It was long enough.
Tommaso stepped closer.
“You look different,” he commented. His gaze moved over the gown, the diamonds, the transformation that clearly irritated him. “Captain Severin certainly knows how to invest his money.”
Elia met his eyes without flinching. “What do youwant, Tommaso?”
His smile sharpened.
“Just a friendly warning.” His voice dipped. “You might want to ask your Captain about the contract he signed to acquire you.”
Ice slid through her chest. “My freedom isn’t negotiable.”
Tommaso smiled faintly. “Freedom?” An ironic laugh followed. “Is that what Severin called it?” His gaze flicked across the ballroom to Magnus before returning toher.
Magnus hadn’t heard the words, but he had seen Tommaso lean close. Seen her expression change.
He didn’t miss much.
“You always were intelligent, Elia. Which means eventually you’ll read the terms yourself.” He lifted his glass. “And when you do, you’ll realize something interesting. You’re just a pawn, one that’s about to be removed from the chessboard.”
Anger flared hot and immediate. “You’re lying.”
“Maybe,” he said easily. “Or maybe Captain Severin was too eager to secure Donati cooperation.” He leaned a fraction closer. “Deals like that usually come with obligations.” His voice dropped another notch. “And temporary possession isn’t the same thing as ownership.”
Her pulse slammed. “No one owns me.”
Tommaso’s smile widened. “Not yet,” he said. “But contracts have a way of circling back to their original holders.” He straightened and lifted his glass again. “Enjoy the evening while you can,Elia. Severin might have you for now… but arrangements like yours rarely stay settled.” His eyes glittered. “Contracts are complicated things.”
A shadow fell acrossthem.
Magnus had returned.
Elia sensed the change in him before she even turned. The air around him had gone tight, coiled with something dark and dangerous. His expression was restrained, but that restraint was thin enough that anyone paying attention would see the anger burning underneath.
“Step away from her,” Magnussaid.
The words were quiet.They carried no politeness atall.
Tommaso’s smile widened slightly, clearly enjoying the reaction. “Captain Severin. Iwas simply greeting an old acquaintance.”
Magnus didn’t look at him the way most men did. There was no social courtesy left in his gaze now. Only contained fury.“You have five seconds,” he said evenly.The threat in his voice wasn’t raised.It was absolute.
For a moment Tommaso considered pushing further. The calculation showed briefly in his eyes. Then he gave a mocking lift of his glass.“Enjoy the evening,” he said lightly, then turned and disappeared back into the crowd.
Magnus didn’t move for several seconds after he left. The anger still radiated from him, tightly leashed but verymuch alive.
“He was talking about the contract,” she said. “The one that took me from the Donatis.”
“That’s nothing that concerns him,” he said.The reply sounded calm. But the anger buried beneath it hadn’t faded atall.
Elia watched him for a moment. The music from the orchestra drifted across the ballroom, something slow and seductive that sent couples gradually toward the dance floor. Magnus didn’t appear to hear it. His attention was fixed somewhere beyond the crowd where Tommaso had disappeared, his muscles rigid with restrained violence.
“Magnus...”
His gaze shifted back to her. The fury in it hadn’t cooled. If anything it had sharpened, adangerous heat barely contained behind his composure.“He won’t come near you again.”
It wasn’t reassurance. It sounded like a promise he intended to enforce personally.
