“Who’s the woman with Dylan McBride?” I asked Xander.
He looked at the girl and shrugged one shoulder dismissively. “His niece, I believe. She’s an anthropology professor at Washington State University, or something. Her name is Mickie, or . . .”
“Niki,” Raif said, not bothering to look at us. His eyes were glued to Dylan’s niece. “Niki McBride.”
I gave Xander a knowing smile, but dropped the subject of the girl’s name. I’d let Raif admire her from afar. God knows he needed something other than Xander’s ridiculous monarchy in his life.
Xander led me away from where Raif was content to sit and stare at Dylan’s niece, and we began to make the rounds that I’d hoped we wouldn’t have to make. The Shaede King wasted no time in showing me off to the crème de la crème of the supernatural society. Anxiety twisted my stomach into knots as he paraded me from one group to another, giving grand introductions and encouraging his peers to compliment me on my dress, hair, or any other silly thing that meant absolutely nothing to me. When Azriel had taken me from San Francisco to Seattle, I’d shunned the wealthy lifestyle he’d offered, instead opting for a low-key existence. But tonight I played the part of quiet, charming escort and made small talk with all of Xander’s friends and acquaintances. It wasn’t too bad. I had a drink in my hand, Anya and Dimitri couldn’t be safer inside of the warded building, and for the first time in months, I felt truly at ease.
Nature eventually called—what with the drinks I’d been guzzling since I arrived—so I excused myself from Xander to search for a ladies’ room. The ball was being held at one of many facilities the PNT owned in the downtown area, and I wandered from the ladies’ room out into a marbled foyer that made the one in Xander’s house look like a coat closet. Leaning against the cool stone wall, I closed my eyes, releasing a long, drawn-out sigh. I needed a break from the crowds, the curious eyes, and whispering voices. I enjoyed the quiet, still moment, and wondered how long I could hide here before Xander came looking for me. . . .
“I think I can safely say this is the first time I’ve ever seen you wear an actual color,” a cool voice drawled beside me. “That’s some dress.”
Well, fuck. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Tyler would be here tonight. After all, he was a PNT delegate and presumably high up on their food chain. Time to hike up my big-girl panties and face the ex, yet again. “Hey, Tyler,” I said, not bothering to push myself away from the wall. The cool marble just felt too good against my heated skin. “You look nice.”
Nice. Whatever. He looked fucking amazing.
He dismissed my futile attempt to make small talk and leaned in close, bracing one hand on the wall behind me. “I bet Xander’s getting off on having you by his side tonight.” His breath smelled of expensive bourbon. Hmmm, not his usual drink. Bourbon was sort of my thing. I’d never seen Tyler drunk before. I think he was more of a control freak than I was. But he was definitely tipsy enough to let his inhibitions—and that control—slip a little. Ice crystals formed on the marble behind me, causing me to shiver. How in the hell could he use his magic with the wards in place? Not a good sign. “Was it easy for you, Darian?” He leaned in closer, so close that our lips were almost touching. His eyes delved into mine and the beautiful hazel depths swallowed me whole. My breath fogged in the cold, and my teeth threatened to chatter as he continued to stare. “Tell me. Was it easy to just walk away from what we had in exchange for being Xander’s kept woman? Do you like being his trophy? Playing the part of consort?”
His words touched a nerve. The wrong nerve. I’d hated being an ornamental wife to my human husband. No freaking way was I going to play that role again no matter what Tyler might think. And consort? Not a chance. “I suppose it was as easy as your decision to come home with another woman,” I countered, infusing venom into every word. “I waited for you, Tyler. You walked away from what we had. Not me.”
I tried to push myself away from the wall, but Tyler wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, keeping me right where I was. He pressed his body against mine and swept his thumb across my cheek. My skin prickled, the weight of his stare brushing against my senses. The marble behind me continued to grow colder, and I was forced to push myself away from it, tighter against Tyler’s chest. A sound like the crack of a whip echoed around us as a fissure opened in the frozen marble and traveled from where Tyler’s palm rested against the wall, all the way to the ceiling.
Shit.
“I want you to wish for something.” Ty’s voice rumbled in his chest.
“Wh-what?” I stammered.
“Wish. For. Something.” Tyler’s eyes were hard, unyielding, and his stare bore into me with such intensity that I couldn’t look away. His hand, still wrapped around the back of my neck, held my face close to his, and the cold that emanated from him chilled me to the bone. “Do you know how fucking frustrating it is for me that you never wish for anything? Well,” he scoffed. “I guess you make the occasional wish. But only when you want me out of your hair.”
“I wished for you,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “Almost every day. And no matter how much I wanted you with me, you stayed away.”
“Wants versus needs,” Tyler scoffed. “Your wishes are dictated by magic, Darian. You might have wanted me for whatever reason but you didn’t need me. I’m at your disposal . . . night, day, whenever. And still, you only make selfish wishes. Wishes to keep me home and out of your hair. Wishes to bring me to your side to relieve your guilt. Do you know how useless that makes me feel?”
“Tyler . . . I . . .” What the hell could I say? He was right. I refused to make wishes, even though his very nature demanded that he grant them. I hadn’t wanted to use him, to treat him like a slave.
“Is it easier to be with him?” Tyler asked. “Does he give you space? Freedom? Does he let you be in charge, because I have a hard time believing that he’d let you. Does he even care what happens to you as long as you’re front and center when he wants you to be?” His eyes left mine and his heated gaze swept my body, sending a liquid fire through my bloodstream. “Do you tremble when he touches you?” He swept his forefinger along my collarbone and over the swell of one breast. “Can he make your breath quicken like I can?”
Little puffs of steam burst from my parted lips. “Stop it, Tyler,” I said, too breathily. I tried to infuse my voice with strength and resolution, but fell short. “You don’t want me anymore. You have Adira. Why are you doing this to me?”
“Make a wish,” he commanded.
My gaze darted from his eyes to his parted mouth. I could almost feel his lips on mine: soft, yet demanding. “I wish . . .” you’d kiss me.
As if he’d read my mind, Tyler’s mouth claimed mine. He pulled me tight against his chest, his free arm wrapping around my waist. I melted against him, flames of desire licking at me with torturous heat. This would ruin me, I knew it, but as his tongue met mine in a slow, tantalizing dance, I didn’t care. Nothing mattered but this moment. I wanted to touch him, to tuck my hands inside his tuxedo jacket and run my palms along the hard planes of his chest. I wanted to hold him so close to me that there’d be no chance of him pulling away. Instead, I balled my hands into fists at my side, denying myself the pleasure of touching him. I couldn’t open myself up to more heartache. When he sobered up a little, he’d realize what a mistake he’d made.
“Darian,” he whispered against my mouth as he pulled away. “I—”
“My king is looking for you, Darian.” Anya’s voice was like a blade sinking into my chest. “Should I tell him you’ve found something more interesting to occupy your time?”
I wondered if this was how a teenage girl felt when her parents caught her making out with a boy. Tyler stepped a good three feet away from me, and the frost that had formed on the walls and floor beneath our feet began to recede. My gaze settled on Tyler, the expression on his face unreadable. Nothing like alcohol to encourage bad decisions, I guess. I wanted to say something . . . but w
hat? I was at a loss for words. I wanted to know what he’d been about to say to me before Anya interrupted. I could tell by the look on his face, though, that I’d never know.
Without a word, I turned away from him. It was like spinning out of orbit, prying a chunk of metal from a high-powered magnet, and my feet felt heavy as if they’d disobey the command of my brain. I followed Anya back toward the ballroom, resisting the urge to look back. “What the hell was that?” she hissed, her pace almost too quick for me to keep up with and still look elegant tottering on my too-high heels. “You come on the arm of my king, and I find you wrapped around your former lover.”
“Shut it, Anya.”
“How could you dishonor him?” she continued incredulously.
“Anya, I said be quiet. I wasn’t trying to dishonor Xander. I don’t know what the hell happened back there. It just . . .” Why was I trying to explain myself to her? It wasn’t any of her damn business. “Just forget it, okay. It was a mistake.” Yeah, a mistake Ty will probably regret in the morning. “I’m here with Xander, period.”
She scowled, her violet eyes glowing with suspicion, but she let the subject drop. Xander smiled as we approached, his face lighting up and his eyes smoldering as he took me in. But something behind me caught his attention and the smile seemed to melt, turning down at the corners as his eyes narrowed. I stole a glance behind me to see Tyler coming through the door behind us. Perfect. Just fucking perfect.
“Where have you been?” I’m pretty sure Xander was going for a teasing tone, but he failed miserably. He reached out and took my hand in his, pulling me close. Caught in a ballroom full of onlookers, I couldn’t simply reject Xander’s attention. I didn’t want to hurt Ty, but I’d been truthful with Anya, I had no intention of dishonoring her king. Leaning down, he put his lips to mine, though his gaze had locked on something behind us. As he pulled away, his mouth curled into a triumphant smile, mocking and superior. Obviously meant for Tyler.
Wow. Can you say, awkward? The evening took a nosedive, crashed and burned, and left no survivors. The air crackled with energy, and the ballroom, despite the press of bodies, grew cold. So cold that many of the attendees complained that something must have malfunctioned in the heating system. But I knew better. What I didn’t know was why his magic hadn’t been nullified by the wards. I knew that many in the supernatural community held a deep reverence toward the Jinn race. I was also aware that their magic was the most powerful. Could it be that the wards simply couldn’t negate a magic as strong as Tyler’s? If so, I’d been a fool to think that any of us were safe within these walls.
Tyler’s gaze had been locked on me since the moment I’d come back into the grand ballroom. I tried to ignore it, but the weight of his stare was almost a physical thing, pressing against me like his body had earlier in the foyer. With each cocky, victorious smile Xander flashed his way, Tyler’s anger seemed to grow tenfold. And if that wasn’t fucked up enough, I noticed about halfway through Ty’s deep-freeze routine that he hadn’t come dateless, either. Adira wound her arm through his, looking as devastatingly gorgeous as ever.
She whispered in his ear, soothing words I’m sure. And though it made my insides burn to see her touch him with such intimacy—her hand caressing his upper arm, fingers teasing his hair, her mouth so close to his face that their lips would touch if he turned just a fraction of an inch toward her—she seemed to calm him. The temperature in the room began to regulate once again, and my breath no longer clouded the air. What was with him, anyway? Tyler was here with another woman. Why would he care who I’d come with?
I so wanted this night to end already. I was tired of the games, the social graces, the aristocracy. I wanted to change into a nice pair of stretchy black pants and my boots. I wanted to check in with my team to see if they’d seen any sign of Kade. And after that, I wanted to deliver Anya and Dimitri safely back to Xander’s house and go to bed.
A waiter passed by with a tray full of drinks, and I scooped one into my hand. Something a little stronger was in order, but I’d have to take what I could get. This was the first and last function I was going to attend, political or otherwise. How I let myself get talked into coming was beyond me.
“I can’t wait to get you home,” Xander murmured in my ear. He’d come up behind me and wound his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest. Chills chased across my skin as he placed light kisses up my neck. He stopped at my ear, taking the lobe between his teeth. “I’m going to undress you slowly,” he whispered. “And I plan on taking my time with you. Nothing is going to get in the way of my having you. Not my brother.” He kissed my neck. “Anya.” His tongue darted out to taste my skin as he kissed my shoulder. “Or anyone else. Tonight, you’re mine.”
He swayed to the orchestra’s waltz, pulling me along with him. My eyes drifted shut, if only to block out the faces and curious stares of those around us. I’m sure the supernatural community’s elite would have plenty to gossip about tomorrow. Just what I wanted: to be the goddamned center of attention. Lucky me.
My eyes flew open as I was jostled to the side, none too graciously, I might add. It took me a second to gain my bearings as Tyler slammed into Xander, sending him against the wall. He held the king by the throat, his chest heaving with his labored breath. Fuck. Oh, fuck. I didn’t think you could assault a king at a dignitary function and just walk away. But, then again, I doubted that Ty actually gave a shit.
“If you don’t want to die, Jinn,” Xander’s voice strained as Ty squeezed his throat, “you’d best take your hands off me.”
The music stopped. The chatter died. Every eye turned to our corner of the ballroom. You could have heard a cotton ball drop it was so fucking quiet. And I just stood there like an idiot, watching. Nice. Of course, the wards on the building kept Xander confined to his corporeal form and nice and cozy in Ty’s chokehold. Delicate tendrils of frost formed on Xander’s skin as Tyler wielded his power, despite the wards.
“What did you say to her?” Tyler’s voice dripped with menace. “What lies did you tell her to turn her against me?”
“Lies?” Xander sort of laughed/choked. “You broke her heart, Jinn. What did you think, that she’d pine for you forever?”
Tyler shoved Xander hard against the wall, and his kingly head bounced off the marble. “Tyler, stop it!” I shouted, finally coming to my senses. Frantic footsteps echoed in the silence and yeah, the shit was about to hit the fan. I put myself right in the thick of the action, prying Tyler’s hand from Xander’s throat before Raif could intervene. “Tyler, please.” Jesus, he was strong. I could barely budge his hand. “Everyone’s watching.” Anxiety pooled in my stomach, turning to adrenaline. “Why are you doing this?” I tried to make him hear me, to appeal to his better judgment. “Think of Adira.” This can’t have looked good to his date, fighting with another man over his ex. “Raif, I’ve got this,” I said, feeling him at my back.
“You dare lay your hands on my king?” Raif brushed past me as if I wasn’t even there. “I warned you, Tyler, your outbursts would not be tolerated again. Darian’s protector or not.”
“Stay out of this, Raif,” Tyler spat. “Why don’t you let your brother fight his own battles for once?”
“I don’t need anyone’s help to fight you, Jinn.” Xander always used the term, Jinn, as if it were a dirty word. “You’ve already proven you’re not a worthy enough male to hold on to what was yours.”
Oh, boy. That did it. Tyler released his hold on Xander’s throat. And he wiped the superior, gloating smile from the Shaede King’s face—with his fist. The punch landed squarely on Xander’s chin and he reeled backward. It took only a moment for him to recover, though, and he charged Tyler, taking him out in a tackle that would make a linebacker proud. Fists flew as Raif and other members of the in-house security staff attempted to pull them apart. The party had come to a standstill as all eyes were focused on the epic knock-down, drag-out, tuxedo-clad fight.
Until a heart-stopping s
hriek rent the air.
Chapter 27
The crowd parted like the Red fucking Sea, turning their backs on Xander and Tyler to take in this new drama. It took a moment for my brain to register just exactly what I was seeing, but when everything finally clicked, the leftover adrenaline from Xander and Ty’s scuffle kicked back up—and went into overdrive.
Kade had crashed the party, and he used the ballroom as center stage. In front of him, Dimitri was on his knees, his head pulled back by the grip Kade had on his hair, and a long, shining dagger pressed to his throat. My heart stopped beating for what felt like several minutes and then crashed against my rib cage in a frantic rhythm. I had no way to communicate with my team, and thanks to the wards on the building, any advantage I might have against Kade was null and void.
“It’s been twenty-four hours, Anya,” Kade said in a pleasant, almost conversational tone. “Time to settle up.”
“Kade.” Tears distorted Anya’s voice as she pleaded. “Please, I’ll get what you want. Just . . . spare him.”
“Oh, Anya,” Kade said with irritation. “You should know me better than that by now. I don’t do mercy.”
Panic swept Anya’s features as she met her husband’s gaze. A moment passed between them. Apparently, Kade didn’t bluff. The once-hardened expression set into Dimitri’s face melted away, and his light brown eyes drank her in as if for the last time. Bullshit. No fucking way was I going to let this be the last time Dimitri would look upon his pregnant wife. I reached behind my back and slowly slid the silver dagger from the sheath I’d sewn into the seam.
I’d forgotten all about Tyler and Xander as I kicked off my shoes and wound my way through the crowd toward Kade. He seemed to be enjoying his moment in the spotlight and drew it out to heighten the drama. I wondered if any evil mastermind considered the possibility that they’d have more luck without the big production. But right now, I was glad that Kade happened to be a drama queen. I needed the extra time for a sneak attack. A charge into battle wasn’t going to help anyone.
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