“Mykingcan handle it.” Fucking vampires. Their territorialism rivals mated wolves.
“Ask him for the truth, and we can all move forward,” Vane calls after me.
I walk away, flipping him off as I go. I hate it when he messes with people’s minds and plays games with what he finds out. Vane may be immortal, but it wouldn’t hurt him to show some human compassion.
I catch up with Jax on the nearest balcony, where he’s brooding over Glaucus’s modern-baroque cityscape. Mountains rest beyond, and the Acheron River rushes below, its sound barely covering his anxious heartbeat.
When Jax turns to face me, my breath catches. Anguish etches jagged lines into his face.
“I just need a minute, Desiree.”
“What the hell is going on with you?” My hands are on my hips. “And don’t you dare lie.”
We aren’t toxic exes. We respect each other.
“Desiree—”
I flash my fangs. “Answer me.”
Jax huffs but still says nothing.
“Vane and I are together. I thought you were okay with that. It’s been years.”
Jax opens and closes his mouth. “Vane is a dick, but he’s not why—” He groans. “Look, what I’m about to say may seem out of the blue, but I?—”
“Jax, please tell me you and Anselm didn’t break up because of me. You were so happy…”
“Desiree, you should know that Anselm and I… I’ve wanted to tell you for so long, but?—”
“That doesn’t look like Vane Bathory unless you’ve replaced him with a younger, more volatile version,” a male voice interrupts.
I turn, fangs bared, and spot Alden, the Wolf King of Lua, grinning like a fool with his beautiful wife Tanith by his side. She’s piled her long, ebony braids into a bun on top of her head. Alden looks sharp in a crisp navy-blue suit—too bad he’s anything but.
I squeal and launch myself at them. “I missed you two!”
“We missed you, too, Desi,” Tanith chimes in with her sweet voice.
“Where’s little Conall?” I ask, pulling back.
“With the nanny,” Alden replies, nuzzling his wife’s neck. “I get to enjoy Tanith all to myself tonight.”
Tanith blushes, the scent vibrant yet vulnerable, but she doesn’t push him away. The wolf couple is painfully in love—not that I blame them. Alden nearly lost her forever when his older brother, Zeus, had her Turned into a vampire to jumpstart an invasion Alden wanted no part of. My blood restored her werewolf nature.
“Alden, later,” she whispers. “We have an audience.”
“So? I’m a king, you’re my wife. Plus, you loveperforming.”
I shudder. “Alden, do us all a favor and keep it in your pants.”
I’m hyperaware of Jax standing inches away—I’ve always been too aware of him.
“Are you sure? Maybe Jax needs a release for all this obvious stress,” Alden quips.
Jax smiles slightly, but then his phone dings. He checks it, and a muscle twitches at his temple.
“Shit. I have to go.” He’s already moving toward the door.
I stare after him, torn between following and dealing with Vane’s smug expression back in the ballroom before Jax and I face each other again.
