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I wasn’t sure, and I certainly did not want to find out.
Natalie squealed again before pulling me with her to the right, steering us through the crowd and maneuvering to the far side of the ballroom.
My heart stopped beating entirely when those familiar green eyes met mine, but it wasn’t Alek.
Only Wrath.
“You made it,” he said, holding his arms out wide. Natalie quickly slid from me and catapulted into his grasp, hugging him tightly as he spun her around.
“Of course we made it!” she replied with a beaming smile.
I suddenly felt too naked without her presence beside me, too vulnerable.
Wrath placed Natalie on her feet before scanning her up and down, taking in the beauty of the blood-red ballgown. “You look incredible,” he remarked with reverence.
Natalie held her hands out as she curtseyed, giving Wrath the full show. “Why, thank you,” she chirped.
Then Wrath’s eyes fell on me. “And you,” he paused. “You look…”
He clammed up awkwardly, clearly not knowing how to compliment a woman he had no romantic interest in. I noticed the way he kept his eyes glued to mine, not daring to look any lower.
Okay, maybe he was a good choice for Natalie. She deserved a man who showed respect, even if he was the king of demons.
I felt the surrounding energy change first, the hair on the back of my neck standing straight up at the arrival of him.
I couldn’t see him, though I didn’t bother turning and looking. I just knew.
“I’ll take it from here, brother.” Alek’s voice beside me made Natalie jump, but not me.
Wrath nodded, dipping his head slightly as he grabbed Natalie by the hand and escorted her onto the dance floor.
Leaving me and Alek alone.
I shouldn’t have been nervous. I had been with Alek so many times, had laid naked with him even, had shared the deepest parts of my soul with him.
So why did this feel so raw? Why did this feel like the scariest thing I had ever done in my life?
“I was hoping I would see you again,” Alek said from behind me. He stepped closer, only a few electrified inches separating his chest and my bare shoulders. “Though I must say, I half-expected you to flee the country.”
I kept my face straight. “I haven’t felt well. I didn’t want to get you sick.”
Alek stayed silent for two long seconds. He had a way of doing that; of putting me on edge in the slightest of situations.
Then he clicked his tongue. “These lies, Lyra. I thought you knew me better than that.”
Alek stepped beside me, his tall shoulder meeting mine, still not facing me. Still not giving in.
I knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to play this game with me. He wanted me to be the one to break first, to be the one to admit the truth that clung in the air between us.
“Fine,” I admitted. “I wasn’t sick. I was avoiding you.”
He nodded in approval, his shoulder brushing mine just barely.
“Now we’re getting to the truth. That’s good. Keep talking.”
I clenched my jaw and fought the urge to snap at him. That was what he wanted. He wanted me to let go, to give into those dark emotions.
That was what fueled him.
