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The idea was foreign, so strange. But it left her surging with the need to do her part.
“I’m unharmed,” Winter stated, tugging on his sleeve. When he didn’t move, she placed a hand on his jaw, feeling it stiffen. Refusing to break the act he so determinedly put on and the lies he told, she deliberately rubbed that spot that everyone could see until he softened. When his gray gaze finally flicked her way, she nodded. “I’m unharmed. Please. Let’s get out of here.”
Silence. Then Nate nodded, relenting.
“Nathaniel, we didn’t know she was your date,” a female voice said, blond peeking from the shadowy area and trying to approach. Melony was long gone. “We had no idea she was with you. She offended us a long time ago—”
Nate narrowed his gaze.
“But we are willing to let it go since, as I said, it was a long time ago,” the female finished hurriedly.
There was more hissing, but none was directed at Nate. Her hair stood on end at the sound, but she stomached it and called out.
“No more punishing Melony, either, please.”
“He is under our employ.”
“You heard her,” Nate said, the hint of warning clear. A hush came over the crowd in which he cleared his throat and took a short, respectful bow. “Thank you for your cooperation. If both sides are willing to reach an agreement, then there is no need for me to inform my father.”
“We agree!” someone cried out, then was admonished. But the silence was clearer as Nate finally stepped away from the light and tugged her with him. She followed, wincing when she bumped into something, then bit back a cry when she felt a whoosh of air. A second later, he was carrying her in his arms and moving so fast that she could only hold on to his neck.
They passed twists and turns that made her dizzy, then slowed down when there was a crowd of laughing vampires ahead. Some were dressed in the party attires. Realizing there was no other passageway, she pushed him back.
“You can put me down now.”
She felt his reluctance, but Nate let her get back on her feet. He crowded her in, glancing around before he scrutinized her again.
“I’m fine. My muscles hurt a bit, but that’s all.” At his silence, she assessed him in turn. “You are mad. As in, really mad.”
“You think?”
“I admit it wasn’t my brightest moment,” she blurted out. “I saw one of your brother’s friends, and he felt off. I couldn’t resist investigating and….”
Fingers brushed her cheeks, touching the part softened by the hits. His thumb pressed, and she hissed at the sliver of pain before something else came rushing to the forefront: sparks, so hot, so tangible. His touch felt hot and heady, and not because he compelled her.
“And you decided to follow him?” he asked.
The heat traveled to her belly, digging deep. She swallowed, grasping at the strength she had shown in resisting his closeness at the party and his repeated touches meant for show. If he was unbothered, so should she.
“Yes. Just as you decided to follow your brother.” The light confrontation had him pausing, then finally removing his fingers. A part of her lamented the loss, but she focused on his thoughtful expression. “Did you find something useful?”
“Yes.” There was some hesitation. Then she listened as he began to fill her in, voice low and careful, eyes always flicking about to watch their surroundings. By the time he was done, her head was spinning and working a mile a minute, furiously recalling things to connect to the newfound knowledge.
“I met some representatives from the houses that your brother mentioned. A majority of them do not take kindly to the crown prince carelessly fleeting in and out of an important party.”
“Which I also did,” he pointed out.
“Yes, except House Chatterley provided an excuse for your sudden absence.” A face floated in her mind and it registered that she was remembering the woman she had caught him feeding from. A violent emotion squeezed her chest before the rest clicked. “The guests in your bedroom every night. Most of them belonged to houses that do not support your brother. You were building allies. The woman you drank from. You were gathering information. Nate, what are you doing?”
Silence.
“Gathering enough houses to overturn the current ruling that’s sinking whatever fairness is left in this island. But now, it looks like it’s to counter whatever my brother is planning.”
“Your father,” she concluded, latching on to the first statement. “You don’t agree to his…policies?”
“He was good once. He just got older and sicker—not sick enough to cause alarm, but sick enough to make plans. My brother might be taking over earlier than expected.”
“How early?”
