AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The gems he wore were all too real, even though he could make them disappear within the blink of an eye just as easily as he conjured them. The Master allowed him the use of his vast treasure trove to bribe and swindle his way through the human world. If the baubles that humans coveted would help his cause with this particular prey, he would shower her with such abundance, she could literally swim in diamonds.
Mortals were avaricious creatures, after all, easily beguiled by shiny, pretty things.
Because of the obvious riches he displayed, and the supreme confidence he exuded, no one questioned who he really was, or how he came to be here. No one dared to block his path in order to demand an introduction.
He stopped for none. They must move to accommodatehim.
Lady Watham herself would never admit to not having issued any such invitation. Not when his singular presence would win her the coup of the decade.
All this he learned while watching the foolish mortals from the shadows of their very own home. And, now, he turned that accumulated knowledge and charm upon his unwitting prey.
It should be a cinch to make her fall.
Yet, when she set her hand in his, and he supported her to stand, he was somewhat surprised to find her steady on her feet, her gloved hand calm and cool in his.
She looked down briefly at his own naked hand, unadorned by the rings that some men wore, and even more shocking—ungloved.
He did not miss this detail by mistake; he left his hands bare on purpose.
The better to feel every tremble and shiver of his prey, the better to sense her increased agitation or excitement.
In his true form, he had other ways to test the air. As a human, he could only use his hands. They were one of the few benefits humans had over his Kind.
She remained serene and steady as he pulled her onto the dance floor. She simply stared at him as if she’d expected him all along.
A secret smile curled her lips and dimpled her round, apple-like cheeks. And he suddenly felt as ifhewas the prey, and she was doing the stalking instead.
How…unsettling.
The orchestra struck up a slow, dreamy waltz, and he took the steps that he’d watched other men take, leading her into a beguiling maze of lies.
“Hello,” she said, out of the blue.
He wasn’t sure why, but he had not expected her to strike up a conversation. Weren’t mortal men supposed to take the lead in these situations?
“Hello,” he echoed, wondering how this would play out.
Her face lit up like a rising sun at the sound of his voice.
She was so expressive, this changeling in a human shell, all dressed in brown. From her frizzy hair to her unshapely frock, it was all a muddy, uninteresting brown. She looked like a plump little wren amidst exotic parrots.
But the contrast somehow painted her in the more attractive light, versus other puffed-up, overly flamboyant birds.
“How delightful!” she breathed as he led her into a series of twirls.
“Something new. I never imagined that your voice would be like this.”
He couldn’t help being curious.
“Like what?”
“Like melted dark chocolate sprinkled with sea salt. Smooth, low, with a hint of rasp. And a slightly gritty undertone that begs to be unleashed in a growling purr.”
His face froze for a moment while his feet kept moving.
Her words could only be described as…evocative.
Only in private, hidden rooms had he heard similar speech. And usually before the humans engaged in strange contortions with their torsos and limbs, both clothed and unclothed in certain instances.
