Page 133 of Feral King

I turn, taking in the sights. The ballroom is dimly lit. There’s a string quartet in the corner, and 500 guests move in the choreographed flow of an event perfectly planned.

“Thank you,” I tell her.

Elena looks around, shaking her head as if in disbelief.

“I still can’t believe you assembled this while pregnant and recovering from a bruised rib.”

“Julian wanted to postpone it. I said not a chance.”

She laughs. “That’s the spirit.”

I take a sip of my mocktail. “No way can the Foundation afford to go dark just because my rib hurts a little. And besides, I wanted to wash away the bad taste the little incident at the last one might’ve left in people’s mouths.”

“I think you’ve done it—there will be nothing but positive reviews after tonight.”

I feel like I’ve won. The ballroom is full, the donors are happy, and in this moment, I’m Elena’s favorite person.

We’ll see if that last part sticks.

“Where’s Julian?” I ask.

“Collecting Anya,” she says, then smiles again. “I almost said sister-in-law.”

Just the implication is enough to bring a blush to my face—one Elena notices.

“Oh, please,” she says, waving her hand. “It’s only a matter of time. Personally, if I were you, I’d be pestering him daily until he puts a ring on your finger.”

“No sense in rushing,” I say. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

“Well, seven months, at least.”

I laugh.

Elena cranes her neck. “Ah, there’s Ethan and Anya. Come, I need to make the rounds. I’ll deposit you with them before I perform the evening’s social niceties.”

As we weave through the crowd, people touch my arm, murmuring congratulations on the success of the event and the fundraising. My pregnancy is not public knowledge yet.

“There she is,” Ethan says as I approach. “The woman of the hour.”

I laugh. “Don’t even start.”

“I’m starting. After everything that’s happened, you have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this. And you’re out of your mind if you don’t think I’m going to compliment you.”

Anya smiles and gives Ethan’s hand a squeeze. “Behave. Don’t you know it’s bad luck to congratulate her on an event that’s not over yet?”

He smiles warmly at her, then looks around. “Still, this is amazing. I can’t believe you put this together in less thantwo weeks. I’ll make sure to put that in the report for tonight.”

“There’s no reportfor tonight,” Anya says firmly. “Let me remind you for the five hundredth time, you’re off the clock tonight and for the rest of the week, maybe for the rest of the month.”

“We’ll see about that,” he says with a wink. “Julian would get lonely without me shadowing him.”

Just then, I feel the familiar warmth of an arm as it wraps around my waist.

“Speak of the devil,” I say.

“You’ve got no idea how right you are,” Julian says as he turns me gently and gazes down into my face. Just like always, I find myself lost in those gunmetal grays.

“God, I can’t get over how damn good you look tonight,” he says. “The evening is going fantastically so far. All thanks to you.”