Her shoulders tensed. “Of course they do.”
“And you don’t?”
She looked up at me, her eyes blazing with defiance. “I don’t enjoy having my future decided for me, no matter how gilded the cage.”
Her words mirrored my earlier thoughts so perfectly I couldn’t help but laugh. She frowned, clearly misinterpreting my reaction.
“I’m not laughing at you.” I touched a strand of her hair before I could stop myself. The softness of it sent heat coursing through my veins. “We’re more alike than you think.”
She didn’t pull away from my touch, which I took as permission to continue.
“This is my favorite color in all of Inferna.” I moved her hair to the side and kissed her neck.
“It’s just brown.” Her voice had lost some of its edge, replaced by a breathless quality that made my fangs ache to descend.
My fingers tangled in her hair, moving her head to give me better access. “Nothing about you is ‘just’ anything, Princess.”
Her pulse quickened under my lips, a tempting rhythm that called to the primal side of me. I pulled back slightly, my gaze landing on the delicate blue vein visible beneath her skin. How easy it would be to taste her and to make her truly mine.
She must have sensed my thoughts because she stepped back, creating distance between us. “I won’t be bitten.”
The firmness in her voice both frustrated and impressed me. Most women would have given in by now, eager to please a vampire with my lineage and power.
“I would never do it without your consent.” I shoved my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her again.
“And you’ll never have it.” Her chin tilted up.
I smiled, enjoying the challenge she presented. “Never is a long time, Princess. And I’m very patient.”
I knew I would wait centuries if necessary. The arrangement might have been political, but my desire for her had become real.
It had become dangerous.
The pullI felt toward her had always defied reason. Even now, with a hallway separating us, I could sense her heartbeat, the rhythm of her breath, and the subtle fragrance ofher skin. The primal part of me wanted to find her, claim her, and mark her as mine in ways that couldn’t be undone.
I pressed my palms flat against the cool stone of the window frame, grounding myself. Control had always been my greatest strength. I had built my reputation on never surrendering to baser instincts.
Yet with Samara, my control faltered.
“We should go.” Amari’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I nodded, taking a final moment to compose myself. The council chambers awaited, and with them, the game of power that never ceased. Today I would need every ounce of focus I possessed.
When we stepped into the hallway, her scent hit me. She had already left her room for the council chambers. My nostrils flared, taking in more of her essence, and my fangs threatened to descend.
The reaction was instantaneous and embarrassingly juvenile. I might as well have been a fledgling vampire encountering his first prey. I clenched my jaw and forced the hunger down, annoyed at my lack of discipline.
“Get yourself together,” Amari murmured as we walked, his voice too low for anyone else to hear. “The council will sense weakness.”
He was right. Edmund would be watching for any sign that I was compromised. Our families had always had it out for each other ever since our faction split into north and south.
We descended the grand staircase, passing servants who bowed their heads respectfully. I barely noticed them, my mind already in the council chambers.
Amari slowed his pace as we approached the ornate doors of the council chamber. His nostrils flared slightly, his shifter senses picking up something I had missed.
I paused, focusing my own enhanced senses. The air felt charged, reminding me of the atmosphere before a storm. But beyond that, there was a subtle wrongness I couldn’t quite name.
The guards flanking the doors stood straighter than usual, their eyes forward but bodies tense. They were expecting something or reacting to something that had already happened.
