by H. D. Gordon
I kept my chin up and my nerves in check as Erek led me to the center of the dance floor, pulling my body close against his and swaying me along to the music with the rest of the couples.
As he spun me around, whispering things that might have been charmingly amusing had I not been so nervous, I caught the dark-eyed stare of the host of the party, and Lukas Borden headed toward me.
Chapter 19
He allowed Erek to finish the dance with me before approaching, and I wished very much that a damn hole would open in the marble floor and just swallow me up.
Of course, I was not so lucky.
“Miss Silvers,” Lukas Borden said as he reached us. “You look stunning. Red suits you.”
It was a battle not to let my fingers tighten around Erek’s, where they were still held between us as we danced. We paused now and turned toward the host, Erek’s smile was quicker than mine for not having to be forced.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Erek said, not at all privy to the threat that I read between the words. “This is a lovely party, Mr. Borden, thank you for having me.”
Lukas was as charming as he was dangerous. The returned smile he gave the Hound was smooth as warm butter. “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Blackwood,” Lukas said, “I see you’ve met our Dita.”
There was little I could do but stand there in my stupid heels and dress, glancing between the two males as they exchanged pleasantries.
“Tell me,” Lukas said, his dark eyes flicking to me and back to Erek, “how did you two meet?”
I should have prepared an answer, but I was a dumbass, so I didn’t. The question had been directed at him, anyway, so Erek answered.
“At one of the many fine establishments Borden boasts,” Erek said. His handsome face turned to me with a smile that made me want to slap the lips off him for being so obviously ignorant to the tension of the situation. I couldn’t decide just then if this ignorance was a good thing.
What other reason could he be at this party?
“I’ve grown rather fond of her,” Erek said, his voice lowered, as if sharing a secret with our host. It struck me that this was perhaps exactly what he was doing.
Lukas’s dark gaze flicked between us. “Yes, I can see that,” he said, smoothing his hands down the front of his suit. I held his gaze, keeping my eyes from going to that jagged scar running from the corner of his mouth up to his ear. “May I cut in?” he asked.
Erek seemed a bit surprised, but not offended, so he yielded my hand to Lukas, promised to return with libations, and disappeared into the crowd.
Lukas pulled me gently back toward the center of the dance floor, then turned and faced me, offering me his other hand in invitation. Not seeing any other choice, I took it, and he pulled me closely against the front of his tall, hard body.
The shudder that snaked through my stomach was not the same as when Erek had touched me. No, this was undeniably a shudder of fear, not lust.
“How are you this evening, Miss Silvers?” Lukas Borden asked, the scent of his expensive, sandalwood-scented cologne filling my senses, as if it might drown me.
I was grateful to all the Gods when my voice came out smooth and calm. “Can’t complain,” I lied. “Thank you for the dress, and the invitation.”
Lukas’s strong chin dipped as he looked down at me, his dark eyes eating me up, pausing at the swell of my breasts. “I knew red was your color,” he said, his lips right by my ear now.
I felt my heartbeat picking up and told it rather sternly to calm the fuck down. All I needed was every Wolf in this damn place to hear my heart pounding with their sensitive ears. Already, I could feel every eye in the room on us; me in my bright red dress, twirling seamlessly around the dance floor with the wealthiest, most dangerous Wolf in town.
“You know,” Lukas continued in his smooth whisper, “It’s very curious to me that you should have formed such a… familiar relationship with Mr. Blackwood. You’re aware he’s a Hound, yes?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. “Of course you are,” he supplied. “You’re sleeping with him, so I’ll assume it was brought to your attention.”
There were several ways I could respond to this, and only a few split seconds to decide. I settled on righteous indignation.
“You’ll have to forgive me, Mr. Borden, but I’m not sure how who I’m sleeping with is any of your business.”
The only indication that I’d struck a nerve was the tightening of his hand at my waist, his fingers digging into the soft skin there, the thin silk of the dress the only barrier. His body was hard and warm and flush against mine, and he pulled us even closer together now. He smiled down at me, the Wolf within the man shining out behind his eyes.
His warm breath stirred the hair that I’d set into dark curls around my ears. “Everything that goes on in this Gods damned town is my business, Miss Silvers,” he said, his deep and smooth monotone somehow worse than if he’d been screaming. “Why do you think Mr. Blackwood is here in the first place? When a Hound comes sniffing around my parts, I know… and when one of my suppliers is sleeping with that same Hound…” He pulled back at little so he could look down at me, his hands now tight enough on my waist and my own hand to leave bruises come morning. “That is definitely something I like to know.”
There was nothing I could do to keep my jaw from clenching, to keep the words from coming out in anything but a low growl. I was grateful for the musicians in the corner, because their melody kept the conversation we were having more than private.
“I didn’t know he was a Hound when I took him to bed,” I said, the words slipping out between tight teeth.
“Mmm,” Lukas said, as he continued to twirl me deftly around the dance floor. “But then you found out, and you continued to see him.”
It was not a question, so I didn’t answer.
“You can understand how this concerns me, Miss Silvers,” he said. “How this is very, very much my business.”
Again, I had nothing nice to say, so I thought it best not to say anything at all. Instead, I focused my energy on remaining calm and collected.
“But this is the Winter Harvest, and I forgive you,” Lukas lied. “Anyway, another interesting matter was also brought to my attention last evening, by none other than your boyfriend, as ironic as that would seem.”
Just breathe, I told myself. Just breathe.
Lukas continued on, as if unaware of my tension. “Mr. Blackwood is not only in town looking into the rebel faction that’s reportedly taken root near town. Turns out, he’s also here looking into the disappearance of a Wolf named Ezra Ikers… Have you heard of him?”
Just breathe just breathe just breathe
“I read the papers,” I answered smoothly, making sure a small smile was glued to my lips. The way we were floating around the dance floor, it would look very strange if I were to let my expression reflect my actual feelings.
“Ah, of course you do,” Lukas said, as he released his hold on my hip and twirled me outward in a little spin. The fabric of my dress kissed my ankles, and then did so again as Lukas reeled me back in, taking an aggressive hold of my hip once more, smashing our bodies back together.
“So then you know that Mr. Ikers is missing, and that Mr. Blackwood has been asking around town about his disappearance.”
When I was silent, he added, “You have nothing at all to say, Miss Silvers?”
I shrugged, and was surprised that I even managed to do so. “I see no point in entertaining questions you already know the answers to, Mr. Borden,” I replied.
This made Lukas chuckle, but it was not a warm sound, not a comforting laugh. “You’re a smart girl, Dita,” he whispered, and the use of my first name was somehow chilling. “But perhaps not as smart as you think.”
My jaw clenched again, my smile a bit too toothy to be natural now. I was done with the games, done with the thinly veiled threats. The bastard could pretend that he was only reacting this way because of my relationship with Erek, but I’d known males
like Lukas Borden all my life. I knew the truth.
Truth was, he’d never planned to have a long-term business relationship with me, and I was under no illusion that this was at least partly because I was a female. Males like Lukas Borden only kept females around for long enough to be useful, and when they were done with them, they were discarded like pieces of trash.
This had been his plan from the beginning.
But I’d known that, which was why my plan from the beginning had been to cut and run.
Thanks to this weekend’s earnings, I now had enough to do that. Not as much as I’d wanted, but enough, should I need to cut things short.
And I was starting to think that I definitely needed to cut things with Lukas Borden short.
With these thoughts shooting through my mind like dying stars, I met the male’s dark gaze head on, having to tilt my head back to look up at him, his hand still holding mine, the other still clenching my waist.
“You have nothing to worry about from me, Mr. Borden,” I told him, and did not break his gaze no matter the feat of not doing so.
After a few extended heartbeats, that charming, wicked smile tugged up the corners of his lips, and Lukas Borden placed the gentlest of kisses to my forehead.
His lips still pressed to my skin, he mumbled, “Enjoy your evening, Miss Silvers.”
Then, he released me, and melted back into the crowd.
Chapter 20
I could not get out of there fast enough.
Erek swooped in as soon as Lukas left me, but I made up a quick lie about needing to use the facilities and scurried out of there with every effort not to appear like my damn tail was on fire.
Through the foyer, down the red runner, past the servants with their uniforms and trays.
At first, I’d been heading for the front door, but when I saw it so full of people, some still coming and others going, I turned on my heels and headed for the rear exit, my shoes clicking over the marble floors with every step.
Just beyond the foyer was another set of double doors, only these were glass, and they looked out on the enormous back porch, where the green grounds sprawled beyond.
Half of me expected these doors to let off some alarm when I opened them, but they slid back in their tracks silently, letting the cool night air in to kiss my face.
My body was still burning up from the intense encounter with Lukas, but I felt as though I could actually breathe again as I stepped out into the cold night, my breath hanging in clouds in front of me.
The back porch was unoccupied, which was a small mercy from the Gods. The shadows here were thick enough that I moved toward one of the white columns supporting the structure and leaned against it. It was a moment of weakness, the way I clutched at the column and sucked in air, but I needed to take it.
The porch led down to the massive lawns, where carefully pruned gardens and perfectly cut paths made up the landscape. Again, the contrast of the place with The Mound struck me, but I was still too shaken up to even attend this realization at the present.
Just breathe, I told myself for what felt like the millionth time. Everything was fine. The moonshine operation clearly needed to be shut down before I’d intended, but I had the money I needed to take my family far, far away from the Southlands, beyond even the reach of Lukas Borden.
I would get my affairs in order, and we’d be gone before the bastard even settled on how precisely he wanted to kill me.
Yes, that sounded like a plan.
I let out a slow breath that hung in the air, watching it float up to the star-flecked sky overhead. I was just about to send out a mental call to my brother to bring the carriage around when a smooth voice spoke from behind me.
“And all the stars looked down, indifferent to the way the world burned beneath them,” the voice said, and I spun around fast, my eyes lighting up Wolf-gold as I took in the stranger.
A tall, dark male stepped out of the shadows, and I cursed myself for not having noticed he was out here before. If my strong ears hadn’t alerted me, my nose should have, but I’d been so damn distracted by my encounter with Lukas that I hadn’t been paying attention.
My mouth fell open to utter something that would no doubt come out rude and threatening, but the words got lost in my throat as the male’s features came into focus.
Erek was handsome, no doubt about it, but this male, whoever he was, was easily the most handsome person I had ever seen.
He wore a dark blue suit of the finest material, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. His skin was a light brown, his hair a deep black that caught the moonlight and looked almost blue. He smiled when he saw me observing, and twin dimples appeared in his cheeks, his straight white teeth flashing as a blaze of red flashed behind his hazel eyes.
Like embers flickering in a warm hearth.
The stranger took a step toward me. Despite the raw power rippling off him, I did not take a step back. The Wolf in me did not back down.
“Red is my very favorite color,” he said, and his gaze travelled down me and up again, settling on my face. “But perhaps never more so than just now.”
Whatever I’d been expecting to say was lost to me all of a sudden, and it took me longer than it should have to form a response for all the gawking I was doing as I took him in.
“Who are you?” I said, because I had apparently run out of cool and collected for the evening.
The male chuckled at the rude delivery of the question, and bowed just slightly at the waist. “Elian,” he said, “but you can call me Eli, if you like.” He paused, considering, and added, “In that dress, actually, you can call me whatever you like.”
Despite the cold, my cheeks heated, but I rolled my eyes. “Okay,” I said, and made to leave.
“Why are you running away?” Elian asked.
I paused, not sure why I was doing so. “I’m not running,” I said. “I’m tired and it’s late and I don’t need to explain myself to you.”
The male nodded. “No… but you just did.” His grin once again revealed those duel dimples.
I scoffed, tossing my hands up. Hands that were now starting to shake, which I told myself was solely because of the cold that had crept over me once my nerves had been diffused.
“Good night,” I said.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the bastard appeared beside me, having moved faster than I had ever seen any supernatural move in all my life.
“Are you cold?” he asked, and something small and silver appeared in his hand. “In that dress you must be.” He handed me the item without waiting for my agreement. “Take it. It will provide you with warmth.”
I looked down at the object in my hand with narrowed eyes. Though I was starting to shiver, I sniffed toward him, picking up his scent and recognizing his race. “I don’t want your gift, Demon,” I said.
The male chuckled again, strolling unperturbed alongside me as I continued on. “You say that word as if it’s an insult,” Elian said, as if more to himself than me.
I was at the end of my rope, so between clenched teeth, I said, “Look, I am not in the mood for whatever bullshit you’re trying to throw at me.” I shoved the silver item back into his hands without waiting for his permission. “Demon or no, leave me alone or I will bite your fu—”
The Gods damned heels.
I was so worked up and walking so fast around the side of the house that I wasn’t watching where I was going, and so I didn’t see the rock until my heel caught on it.
Then, all of a sudden, instead of cussing out the stranger, I was falling, falling to the ground, my arms flailing and eyes widening.
“Ahh!” I exclaimed, my curse word cutting short as my shoe bent to the side and my ankle twisted and the ground rose up to meet me.
But just before I hit the ground, a presence wrapped around my body, like warm and strong invisible arms scooping me up, holding me secure. I stopped, my body hanging vertically in the air, suspended as if on an invisible platform, my mouth s
haped in an O of surprise.
I had not even processed whatever had just happened when a deep chuckle sounded beside me. I whipped my head toward the stranger as those invisible arms set me slowly back on my feet, as a parent might a toddler.
“Careful, crazy lady,” Eli the Demon said. “I don’t think that dress was made for wear and tear.”
I ran my hands down my arms, shivering now that the tension from my encounter with Lukas had left, noting that the strong, invisible presence that had held me was gone.
“I’m not crazy,” I snapped. I checked my tone a little bit for a reason I couldn’t pinpoint, and asked, “What was that? What’d you just do to me?”
The Demon raised one brow, dimples appearing in his cheeks. “You were getting ready to use some foul language, and the Gods thought it funny to put a rock under your heel.” His head tilted as his hazel eyes studied me. “It was pretty funny, too. Your face was all like, ‘Oh my Gods, I’m falling! Help me!”
He chuckled again as if replaying the memory, and I felt heat flood my cheeks. “Leave me alone,” I gritted out, my teeth starting to chatter.
Elian stopped and held out the little silver item, still grinning with those dimples, and I scowled at him before snatching it from his hand.
“How does it work?” I asked.
The Demon took a step toward me, his movements somehow subtle, smooth, and confident all at the same time. I felt the force of his dark powers wash over me, and drew a sharp breath that only made a smirk appear on his lips. His hands came up and wrapped around mine, which held the little silver item. His fingers flicked with one deft movement, and a small click sounded as the top of the silver rectangle flipped open, and a little orange flame appeared just below it.