"Later," he growled, the single word holding enough promise to make her shiver.
"I look forward to it," she whispered, and watched something dangerous flash in his eyes.
For a moment, she thought he might forget the ball entirely. His shadows pulled her closer, finally making contact, wrapping around her waist like bands of darkness. Her own shadows surged to meet them.
His control hung by a thread. The war between duty and desire was playing out across his face.
Then footsteps echoed in the corridor. Voices. Other Death Lords were arriving.
Dante stepped back with visible effort, every muscle tense. His shadows retreated reluctantly, trailing across her skin before pulling away completely.
He offered his arm, hunger still burning in his eyes. "Shall we, Lady of the Boundaries?"
She placed her hand on his arm and felt him tense. A simple touch made devastating by everything left unsaid. "Lead the way, Lord Reaper."
His shadows writhed around his shoulders, betraying what his face tried to hide.
She thought about trailing her mouth?—
His grip on her arm tightened in response. "You're testing my control."
"I know."
"It won't end well for you."
She smiled. "I'm counting on that."
LXXXVI.
BRYNN
The throne room doors opened to chaos.
