I suspected Prince Kolstov would be forced to speak tonight.
I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say about all this, particularly as he’d mated a Quandary Blood this year.
Aflora cleared her throat, her eyebrow arching. “Why can’t we hear each other?” she asked in a soft voice.
I set my wine down and reached over to stroke her necklace. “This really is lovely, dear,” I said, hoping she caught the insinuation in my offhanded comment. I wasn’t ignoring her; I wasansweringher. Or at least providing her with my best guess. We were both wearing power-masking jewelry. It was likely the cause of our inability to hear each other.
Her brow came down. “Oh.”
Yeah, she received the message. “I didn’t realize how impactful it would be against your skin,” I added. “It’s really stunning.”
“Thank you,” she replied, fingering the star pendant, her eyes telling me she received the message loud and clear.
The message was twofold. First, I hadn’t realized the impact it would have on our link. And second, there were eyes and ears everywhere. So we couldn’t exactly hold a candid conversation here.
She went to pick up her drink, but I pressed my hand to her wrist, leaning forward to give the contents a sniff. “Oh, I think they used B negative in this one, darling. I know how much you dislike that. Hopefully, we can find a tray with another flavoring.”
Her eyes rounded as she nearly dropped the glass.
Yeah, I’d only picked those up for show. Hence the reason I left mine on the table.
She carefully set hers down beside it, her nose wrinkling as she cleared her throat. “Thank you,sweetheart. I would hate to drink something so sour.”
My lips twitched. Blood wasn’tsour, but I’d let her have that jab.
“Oh, I don’t know. I hear B negative can be rather flavorful when paired with red wine,” a deep voice said as a Warrior Blood sat right beside Aflora. The hairs along her arms rose in response, her nipples beading beneath her gown. “Maybe you should try it,sweetheart.”
Zephyrus’s green eyes narrowed at her before sliding to me, his expression daring me to react.
I merely shrugged, then eyed the pin on his lapel. “Guardian Zephyrus. Shouldn’t you be with Prince Kolstov, preparing for tonight’s events?”
“You know, I was,” he drawled, relaxing into his chair. “But he sent me down early to enjoy the scenery. I think he wants me to pick out a snack for tonight.” He dropped his gaze to Aflora’s breasts. “I think I found what I want to eat.”
She flushed. “That’s rather forward of you to say.”
“Is it?” he countered, leaning forward to whisper. “I would recognize this body anywhere, pixie flower. But nice dress.” He pulled a card out of his pocket, flicked it through his fingers, and set it on the table. “You have thirty seconds to tell me what the fuck you’re doing here.”
“Neat trick,” I said, mentally reviewing the enchantment of his conversation-canceling device. To everyone around us, we were just making typical pleasantries. And any bugs would pick up the same. “We’re not here to cause any trouble. I just want Aflora to hear the Nacht family’s view on Quandary Bloods.”
“That’s fascinating,” he drawled. “Why can’t I hear my mate.”
“Her necklace is hiding her essence and power from the room, just like my watch is covering mine.” I caught his wrist as he moved to touch her. “Don’t remove it. The second you do, she’ll light up like a damn beacon.” Not my favorite term, but my father was right to use it earlier.
Zephyrus held my gaze for several seconds, then twisted out of my hold and lowered his hand to his lap. “Kolstov thinks his father is under some sort of spell, or perhaps not even him. And the Warrior Bloods are on their way to grab Zenaida. She’s supposed to be tonight’s culminating act.”
My eyebrows flew up at that mouthful of information.
Aflora gasped. “What?” She looked at me, her eyes widening. “We need to tell Shade.”
“Calm your expression,” I said quickly. “The spell Zephyrus ignited only masks our voices, not our appearances.” And I’d already drawn some attention by grabbing the Guardian’s wrist.Hopefully, they all thought it was just us teasing one another about my date.
Hell, he’d pretty much announced that he wanted to take her back to Kolstov’s quarters and fuck her without any sort of introduction or preemptive conversation.
Fortunately, that matched what I knew of his typical behavior around females. He didn’t mince words or suggestions.
Aflora schooled her features, impressing me for a brief moment with her ability to feign nonchalance.
Then the Guardian’s words came back to me.
