“You have half the day left to prepare, sweet. Plenty of time to get ready for the ball.”
Her eyes popped open. “Half the day? What do you mean half the day until the ball?”
“It’s nearly noon, pet. We slept in.”
“I don’t think I can be ready in five hours. I don’t know if I even have a dress appropriate for the ball.”
A smile curled at my lips. “You do. I’ve left it in your dressing room. One of the maids will help you.”
“Will you send for Leisha?” She nibbled at her lip. Now I wished I hadn’t mentioned the ball. I liked soothing the discontent from her every morning.
“Of course. Your dressing room is through that door.” I pointed and added, “I’ll have a tray brought to you. I’m sure you’ll be hungry.”
She gave me a lingering kiss that nearly had me saying fuck the party, and then she was slipping from the bed with one of the thin sheets wrapped around her body. The door closed behind her.
Already, I wanted her back with me.
* * *
Music filledmy ancestral home like it hadn’t in a long time, too long. It echoed through the halls along the stone like a heart being brought back to life. The orchestra brought their song to a close, and all eyes went to the dais, where Elena was standing, unsure. Her maid hovered behind her, her face blank.
But I only had eyes for Elena.
She wore white again, the color of my clan. This dress was a simple column of shimmering fabric. The cutouts at her hips, stomach, sternum, and collarbone both enticed and concerned me. Despite my brutish nature, I’d never been the possessive sort. Until now. The flashes of her skin and glimpses of her shadowy form beneath the layer of fabric were certain to drive me mad by the conclusion of the ball.
She scanned the crowd until her gaze found me. I cast out my thoughts to feel hers. I’d grown used to gauging her emotions without conscious effort. Being without her, even for the short period of time while she got ready, felt like I was missing a part of myself.
“There he is,” I heard her think. I sensed the wave of relief that washed over her as if it had been my own.
I left Soren and Alaric, who had been conspiring about the human attacks, to climb to where Elena was standing. Her smile as I grew closer was as automatic as mine. I brought her fingers to my lips and felt her shiver.
“You are radiant,” I said, voice gruff. It took supreme self-control not to scoop her up and take her back to my rooms. My dragon flapped his metaphorical wings impatiently. Scales glimmered on my hands.
At the sight of my visible struggle for restraint, Elena smiled silkily. “I take you like the dress?”
My hands went to the cutouts at her hips and I let warmth gather in my fingers, causing her to shiver under my touch. Remembering there were a hundred other people in the room, I turned, placing my hand on her back, which I realized was also bare. The attendant announced our names, and I led us to the center of the dance floor as the orchestra sailed into a dreamy tune.
“I likeyouin the dress even more,” I said close to her ear. I didn’t need to read her thoughts to know she liked it when I whispered to her that way. Her trembling body told me all I needed to know.
“Who are all these people?”
I glanced up from her for the first time. My clansmen were hovering at the edges of the dance floor with pensive expressions. They were as hopeful as I Elena would break the curse, but they were also hesitant to trust another mate for their Lord. Part of me knew how they felt, but the other—the other didn’t care if she was going to break the curse or not. I only wanted to live long enough to enjoy her.
“They’re your new family,” I answered truthfully. They may be hesitant, but the Dragon-Clan was, and always had been, loyal to its people. As my mate, no matter their reservations, they would be loyal to her—family to her—as well.
Her head twisted from side to side as she tried to take in the sheer number of people around us. “Allof them?”
“All of them.”
“I suppose they’re all watching to see when we’ll add one more, huh?”
Smiling, I said, “Not literally, but yes.”
“No pressure.”
“At least we’ll enjoy trying.”
At that she smiled. “Why don’t you introduce me to them?”
