"I was telling Odessa that I plan to...I suppose you could say seduce one of the princes."
This time, I didn't see red. There was no jealousy in my heart, only grim amusement. Taking another sip of my drink to hide my smile, I batted my lashes innocently at the Genie female.
"Why would you do that?"
"Because The Matching was a fuck-up," Cassie retorted, as if it was obvious. "They didn't find their mates, and all of their prospective wives ended up dead.” This was said crassly, carelessly, with no respect at all given to the innocent females who had died. Females who Cassie might’ve even known and befriended. It made me hate the bitch more. “They're probably so lonely, so sad, so scared. Especially since they haven't taken a lover in months."
"Oh really?" I asked, quirking a brow. Cassie nodded seriously, seemingly pleased that I was showing interest into what she deemed as important.
"Really. Bash over there used to have a new girl - or two - every night. Sometimes a man. He hasn't even looked at a female since the incident. Rumor has it, Bash was in love with one of the contestants that had died and now is unable to be with anyone else."
I nodded my head decisively, but my mind had latched onto the thought of Bash with a man. Why did that thought make me feel so hot and bothered? My nipples were beaded nubs, straining against my dress.
Clearing my throat, I nodded again. And again. I was practically a bobblehead at this point.
"That's very strange," I agreed, but internally, I was squealing. I knew Bash hadn't taken a lover in awhile, but hearing it confirmed made me warm and tingly. He may have claimed that he hated me, but behind that hate was desire too. Desire and kinship, two broken souls desperately reaching for one another in the dissonant chaos that was our reality.
"And same with Lupe and Ryland. Not a lover in months," the Vampire, Odessa, added.
"So which one will you try for?" I asked Cassie, just barely keeping my laughter in check.
"Obviously Bash," she sneered. Giving me a dismissive once-over, she nodded towards the far wall. "Go stand over there. I don't want to be seen with a human. I don't think even Bash would stoop that low."
I bristled, hands clenching into fists, but flashed her a singularly beautiful smile.
"You're right," I said softly. I wiped beneath my eyes with the pad of my finger, sniffing. "None of the princes would ever look at a pathetic human like me. I'm no one. Just a girl who happened to inherit a lot of money. Just a girl who wants to support her kingdom."
Sniffle. Sniffle.
"I'll just hide my face in the corner of the room, away from sight. Bash only danced with me because he pitied me. He doesn't care about me."
I turned away and marched towards the far corner of the ballroom. Only when I was out of sight did I release a twinkling laugh.
Just who did that girl think she was?
Insulting me, when I had walked in on the arm of the Shifter King?
Wanting to seduce my mates?
She was going to get what was coming to her, and I would have a front row seat to the show.
A masculine chuckle greeted me, warm breath coasting over my earlobe. That breath was replaced by teeth nibbling lightly, and I gasped, goosebumps erupting on my skin.
"If you choose to retire from killing people, you'll have a career in acting," Ryland whispered, amusement ringing his voice.
I snorted. "I don't kill people. Well...I don't kill people who don't deserve it."
I watched Cassie sashay up to where Bash was standing. He glanced over at her with distaste before turning his attention once more towards where I was standing.
"Do you want to get into an ethical discussion about killing?" Ryland asked teasingly. "When is killing justified? Does war justify killing? Does revenge?"
"Let's not," I suggested brightly, spinning in his direction. As always, there was nothing but shadow, misting over the floor and vaguely resembling the shape of a person. I reached a hand forward and was surprised when my fingers touched solid flesh. For some inexplicable reason, I had assumed my hand would seep right through. That touching Ryland in this form would be like trying to touch gas.
His breath hitched, heart hammering.
"Why do you always hide?" I asked softly. My hand crept up his shoulder, curving around the length of his neck. I knew his skin would be dark, nearly as dark as the shadows themselves. It felt like silk beneath my fingers, and I carefully moved my hand further up, until it reached his jawline. "You don't have to hide from me, you know that right?"
"You saw my face," Ryland stated. There was no bitterness in his voice. It was merely a recitation of the facts. "You saw what I look like."
"So why do you still hide?"
His body tensed beneath mine as I moved my hand even further up, resting the tips of my fingers on his cheekbones. I paused there with bated breath, searching his face. If he wanted me to stop, I would, but the diminutive seed of trust growing between us would stop as well. Trust went both ways, after all. He wanted me to trust him, and it was completely rational of me to want the same in return.
I waited, heart beating against my ribcage, as he took a shuddering breath. It fanned against my skin.
"I want..." he broke off suddenly. And then, louder, "What the hell is he doing?"
I jumped. Out of everything he could've said, I hadn't expected it to be that. I blinked up at him rapidly.
"What do you mean?"
He placed a shadowy hand on my shoulder and spun me around. The move, so sudden, nearly propelled me off my feet, but I held firm.
"What the hell are you talking about, Ryland?" I hissed. Were the Kings up to something? Were they finally moving the last pawn into place?
But
