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Stella's hand reached under his jacket and stroked his muscled back before tilting her head in silent invitation. Dom's face bent to the side of her neck, and he slowly brushed his mouth against her skin.
"God, you smell amazing," he whispered. "Like nutmeg and honey."
"You shifters and your weird compliments. You don't smell so bad yourself."
"Stop it," he said, humor lacing his voice.
"Stop what?"
"Stop making me laugh when I'm trying to seduce you."
"Is that what you're trying to do? I'm sorry, please continue," Stella said, biting her bottom lip. His gaze dropped to it, golden eyes turning molten.
Definitely a big, scary predator hiding under there. Perhaps her rule about not sleeping with shifters could be broken for just one night? It was Carnevale after all, a celebration devoted to freedom from consequence…
"There you are!" a voice crowed, and Stella stepped out of Dom's embrace. It was the shifter in the hawk mask.Shit.
"I've been looking for you everywhere. Who is this you're speaking to?"
"The lady is entitled to speak with whomever she likes," Dom said calmly.
The shifter's expression darkened, and he grabbed Stella's hand, pulling her towards him.
"She owes me a dance," he insisted.
"Let me go, I didn't promise you a thing," Stella replied. Claws scraped against her, tearing her skin as she tried to pull out of his grasp.
A growl reverberated out of Dom, so deep and loud they both froze. Every hair on Stella's body stood up, and fear dumped cold adrenaline down her spine.
"She said let go," Dom snarled softly.
The other shifter released her with a rough jerk, eyes blazing. "Fucking shedu. You think you're entitled to take whatever you want."
"Fly away, little hawk, before I tear your wings off and feed them to you," Dom replied, in the same deadly voice. The hawk shifter hurried away without a backward glance.
Dom was beside Stella in a second, pressing a silk handkerchief to the bleeding cut on her arm. "Are you okay?"
"This is exactly why I don't hang around fucking shifters. You're always hissing and pissing," Stella muttered as she inspected the damage. "Are you really a shedu?"
The winged lions were on a whole other level of Stella's 'Do Not Engage' list. They were as close to royalty as the Venetians got and had been the first shifter species to reveal themselves after technology failed and magic rose back up.
The shedu had been a part of Venetian politics and history since they immigrated from Constantinople in the early 1500s. There were a few of the original shedu families still left, and Stella swore never to have a thing to do with any of them. Too rich. Too powerful. Too dangerous.
"I can see from your expression that me being shedu may be a problem," said Dom with a sigh. "I can pretend that I'm not one for a night, if you can."
There was something sad in his expression, and Stella recognized it instantly. She got the same look when she felt her cage of responsibilities tightening around her.
A part of her knew being with Dom was something she would probably regret in the morning, but she didn't want to leave him. She placed a hand on his cheek.
"It's Carnevale. We can be whatever the fuck we like," Stella replied firmly.
"Then let me be Dom. Never mind the rest," he said, placing his hand over hers and pressing a kiss into her palm. She rose on tiptoes, her lips almost touching his when a man cleared his throat.
"Master Aladoro, your father has sent me to collect you," he said gruffly. He had to be another shifter. Dom was big, but the man standing in the ballroom doorway was huge. He wore the gold and scarlet Aladoro colors on a band around the arm of his jacket.
"You're…" Stella couldn't say it. He wasn't any shedu. He was one of the most powerful shedu in the New Republic. The Aladoro's had seats on the Council of Ten that ran Venice, and she had been about to kiss the prince himself.
"Wait for me inside, " Dom said coldly to the bodyguard. The big man grunted but did as he was told. Dom's fingers tangled in Stella's blonde curls, his eyes full of sadness and regret again. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have—"
