“So, did you manage to clock them all?” the Celestial asked him.
He scrubbed his hand over his face. “No. I used Soul Track and mostly only ascertained death-touched energy signatures.”
“Well, that’s okay. It’s a good start. Besides, your dad said to practice, not expecting you to do it perfectly right off the bat. Especially when you haven’t used it for a long while.”
“True.”
She held out her hand to him. “Come on. Forget that for now and let’s have some fun.”
I saw him intending to go with her, but then he flinched as something caught his eye.
I followed his line of sight to see him noticing that infuriating Ifrit, Zayn. The chaotic ball of aggression was holding court, as I’d noted him doing all over campus. Unlike us, this was his fourth-year here, so he was already well-established.
And, as I zeroed in on him, it seemed he wanted to make that undoubtedly clear to Winter.
He was grinding on the dance floor with fiery figures made of his fuchsia magical flame entertaining those nearby, while a vampire in just a pair of low-hanging slacks undulated behind him with his hand down the front of Zayn’s designer jeans. A wolf was licking his throat and nipping at his ear. And there was even a sorceress running her hands all over his chest that was accessible with his leather vest open wide.
Through it all, his hooded gaze narrowed on Winter and he smirked rather nastily.
Winter stepped back and told his Celestial companion, “You go ahead. Be with your friends. I’ll see to myself.”
She frowned, having not noticed what had upset him. “Win—”
“I’m really fine. No more babysitting needed, Christalyn.”
“You’ll stay and try to have some fun, though? Mingle?”
“Promise.”
“Okay.” She ruffled his soft black-brown hair and pressed a kiss to his cheek, then headed into the depth of the party toward some Light Fae who waved her over excitedly.
Winter released a heavy sigh.
And then he startled me—an incredible feat in itself—as he swung his head toward me and asked, “More observer than participant, are you? I saw you come in here twenty minutes ago from my balcony. Have you been concealed over here the entire time?”
He’d seen me?
With the way I moved, that would only be possible if he’d been actively tracking me, looking out for my arrival.Highly interesting.
I stepped out and revealed myself.
“Vaxan Canor,” I spoke, holding out my hand to him.
He smiled and we shook. “I know.”
Hmm.“Then clearly I’m not the only observant one,Winter.”
His smile widened. It wasn’t the plastered-on one from before. It was genuine. I noted that he had a soothing innocence to him as he smiled, his amethyst eyes shining, his whole face lighting up, in fact.
I took a little too much delight in his stunning eyes traveling the length of me, his attempt to make it respectful incredibly endearing like so much I’d already catalogued about him.
He drank in my sleeveless leather vest with the high collar folded open at my throat, the vest itself fitted to my muscular physique, much of which was attributed to my slight obsession with hand-to-hand combat. It didn’t exactly come naturally to my species; most were more willowy and graceful than anything else.
After lingering on the good portion of my chest visible with the low and open cut of the fabric, he noted the gemstone buttons fastening it, then sweeping down to my broad belt through my matte black leather pants. His lips lifted at my forearm bracers that were etched with serpentine patterns, and then he settled on the armored shoulders layered with feather-like panels that flared outward with a reptilian scale texture.
He stared at my deep gray eyes for a very intense moment, wherein I suspected he was attempting to see into me. That wouldn’t be possible unless I allowed it, and it wasn’t yet time for that. But he tried dearly, and I had to give him due credit.
He noted my crown of blackened metal veined with gold that sat atop my sharply styled onyx hair which was closely cropped on the sides and back but styled upward in a structured way on top.
