by Donna Grant
He pulled up to the dock and handed the boat to an attendant before making his way to the carpet-lined dock and stairs. He stood in queue watching as others handed invitations to the guards at the door.
When it came his turn, he looked at the men and said, “I’m the guest of Gianna Santini.”
“Your name?” one of them asked without blinking.
“Sebastian,” he replied.
Immediately, he was allowed through. The first thing Sebastian noticed was that every decoration for the party was silver with some white, black, and red thrown it. It could be a coincidence, but he doubted it since Ulrik was King of the Silvers.
He moved to the outside of the room and slowly wandered through the crowd. Everyone was decked out in full masquerade costumes, several with the long pointed nose masks. Many of the women had chosen delicate metal masks, while some had full facial masks with huge plumes of feathers sticking up. Only a few men sported the full-face masks.
He was wondering what Mikkel might wear when he looked to the stairs and found his thoughts halted when he caught sight of Gianna. He knew it was her instantly by the flaming hair that fell almost to her waist.
With her hand on the railing, she walked down the stairs her head held high. She wore an eye mask that faded from rose gold to gold and was adorned with gold glitter that looked as if it was made to match her dress.
She looked as regal as a princess in her sleeveless rose gold gown. The bodice had a modest scoop at the front neckline while being covered with pink and champagne colored pearls and sequins that continued down to her hips before fanning out over the full skirt.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned to talk to someone. Her hair swung out of the way, and Sebastian saw that the dress dipped into a V at the small of her back. His hands itched to touch her creamy skin.
She moved about the room as if it was her party, and in many ways it was. He had no doubt that she’d planned every last detail. Every decoration, every hors d’oeuvre, and every piece of music being played was all her.
He couldn’t take his eyes from her as she spoke with nobles, royalty, and billionaires with a gracious smile, listening intently.
It wasn’t until she was making her way toward him that she looked up, their eyes clashing. Her steps slowed as her lips parted before gradually turning up in a smile. She walked past someone trying to talk to her as she came toward him.
Sebastian began walking to her, grabbing two glasses of champagne as he did. They maneuvered around the dancing couples until they met.
Her green eyes searched his. “You came.”
“As if I would pass up a chance to see you,” he said and handed her a glass.
“It was last minute.”
“Sometimes that’s when the most fun happens.”
Her smile widened as she eyed his mask. “A devil’s mask?”
“A family heirloom.”
Her smile melted away as she looked at him in wonder. “Who are you?”
She’d asked him that earlier, but he hadn’t answered her. Nor would he now. “Does it matter?” he asked.
“No.”
“Then dance with me,” he said as he took her glass and handed them to a waiter.
Sebastian pulled her into his arms and out onto the dance floor in the next heartbeat.
Chapter Eight
If this were a dream, she would kill whoever woke her. The lights, the music...the man. Gianna wondered if this was what Cinderella felt like at the ball. Not in her wildest dreams did she ever dare to feel this beautiful or think to have a man like Sebastian moving her expertly around the dance floor.
Or for him to look at her as if she was the very center of his world.
She’d known as soon as her gaze clashed with his topaz one that it was Sebastian. His mask might hide his face, but there was no mistaking those gem-like eyes of his. She wasn’t upset that he didn’t wear her mask. Why would he when he had an antique one?
The Diavolo mask somehow suited him. Not that she thought him a devil, only that there was a lethal combination of confidence and mystery about him that had drawn her in from the very beginning.
And if she thought he looked good before, he was mouth-watering, devastatingly gorgeous in his tailored tux. Though she had to admit to wanting to unbind his hair and run her fingers through it.
Without a doubt, he was the most handsome man at the ball. She didn’t stop and wonder why he was with her, she simply enjoyed every second of it.
How the slow, sensual music filled the room. How everyone ceased to exist. How he stared intently into her eyes. How he moved her. How his fingers pressed against her bare back. How he pulled her against him so their bodies were molded to each other.
“In all my life, I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” he said with his husky brogue.
By the intensity of his gaze, the words weren’t merely a compliment, but something he truly believed. Chills raced over her.
“Since I’ve first seen you I’ve wanted to take your hair down to see how long it was. It’s likes strands of fire flowing down your back to tease my hand with its touch.”
His words made it impossible to breathe. Her breath rushed past her lips as her chest heaved and her lungs fought to pull in more air. But it was a useless battle as long as she was in Sebastian’s arms.
His lips turned up slightly at the corners as his eyes fairly burned with a light from within. “I can feel the energy, the inferno within you. You burn with it,” he finished with a rough whisper.
Her heart tripped over itself. An inferno? Yes. She felt it. It was blazing inside—all because of him.
“My Ice Queen,” he murmured. “Let the fire consume you.”
Didn’t he know it already was? Couldn’t he tell?
His smile widened and she saw his eyes crinkle. “Aye.”
He maneuvered them off the floor and through the crowd onto the balcony. The night air brushed against her skin, but it didn’t cool her. Because being alone with Sebastian only made her passion flare higher.
The music wafted through the open doors as he brought her against him once more. This time his splayed hand moved up her back until he was cupping her head. She didn’t tell herself to be cautious, that this couldn’t be real. None of that was significant when she felt this good. No matter what tomorrow brought, she was going to live tonight. Even if she did fly too close to the sun in the process.
The fall back to earth was going to be worth it.
“Gianna,” he whispered before he lowered his head.
Her eyes drifted shut as she waited for the kiss. His lips were soft, firm as he pressed them against hers. The first brush of his mouth was gentle. The second more insistent. By the third, her lips parted at the feel of his tongue.
She slid her arms around his neck and leaned to the side when he deepened the kiss. Within seconds, she was clutching him as their passion exploded and the kiss grew frenzied, feverish.
His thumb caressed across her jaw as he slowly ended the kiss. “I want you,” he said when he lifted his head. “That isna true. I need you.”
Oh God. She might faint. She was dizzy from the passion that thrummed through her, blistering her with its strength. And then for him to say something like that.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you all day, and now that I have, I want more,” he continued.
She licked her lips, feeling them tingle from his kisses. “So do I.”
“Ach, lass. Doona say such things to me now. I burn too hot for you.”
Gianna knew exactly how he felt. His words and that amazing voice of his were only making things worse. “I don’t want what I’m feeling to stop.”
“You deserve better than me lifting your skirts and taking you right here.”
Heat flooded her sex at the thought.
Sebastian mumbled something incoherent beneath his breath and moved her to the side of the balcony into the shadows. He claimed her mouth in a savage kiss that only spur
red her desires higher.
To her shock—and delight—his hand cupped her knee through the layers of her gown and lifted, setting her foot on the edge of a bench. Her stomach fluttered with anticipation when that same hand found her ankle and slowly skimmed up the outside of her leg beneath her skirts.
When he reached her hip, he ended the kiss and said her name. She peeled open her eyes and was caught in his gaze. He refused to let her look away as his hand caressed across her leg to the inside of her thigh.
She dug her fingers in his neck when his hand brushed against her sex. Her body froze, anticipation making her heart thump against her ribs. It was his thumb that ran along the crotch of her panties, teasing her aching flesh.
“You’re wet,” he murmured.
All thought ceased when his fingers moved against her more firmly. Then he hooked a digit at the seam of her panties and moved them to the side. She was panting as she impatiently waited for him to touch her. He prolonged her agony by caressing against the juncture of her leg and then playing with her trimmed curls.
Finally, she felt his fingers on her, moving over her woman’s lips before sliding inside her. Almost immediately he pulled his fingers out. She whimpered, needing to feel him deep.
But that whimper turned into a gasp when his thumb circled her clit leisurely, gradually increasing his pace. She rocked her hips against him, seeking the release her body craved. She saw his enjoyment in the way his eyes flashed before darkening with desire.
If she thought he would end things quickly, she soon discovered how wrong she was. Sebastian teased her mercilessly. While he played with her clit, he would thrust his fingers inside her every so often.
He brought her to the edge of orgasm effortlessly, only to move his hand away as he kissed her. She lost count of how many times he brought her to the brink.
“Do you feel your fire?” he whispered against her ear.
Gianna nodded. “Yes.”
His groan made her rock her hips faster. She had never done anything so carnal, so erotic. She’d never felt so...sexual. As if every cell, every nerve only wanted one thing—pleasure.
“Look at me,” he demanded.”
She opened her eyes and gasped at the desire that had tightened his face. She wasn’t the only one burning for release.
“I’m no’ done with you,” he stated. “This is merely the beginning. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
As soon as the words passed her lips, he began moving his fingers within her, stroking her higher and higher. When she didn’t think she could take any more, he began to thumb her clit.
His mouth covered hers, silencing her cry as pleasure erupted within her, filling her with such ecstasy that it took her breath away. The bliss swept her away while seizing her body, until all she could do was give in to all of it.
With her sex still pulsing, he moved her panties back into place and lowered her leg. Then he held her, his arms wrapped tightly around her until she could breathe normally again. Gianna didn’t want to return to the ball. She’d much rather go somewhere to be alone with Sebastian so she could explore his body as he’d begun to do with hers.
The change in the music let her know that Oscar had arrived and was about to make an entrance. She straightened from Sebastian and looked up at him.
“Work?” he asked.
She blew out a breath. “Unfortunately. Will you stay?”
“You’ll know when I leave, because you’ll be with me.”
A thrill shot through her. She smiled in response, her heart missing a beat.
“Go,” he urged. “Do what you need.”
She reluctantly stepped out of his arms. Before moving through the open doors and back into the palazzo, she shook out her skirts to make sure everything was in place. Then, with her head high, she walked toward the stairs, where everyone was looking.
Her employer wore a silver half-mask with some engravings that began along the side of his right eye before dipping under it and across the nose and moving over the left eye, stopping beside it.
His long hair was down, loose about his shoulders. Not once had she ever known him to color the gray at his temples, despite him looking much too young to have any. He was physically fit and amazingly handsome, though she’d never been attracted to him. Which was odd, since every other woman seemed to be.
Much like they were with Sebastian.
She smiled as she thought about their interlude. Though she had been well pleasured, she wanted more. She yearned to feel Sebastian deep inside her. Putting him and their passion aside, she smiled at Oscar as he raised a glass of champagne at the top of the stairs. She didn’t pay attention as he toasted the people and the party.
Gianna glanced over her shoulder to find Sebastian in the doorway of the balcony, his gaze fastened on Oscar. She returned her attention to her employer as he made his way down the stairs to her.
“As I promised, everything is in order,” she told him.
His gold eyes gazed over her shoulder. She turned, thinking about Sebastian, but he was no longer there. Disappointed, she looked at Oscar. “Sir?”
“You look different.”
Unable to help it, she blushed. “I love a masquerade,” she explained.
“I was told you were seen dancing. You never dance.”
His sudden interest in her private life made her uncomfortable. “Of course I’ve danced before.”
“Who was the man dancing with you tonight?”
She smiled, having no intention of revealing that information because it was none of his business. Which was odd. Gianna would’ve never held back before but that was another part of her that changed. “You have others waiting to speak with you, so I won’t hold you up any longer.”
She motioned to the band to begin playing as she walked away. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end, and she had the distinct impression that Oscar was staring at her. As much as she wanted to, she refused to turn and check.
After making a few stops to talk, she looked up and found Sebastian. He smiled at her, and though she wished to be with him, she knew Oscar was watching.
She made her way to Sebastian, suddenly uneasy about him being there. As if she was a teenager and had been caught in a lie with her parent. Which was silly. She was a grown woman who answered to no one.
“What is it?” he asked when she reached him.
“My employer was asking about you.”
Was it her imagination or had Sebastian tensed? His gaze was locked on Oscar. “Did he indeed?”
“It made me uncomfortable in a way I can’t explain.”
He looked down at her then. “You wish for me to keep my distance?”
“If you don’t mind. I’m very private about my life, and—”
“You doona need to explain more. I understand. I’ll be around. When you’re ready to leave, I’ll be waiting.”
She watched as he turned to walk away, only to come to a halt as if kicked. Gianna looked to where his gaze had landed and found a guest who was among half of the men in complete masquerade costume, which included a cloak that covered his head, a full-face mask, and a tricorn hat.
Sebastian and the stranger stared at each other for a long minute. Then a group moved between them, and once they passed, the man was gone. Unable to help herself, she began looking for the stranger. Maybe it was because of Sebastian’s reaction, but she had a feeling the stranger was important.
Chapter Nine
Ulrik. Sebastian knew it the moment his gaze locked with the golden ones. He saw through the Volto mask of all white with the intricate silver that framed the eyes, nose, and forehead before moving down the cheeks. That same silver covered the lips on the mask.
Every inch of Ulrik was covered, but there was no mistaking those eyes—the same eyes Sebastian had seen on Mikkel, who also happened to be Gianna’s employer.
What Sebastian didn’t know was why Ulrik was there. Was he working with Mikkel? Or ag
ainst him?
There was so much Sebastian wanted to say to Ulrik, to let him know. But the twenty feet separating them felt as wide as the ocean. Had too much time passed? Was Ulrik beyond redemption? Was he so far gone that the only way to give him peace was in death?
Of all the Dragon Kings, Sebastian had always thought Ulrik would be the one to survive them all. Mainly because Ulrik had loved and accepted everyone. He saw the world as something bright and beautiful, a place to live each day to the fullest. It was rare for Ulrik’s anger to last longer than a few minutes. He knew the benefit of forgiveness and compassion, of tolerance and mercy.
It was what made Ulrik see joy and love in all things from dragons to mortals to animals to plants. More times than not, when anyone came upon Ulrik, he was laughing. His happiness was infectious to all who came in contact with him.
What even fewer knew was that Con had been just like Ulrik in his youth.
The bond that had always held fast between Con and Ulrik splintered when Con bound Ulrik’s magic and sent him away. Sebastian spent more time sleeping in his mountain than awake. Perhaps that was the reason he didn’t hold such resentment toward Ulrik as the rest of the Kings did.
But the reason didn’t signify. Ulrik mattered. Con mattered.
Their friendship mattered.
Sebastian lifted his foot to close the distance between him and Ulrik when a group came between them. He tried to keep his eye on Ulrik, but in the space of half a second, his friend was gone.
Disappointment filled Sebastian as he closed his eyes for a moment. There would be another chance. There had to be. Ulrik would know that he hadn’t been abandoned by at least one of his brothers.
Sebastian opened his eyes and continued to the back of the room. He wasn’t at all happy to see Gianna visibly shaken by Mikkel’s intrusive questions. But it had been expected. He’d hoped to stay out of Mikkel’s way in order to observe him, but it had only been a matter of time before Mikkel discovered a Dragon King was in attendance.
Perhaps the fact Mikkel didn’t have that knowledge was why he was asking Gianna such questions. No doubt if Mikkel knew a King was here, the night would be going much differently.