Riven doesn’t speak as I turn my focus to him, trying to ground myself in what I need to do moving forward.
He watches me, eyes glowing bright red in the gloom, and I shift my weight under his gaze, not out of fear, but from the raw emotions swirling in me. The ache of it pulses quietly in my chest as I think of the hurt in Sylvin’s gaze with Riven’s words.
“I really wish you would all stop talking down on each other,” I say softly, but hopefully with enough edge to make the words land. “It isn’t right, especially when you’re supposedly allies in a war.”
One of the nearby vampires gasps lightly, as if surprised I’ve spoken to their king that way.
Riven’s eyes narrow a fraction.
“You think that was talking down?” he scoffs. “That wasrestraint,darling.”
I cross my arms and huff. “It hurt him. Don’t pretend you didn’t see it.”
A long pause follows as his lips thin into a straight line.
“I did,” he finally admits, quieter now. “For the first time, his walls actually fell.”
He tilts his head, assessing me with curiosity sparking in his eyes.
“Do you always have that effect on people thatquickly?” he murmurs. “It’s been what, twenty-four hours he was in your presence?”
It’s not a jab or insult, just an observation.
“Maybe,” I answer, shrugging my shoulders. “I’m sure you’re about to find out that answer with me here. The clock is ticking.”
That earns a flicker of amusement, or maybe approval, in his eyes. It’s hard to decipher.
Around us, the vampires draw closer, stealing my focus as alarm bells flare to life in my head. Their numbers have at least tripled since the last time I looked at them.
Groupings of men and women dressed in shades of red and black gather along the road, eyes gleaming with interest that unsettles me.
One man with hair the color of ash leans slightly forward, nostrils flaring delicately before a slow smile curls across his lips.
I feel it then, pressing in from all sides. That restrained hunger. The danger.
The wraiths looked down on me.
The shifters welcomed me, but kept their distance.
The fae...they were a study in contradiction–arrogant and cold, until Summer warmed my soul.
But the vampires?
They look at me like I’m the most delectable thing they’ve ever laid eyes on.
It’s a wholly unnerving change.
Every inhale they take, every lingering glance at my neck, feels like a slow, patient pursuit, as if they’re waiting for permission. Or perhaps they wait for a flash of weakness.
I take a small step closer to Riven, even as my chin lifts in defiance.
His mouth curves slightly as I glance up at him.
“I don’t know what’s more dangerous,” I murmur, voice lower now, meant only for him, though I’m sure the rest hear it, “being here…or how it feels to be nearyou.”
His pupils lengthen into slits as his throat bobs with a swallow.
“Tell me more,” he rumbles.
