I needed to get my fucking shit together.
And that glare…she was pissed about something. Standoffish. Nothing I could put my finger on, but I would give anything to know what she was thinking right now.
If I really wanted to play the bastard, I’d push past her mental shields and see why she was angry… but I wasn’t sure I could, since my wife had a mental shield stronger than a fucking bank vault.
Her gorgeous, thick curls fell halfway down her back, revealing the curve of a pale shoulder every time she adjusted her wrap. Those liquid-dark eyes seemed to see everything, including me, right down to my very last flaw.
Unlike me, Emberline was perfect. Delectable. A fucking wet dream fantasy that haunted me from the time I closed my eyes to when I stroked myself in the shower every morning, hissing out her name as I came all over the marble walls.
Ireallyhad to get my shit together.
Emberline wasnotmy wife.
This marriage was as fake as my father’s humility. And tonight, walking into the lion’s den, she was my secret weapon to gain a foothold in society and nothing more.
I tucked my hand under her elbow, just as magic rolled out from the castle in a thick, invisible tide, carving up my skin, sinking into my bones. Demente magic always felt… invasive. Cruel. Like fingers dragging through your thoughts, rifling your memories, scraping along the inside of your skull.
Not quite pain.
Just the promise of suffering.
I gritted my teeth and let the slithering sensation pass through me, shoving my mind into the most boring place I could find.
You’re standing in the snow. You’re cold. You’re thinking about… ledgers, and— Fuck, I’m definitely not thinking about whether or not my wife is wearing panties.
“Rocco collects secrets the way my uncle does,” Emberline had cautioned before we left, her tone ice cold. “If you don’t want him to know something, don’t think too loudly.”
“So, what you’re saying,” I’d taunted, “is that I shouldn’t think about whether or not you’re wearing anything under that dress?”
She’d blushed a pretty pink, narrowing her dark eyes as if she wanted to punch me in the throat. “It’s none of your business what I’m wearing. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“I suppose I have my answer then.” I’d chuckled. “Gives me something to fantasize about when Rocco starts droning on about Dynasty business.”
“Stop talking,” she’d hissed, voice strangled to a whisper.
I’d thrown my head back and roared.
Now, walking up to a castle full of enemies with a head full of secrets I couldn’t risk Rocco knowing, I should have taken Ember’s warning seriously.
Demente guards flanked the doors—big, burly males in heavy black coats, holstered guns, knives visible because subtlety was for amateurs. Overhead, a line of gargoyles crouched along the roofline, their stone eyes glinting faintly red. Magic. Or cameras.
Or both.
I offered Emberline my arm—the gesture had become automatic between us—and she slid her hand through the crook of my elbow, some of the tension bleeding out of my shoulders as her warm fingers pressed against my sleeve.
We climbed the steps together.
Rocco waited at the top, flanked by Bruno and another burly, smashed-faced soldier I didn’t recognize. Dementewas all easy charm tonight—silvered hair artfully disheveled, leaning on his cane, suit just slightly less formal than protocol demanded, as if to remind us we were playing by his rules.
“Emberline.” He kissed the air near my wife’s cheek, his hand lingering a fraction too long on her waist, and jealousy flared, hot and sudden. “How you brighten up my dreary little castle.”
“The snow is beautiful,” she demurred, “and your fortress just needs bigger windows, then you could see the mountains, and it wouldn’t be dreary at all.”
“I will take that under advisement,” he murmured, but his gaze was already on me, his one good eye gleaming, amusement sharpening to something else. “There he is, the Dynasty’s favorite black sheep. Or should I say wolf? Lord Dante, welcome to my mountain.”
“Rocco.” I inclined my head, letting my laziest smile curve my mouth. “Thank you for inviting us tonight. We are honored.”
“Invite?” he laughed. “As if I’d miss the chance to parade you both in front of the others. The whole Dynasty is salivating to see whether you two have torn each other apart yet.”
