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"We can't be late—" He broke off mid-sentence when his eyes landed on me. His feet stalled just inside the doorway, his jaw going slack. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I’d left him speechless.
I waved a hand in front of his face. “Earth to Kaige.”
He blinked, and a smile crossed his face that was both sexy and predatory. “I don’t know—from the looks of things, I’ve landed in heaven instead.”
When I scoffed at the cheesy line, he walked right up to me. His fingers skimmed down my back, only just grazing my skin but leaving a trail of heat in their wake. Suddenly all sorts of parts of me were waking up in ways I didn’t like.Thatwasn’t how this was supposed to go.
Kaige tugged a lock of my hair, twisting it around his finger possessively. “You look…wow.”
I shook off my body’s reaction to him as well as I could. “Thanks.”
He held up a pair of heels. “I brought shoes. If you don’t like them, blame Wylder.”
They were stilettos, the spikes at least three inches high and sharp as needles. Lovely. I made a face but took the shoes from him. Looking on the bright side, if somebody decided to get handsy with me, I could get in both a kick and a stabbing at the same time.
Thankfully I’d gotten in my practice with towering heels at my father’s various formal events. When he bothered to bring me along, he wanted to be able to show me off. The heels clicked against the floor as I followed Kaige downstairs to the foyer where Wylder and Rowan—but not Gideon, I noted—were waiting. They looked up simultaneously.
Rowan’s stance stiffened. Instead of looking at me, his gaze seemed to latch onto Kaige, whose hand had settled on my upper back. I was deeply aware of it, along with the other pair of eyes watching me.
Appreciation lit on Wylder’s face, his gaze roving over me. He inspected every part of my body as if he could see right through my skin-tight dress.
“Look at that,” he said in a husky voice. “Kitty Cat cleans up well.”
A rush of pleasure climbed up my spine at his compliment. I clamped down on it, mentally cursing myself. I’d have been happier that I’d clearly struck the mark with him if my stupid body wasn’t betraying me at the same time.
I walked toward the boys, flipping my hair behind me. “Here I am. What’s the big event?”
Rowan turned toward the door, tearing his eyes away from me. “The people we’re going to meet today will be mouthy and defiant. Talking nicely hasn’t worked so far. This is going to take force. Are you sure you want in on this?”
Force? With me dressed like this? What the hell were we actually doing here?
But Rowan’s tone made me raise my chin. All my life, I’d never backed down from anything. He knew it well. “Of course. I’m ready.”
Wylder explained everything in his car. He drove a deep-blue Mustang, which even though it was obviously an older model was sleek and pristine. “Trent has been causing a lot of trouble lately. Your job will be to go in and rile him up, giving us an excuse to step in.”
“What’s he done?” I asked curiously.
“He hasn’t paid his tithe,” Kaige said from the seat next to me. Wylder drove the car while Rowan sat beside him. “And he’s been mouthing off, acting like he shouldn’t have to pay tribute to the Nobles. We need to stamp out his little rebellion before others get ideas.”
My father had a special room in our basement, made for people he wanted to punish. Old images flashed in my mind’s eyes, souring my mouth.
Wylder was nodding. “You go in, ask for the money, and get him to lose his shit. He won’t take you seriously—”
I rolled my eyes. “Why? Because I’m a woman?”
Wylder raised his eyebrows at me in the rearview mirror. “You’re a woman, and you’re dressed like a hooker. I think the second part is what’ll really do the trick.”
I glared at him and noticed Rowan watching me surreptitiously. The set of his mouth told me he was annoyed for some reason. I reached into the make-up on my lap and pulled out the doodled-on flyer.
Yeah, it reminded me that the boy I’d loved hadn’t all been a lie, but right now I just wanted to get a reaction out of him.
I waved the paper carelessly. “Found this in the kitchen. Hey, Kaige, what’s your favorite animal?”
Rowan turned fully in his seat, his jaw tightening even more as he must have recognized the paper. Kaige rubbed his square jaw, pretending to think hard. “I would have to go with a cat.” He gave me an impish smile.
I rolled my eyes. “Something else.”
“Fine. Can I say dragon, or are mythical creatures not allowed either?”
