“Amazing what bathing will do for you,” he replied, grinning.
She laughed and took his hand. The two slipped into the crowd, weaving toward the dancefloor.
Gabriel shifted beside us. His gaze flicked to me, then toward the dais where Kaelith still sat, wine glass in hand. Kaelith hadn’t seen Gabriel in centuries, and to see him now, beside Aurelia, was no coincidence. Gabriel was the last soldier who had fought with us. The last reminder of what Kaelith had once sworn before he’d traded vows for power.
Part of me wondered if Kaelith had orchestrated all of this just to provoke him.
Gabriel looked down at Aurelia. “I’ll just be here if you need me,” he said gently.
Aurelia smiled up at him, warm and sure. “Thank you, Gabriel.”
She gave his arm a brief squeeze.
He gave a faint nod, then retreated to the shadows.
When she turned back to me, the tension in her shoulders eased. “Well,” she said, her voice playful, “you clean up quite nicely for a grumpy, broody ancient man.”
I blinked. “Thank you… I think?”
She laughed. “Definitely a compliment.”
I studied her for a beat, letting myself look—really look. “Dangerous, how right it looks on you,” I said softly.
The color that rose to her cheeks was subtle but unmistakable.
It was my new favorite color.
She ducked her gaze toward her dress. She was trying to brush it off. Shrink something magnificent into something modest.
Kaelith was watching. Eyes sharp.
“Come,” I said, forcing my voice even. “I’ll take you to Kaelith.” Even though there wasn’t a single part of me that wanted to.
We’d just made our way through the crowd of nobles, between clusters of silks and sharp smiles, when Seraphinesuddenly swooped in front of us—hovering just high enough to startle.
“You’re going to need this,” she said, thrusting two crystal glasses into our hands.
Aurelia eyed hers warily. “Oh no. Last time I drank this, I saw things. Then fainted.”
“Ipromiseyou won’t this time!” Seraphine beamed. “I made it myself. Special blend. You’ll just feel very warm, slightly floaty, and generally less like you want to stab someone. Much needed in a place that is neither warm nor stab-free.”
I arched a brow and glanced at Aurelia. She stared at the wine. Then at me. Then at the glittering ballroom.
“Fuck it,” she muttered—and downed both glasses.
Seraphine clapped her tiny hands. “Atta girl. Sorry, Malachi. None for you.”
Fine by me. I preferred the burn of my amber liquor—steadier, predictable. It warmed me just fine.
We barely made it to the foot of the dais before Kaelith rose from the throne, arms spread wide.
“Aurelia,” he purred.
He descended the stairs slowly, the hem of his dark robes trailing behind him. Meeting her halfway, he pulled her into an embrace, pressing his nose to the crook of her neck and inhaling deeply. One hand rested possessively on the small of her back.
A soft sound escaped her lips. I couldn’t tell if it was a laugh, a startled breath, or something else.
Kaelith looked up from her throat, eyes locking with mine. He smiled, all teeth, and opened his mouth wide, flashing the full length of his canines. He dragged them across her neck. Not biting. Just marking. A gesture meant for me as much as her. He ended it with a kiss at the place her pulse fluttered.