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“I know.”
“Your brother’s more charming than you are.”
“He’s the crown prince.”
“I don’t trust him one bit.”
That had him glancing at her in question, forgetting their intimate façade momentarily. “You trust me?”
“Not a chance. But I would rather be stuck with you than him.”
Her words were lightly played off, as if she wanted to make him smile, too. But something heavy lay under it and had his gaze narrowing.
“What did you witness my brother do?”
“Not him,” she blurted out, and suddenly he knew. He took her wrist, intent on dragging her out of there, but Winter was faster as she hugged him instead, burying more words against his chest this time. “There’s a man with silver eyes looking at us. Silver eyes represent House Ubrek, and I know they hate the royal family. It’s the same man talking intimately to a green-haired woman earlier, who I know belongs to House Esme. House Esme supports the royal family and will do anything for the King.”
“But not the Queen,” he confirmed, stunned once more that she knew the things he had only wondered about. “House Esme despises the Queen.”
She nodded. When the music started, they pretended to dance and be so enchanted with each other that no one dared to interrupt, giving them a wide berth. It emphasized her so-called role in his life and ensured they could talk more. She did talk, pointing out a person here and there with subtle finger movements while feeding him with information.
“Mary Anne Pietro is bored with the event but needs to attend it for her father. Her mother, Patricia, lights up when she meets a man’s gaze, and he’s not her husband.”
A quick look at the two surmised that they appeared serene, showing nothing of what she said. But he noted the way Patricia kept glancing at her side and meeting a man’s gaze: Jason Orson, who was years younger and the playboy son of a smaller-knit house.
“How do you know their names?”
“Hilda gave me a rundown of names and faces.”
“And their feelings?”
She turned her head away, evading the question. Casually, he caught her chin and tilted it upward, waiting for her to meet his gaze. Defiance shone, battling with the need to show her unbothered confidence to the crowd. Reluctance followed as he nudged her closer, pretending he wanted to kiss her.
“We really shouldn’t be doing this here,” she whispered. “Anyone could lip read.”
“You have been positioning yourself away from watchful eyes every time you divulge one of our many shocking pieces of information, avoiding that scenario. You only speak when the space around us is empty.” Just like it was now, as they danced in a secluded corner close to some tables.
“Because I’m pretending to be so enchanted with you every time you try to make it look like you want to ravish me.”
“It’s all part of the deal, darling. I have to make it look like I want to jump you so badly.”
“Excellent play on your end, then.”
The bold statement made him smile. She caught and smiled in response, the secret they shared bonding them for that moment. Then he focused on her mouth some more. Awareness flitted in that he was no longer pretending as he wanted to kiss her for real—just to have a taste, assuage the curiosity, and move on from there. Would she be as innocent as she looked? Or would she hold a wildness deep inside as she did with her subtle displays of knowledge? It looked like the sweetest pair of lips there was, soft and ready to yield…thinning. Then her body became rigid, bracing itself.
“Your brother’s back. He’s excited. Anxious about it. He’s about to explode with it.”
Nate glanced at the entrance. Sure enough, the crown prince was back, wearing a smile as he greeted his throng of admirers with two women clinging more closely to him. Despite the lazy stance and walk, there was a sense of purpose in his direction as he stopped in front of another female vampire and showered her with attention. Amid that, Nicholas’s gaze flicked in a certain direction once, then away. Nate’s gaze trailed off to find that it was Denison Rue, who nodded once into his drink and turned away.
“Denison Rue,” Winter said. “From House Rue. He’s…nervous. Scared.”
Nate looked back at her. “How do you know?”
Perhaps it was the pleading in his tone. Perhaps it was the slight desperation, an edge that he couldn’t quite hide. Whatever it was, it had her looking at him more thoroughly, a study that slithered in his bones and heated his body in ways that he didn’t want to think about. He braced for the denial and for her to keep evading.
“I can read vibes. A glimpse of people’s feelings, especially if they are on the surface.”
He stared, not quite sure if he was being pranked. But the expression on her face told him more than her words did.
