Page 170 of House Ignis

"You're playing a very dangerous game, firecracker," he murmured across the bond, his voice low, and utterly sinful. "And I think you know exactly how it ends."

The dance floor was a sea of moving bodies, swaying to the slow, heavy pulse of enchanted strings and orchestral notes that felt like velvet in the air. I had barely taken a single step into the fray when a voice stopped me cold.

"Wow."

Jeremy’s voice cut through the magic, achingly familiar.

I turned, my heart hitching with a complicated weight.

He was dressed in green and gold, the colors of his house, and looked exactly like the golden male I had grown up with.

His eyes traced every inch of my frame, lingering on the sheer lace and the sharp, high slit of the skirt.

"That's a bold choice, Ava," he said, his voice a mix of admiration and something like mourning.

And gods, I said it.

I said it loudly and clearly enough for the bond to carry it like a roar. "Black is my favorite color, Jeremy."

I didn't miss the visceral growl that curled through the link, nor did I miss the wicked, invisible tendril of shadow that slithered up my ankle.

It teased, stroking upward, climbing higher and higher beneath the silk toward the lace of my garter until I mentally slapped it away.

"Behave," I murmured through the bond.

"Make me," Asher purred back, the words vibrating in my marrow.

"Want to dance, sweetheart?" Jeremy asked, offering a hand that felt familiar and, for the first time, entirely wrong.

Behind him, Asher remained near Mavrik.

He wasn't moving.

He was just watching me with an intensity that felt like a physical brand on my skin.

Shadows flickered at his fingertips, responding to the cold focus in his eyes.

I nodded with a soft, practiced smile and placed my hand in Jeremy's.

Maddy and Ryven were dancing nearby, lost in a rare moment of peace.

Ember and Ezra spun like a collision of fire and smoke, perfectly in sync. Across the courtyard, I could still feel Asher’s gaze.

Jeremy pulled me into the dance, drawing me closer than I wanted to be.

His hand found my waist, then slid lower. To my ass.

I nearly choked when the bond flared.

It wasn't just heat; it was a hot, a vicious surge of jealousy and shadow.

"Stand down," I ordered, my mental voice sharp.

A silent snarl was all I got in return.

He obeyed, withdrawing the shadows, but the air around him in the courtyard seemed to drop ten degrees.

I knew I'd pay for that command later.