There was something primal about this, something real, as the formality dissolved away, leaving just us. The noise level in the hall faded until all that remained was the music and the whisper of ourmovement. Even the servants had paused their duties to watch. Glimpses of faces appeared in my peripheral vision, some nodding approvingly, some watching with fascination and envy, some muttering comments to their neighbors. Finn was watching with a complex expression that I couldn’t quite read as we floated by. Somewhere in that crowd, I knew Zachariah must be furious. I was most blatantly flouting his “don’t make a spectacle” rule. And yet, with Griff’s hands on me, burning through the layers of satin, I couldn’t find it in me to care.
When the dance came to an end, he gently disentangled himself from me, releasing his grip on my back, stepping away just far enough that my skirts swirled once more around my legs and not his, until just our hands were touching. He turned my hand over and pressed a kiss to my palm. And then, without meeting my eyes, he released me and walked away.
He didn’t look back.
I knew, because I stood there watching him, adrift after the loss of his anchoring touch. Something monumental had shifted between us. That threshold I’d felt before I took his hand? I had tumbled straight over it and was falling.
Why had he walked away? Where was he going, leaving me stranded here on the floor after such a beautiful, sensual dance? Was he heading back to Aine, whoever she was? Was the dance simply part of his duty as Champion?
Was he that good of an actor, to make it seem so real?
Had I done something wrong?
The dancers who had cleared off the floor for us started filing back in. I turned around, loath to stay on the edge of the dance floor for a moment longer. Other than the twins, there wasn’t anyone I was willing to dance with. I grabbed a crystal flute filled with something fizzy from the refreshment table behind me. Tipping it back, the sweet and fruity liquid sloshed over my tongue, the bubbles refreshing after the conflictingemotions.
People were leaving me alone and I was actually starting to relax a bit when a sharp voice spoke from behind me.
“He was mine first, you know.” A petite, blonde woman, dressed in scarlet, her dress cut low enough it put her rather large breasts on serious display, slid up to my side.
Her words hit like a punch in the gut. I knew who this must be—Aine. It was so much worse than I had pictured. She was all golden curves and confident smiles. Unlike me, she knew precisely where she belonged—and it was here.
“Excuse me?” I coughed a bit as I took a larger sip than intended and the bubbles went down roughly.
“Griffin. He and I gowayback.” She tossed her golden ringlets and toyed with a pendant that rested in her cleavage, drawing attention to assets that I certainly didn’t possess in such abundance. Was this the type of woman he liked? And how far wasway back? I rarely thought about the fact that Griff was older than me; he’d lived an entire lifetime before he met me. Had he lived it with her?
And the way she said his name, like she owned it? Like she ownedhim? Something hot and ugly spread over me—anger, and another emotion I refused to name.
“Good for you.” The words came out evenly, which I was proud of as I was busy comparing us and coming up with every instance where I was lacking.
She grasped my arm, her long, painted fingernails digging into my wrist. “You watch yourself. I don’t like it when people play with my things.”
My things? Like she owned him? Something cracked inside me. Fuck this.
I glanced around, but of course that bastard was nowhere to be found. Fine, I’d use…“Finn?”
“Yes?”I sensed overtures of surprise layered with his response. And something darker, as if he was angry or frustrated by something.
“Am I going to piss off Griff if I offend this person?”It wouldn’t necessarily stop me, but I did want to know.
He looked over. Understanding, a bit of anger, and a lot of tipsy amusement colored his next response. “Nope. Have fun.”
Thank Erde. I wasn’t tall by any means, but I towered over her, and I used that to my advantage as I looked down at her hand with a pointed expression. For the first time all evening, I knew what to do. Let’s see how she liked playing with someone who refused to back down.
“Remove your hand.”
She babbled on, ignoring me as she went on and on about how she’d had Griff first and would again. “We have such a history together. I know all of his preferences?—”
“I said”—I gritted my teeth, my voice dropping to a growl that would have made Cormac proud—“remove your fucking hand.”
Her eyes widened slightly but that bright-red mouth curved into a vicious smile. “Such language coming from a princess. I suppose they really did find you in a gutter.”
I exhaled heavily, barely keeping a grip on my temper. “And I suppose they scraped you off a tavern floor, but here we both are.”
Her grip on my wrist tightened, nails digging in, and I swallowed the bite of pain that came with it. “You truly have no idea who you’re dealing with,” she hissed. “Griffin and I have a connection you couldn’t possibly comprehend. And once he’s bored with you, he’ll be back in my bed?—”
I didn’t let her see how her words affected me. “Are you really that desperate that you have to insult me? And I’m tired of asking you. Remove your hand. Now.”
“Desperate?” she screeched. “Desperate? I’ll have you know?—”
