Page 106 of Fallen Court

“I’m yours,” she breathed, as if answering my unspoken question. “For whatever time we have left.”

“Whatever time we have left,” I vowed as I drove us harder and faster toward the inevitable. The music rose, building toward the show’s unescapable conclusion, death chasing every note as it hunted. It would find us. It would find me. And when the score spiked on one final frantic note, we went over the edge together—clinging to each other like we would never let go.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Lach

The haunting final notes of the Danse Macabre lingered as we threaded our way through the throng of partygoers spilling out of the auditorium into the lobby and sprawling game rooms surrounding the theater. Laughter mixed with the sounds of rustling costumes as the celebration burst into full swing. A protective instinct surged inside my chest, the primal force drawing my body closer to Cate’s with every step we took amidst the city’s creatures.

“Easy there,” Cate chided, mild but obvious annoyance lacing her voice. “Your mating bond is showing.”

But my grip tightened on her hand. I forced a rueful smile as the weight I felt grew heavier. “It’s not something I can just…override.” Even if it pissed her off. “Since the bond, the need to protect you feels like it’s written into my DNA.”

She studied me for a moment, something unreadable sparking in her eyes. The crowd pressed in around us as livelier music started, igniting an almost feral urge to shield her from their proximity. Her eyes widened as if she sensed a shift. “You’re going to have to try.”

“Believe me, I am trying,” I confessed, the admission rough and foreign. Self-control wasn’t something I generally struggled with. At least, it hadn’t been before I met her. I leaned down, brushing my lips across the shell of her ear. Her answering shiver seized my heart. “Because what I really want right now is to show every damned soul in New Orleans that you belong to me.”

“I dare you.” Warmth crept onto her cheeks that had nothing to do with the crowded room, the delicate pink betraying her feigned annoyance.

Well, I did like a challenge.

“I believe you like to dance.”

“I thought you—”

But I was already pulling her toward the music, toward the center of the room, where people had begun to do just that. She looked nervous as I hooked an arm around her waist and drew her to me. We moved together, our bodies syncing to the rhythm. Her hips moved sinuously, a siren song calling to the bond we shared.

“Seeing you like this”—my hands dipped to explore her curves—“makes it damn near impossible not to take you right here, right now.”

She spun away from me, glancing over her shoulder as the corners of her lips curled upward. “I think that you’re all talk, Gage.”

She punctuated the barb by grinding her ass against me. Another challenge—one that stirred my gods-damned instincts into a near frenzy.

My fingers grazed the fabric of her skirt, bunching it ever so slightly as I pulled her flush against me. I snaked an arm around her, resting my palm gently over her collarbone. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you wanted that.”

Her heartbeat sped up, but before she could respond, the crowd parted down the middle, splitting like the Red Sea. Ciara sauntered toward us, the stones on her Cleopatra costume glittering under the chandeliers. Roark trailed behind.

Cate disentangled from our embrace and straightened her own costume. She frowned at his usual black attire—a choice that only made him stand out more tonight. “What are you supposed to be?”

My sister cast a haughty glance at her companion. “He’s my lapdog,” she declared with a regal tilt of her head. “But he refuses to wear his leash.”

The image that conjured—someone as fierce as Roark collared and leashed—coaxed a chuckle into my throat, but I caught it just in time, turning it into a cough. But my efforts were futile.

Roark’s eyes narrowed on me, his frown deepening into a scowl. “We need to talk.”

Cate looked between us, her gaze landing on Ciara as she grabbed her hand. “Let’s go to the restroom.”

She hauled my sister away before she could protest. It was hard to tell if she was giving us privacy or saving everyone from the sheer awkwardness that oozed from my sister and my penumbra at all times. I watched her go, my focus lingering until she disappeared from sight. My chest tightened, and I forced myself to nod toward the nearest exit. “Outside.”

Something told me that this was a conversation that needed discretion. Or maybe Ciara really just had him that bent out of shape.

Cool air brushed my flushed skin as we stepped through the side door. It swung closed, dampening the festive noise slightly. Roark scanned the back alley, dim save for the moon hanging overhead.

“We identified the human.”

I squared my shoulders, bracing for whatever information he was about to dump on me, and nodded for him to continue.

“Tourist,” he said, his voice low and grave. “She was reported missing by her friends a few days ago.”