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THE DAY OF THE ball arrived, and both Reyfyre and I sat in salon chairs. My hair had been washed and trimmed, and the stylist was curling it in small ringlets. Reyfyre sat across from me, and his long locks had been chopped to a length near mine. His stylist was drying it so the sides feathered back. The gentle flow of his hair made his handsome features stand out even more.
I couldn’t help staring. Ever since we went to get clothing for this ball, things had been strained. An underlying current weaved between us, threatening to ignite. Even sparring with him in the gym had been more brutal than before, as if our demons were finally surfacing.
He glanced in the mirror and our eyes met. He held my gaze longer than normal and then his eyes roamed over the curls framing my face. A soft smile of appreciation formed; then his line of sight drifted away, punctuating that strangeness that had invaded our relationship.
When we finished, my hair was pinned up with a few curls framing my face in shimmering colors that would match the dress perfectly.
Reyfyre paid for both of our cuts and escorted me back to our apartment a few blocks away. Thankfully, the route he took wasn’t one of the wind tunnels that would ruin our hair. We changed in silence and then turned to each other from across the apartment.
“You look...” Reyfyre inhaled and smiled. “Stunning, Kara.” He used my real name as opposed to Karen, which had been what he called me here since the first day we arrived.
It’s what my fake ID stated and it was close enough to my given name not to totally screw up.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.”
He crossed and offered me his elbow. “Are you ready for this?”
My belly jumbled with nerves. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to eat a damn thing. And I prayed I was able to keep a straight face when confronted with Odin and Thor, especially considering I wanted to see their heads rolling on the floor.
Reyfyre hesitated by the table as he swiped up the invitation. “We both have to act as if this is an honor, and a fun evening to drink and dance, but we can’t get drunk. That’s a surefire way to screw up. And I rather like your head attached to your neck.” His eyes flared with concern. “Can you do this?”
I glared at him. “Can you?”
“I’ve been acting my whole life. It comes easy to me. But I am worried about you. I know how much you hate them, and I can see it in your eyes right now. If I can, they will, too. So, squash it down and pretend this is our first date or fiftieth date, or whatever you need to do to fake it properly. Got it?” His hard gaze bore into mine.
“A date?” I cocked an eyebrow at him, pulling the only thing I could out of the conversation that would help me, especially considering things had been weird between us.
“You know what I mean.” He huffed as he dragged me out the door and locked up behind him.
Instead of walking, like we normally would, Reyfyre hailed a cab and read off the address when we got into the back.
“You and everyone else in Midtown,” the cab driver muttered and took off.
It took another fifteen minutes driving instead of what would have taken five walking. And as soon as we pulled up to a red-carpet entry, Reyfyre threw a twenty at the cab driver and slid out of the car on the street side. He came around as I opened the door and offered me his hand.
Nerves bit at my skin and I fidgeted as I stood next to him. He laced his fingers through mine and squeezed.
“Date, remember?” he whispered in my ear and then dropped my hand, planting his firmly on my lower back. Flashes blinded me as cameras clicked off. We weren’t the only ones being photographed. I nearly broke away from Reyfyre to smash the camera that captured my image, but Reyfyre tightened his grip on me. “Smile, Karen,” he whispered through his own sparkling grin.
I glanced up at him and smiled, but only because he looked so damn handsome that I forgot myself. His gaze dropped to mine and his forced smile softened. That electrical buzz passed between us again.
“Remember, you are mine,” he said softly.
I cocked an eyebrow at him.
He responded with an eye roll. “You know what I mean.”
Actually, I did not know what he meant. His declaration that I was his made my insides go all gooey. I faced forward, probably reading more into his words than there really was, and I plastered a strained smile on my face. It was as fake as a three-dollar bill.
Reyfyre handed the guard at the door our invitation.
“Names,” the guard snapped.
“Karen Johnson and Ray Davis,” Reyfyre said.
“Identification.” The guard put his hand out.
I was glad Reyfyre had me bring my pocketbook. Both our IDs were inside. The only things in Reyfyre’s pocket were the keys to our apartment and his money clip, which only had a few bills on it now that the cab fare was paid. I handed the licenses to the guard.
He studied them and then handed them back with a nod. I stowed them away as we entered the building. Reyfyre guided me and the only indication that I had that we were now in the presence of our enemies was the tightening of his hand on my back. I snapped my purse closed, schooled my features into one of pleasant curiosity, and tilted my head up.
We were in a damn receiving line. My heart hammered in my chest and Reyfyre’s thumb started to caress my lower back. The contact didn’t help the nerves in my core. It did something entirely different, and heat flushed my cheeks as we stepped closer to introductions to the men I wanted to kill.
Each party who stepped away from Odin and Thor brought us closer, and Reyfyre’s thumb kept caressing me on a specific erogenous zone that had my attention on him and not the two assholes in front of us. It was as if he were intentionally distracting me.
And then we were in front of Odin.
Reyfyre bowed in respect but didn’t touch his knee to the floor. I curtseyed like he showed me earlier in the day before we went to get our hair done.
“Your Majesty,” Reyfyre said in reverence. “I am Ray Davis and this is my girlfriend, Karen Johnson. We are pleased to attend tonight.”
Odin’s stare fixed on me, and he subtly recoiled enough for me to catch it. “What interesting hair,” he said after he recovered from his sneer.
“Oh, thank you, Your Majesty.” I let my hand flit near my hair. “I had it done up just for the ball.”
“I think he’s talking about your color, not your curls,” Reyfyre said loud enough to draw a smirk from Thor.
“Oh.” I smiled. “I’ve had it this way for the past couple of years. It’s certainly better than my mousy brown hair used to be.”
“Ah, well, enjoy the ball.” Odin focused on the next guest, dismissing me without so much as another word.
Then we were in front of Thor, and all I could see in my mind was him slicing Hippocrates. I blinked and smiled as I fidgeted. Reyfyre was already bowing, and I rushed through my curtsey. His gaze lingered on me, but Reyfyre pulled me away before I could say anything. It was more abrupt than Odin’s dismissal.
Once we got to the line for the bar, Reyfyre’s glare caught me off guard.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked in a hushed voice.
“He was looking at you with interest,” he hissed in my ear.
I glanced over my shoulder. True enough, Thor’s gaze was still on me, and he smiled his signature grin at me, like I was fair game in a sea of women fawning over him. But most of those women were doing it for show. When it came right down to it, they would pass on what he had to offer. At least, if they believed the rumors and the live shots from prior balls.
But Thor was arrogant to a fault, just like on Asgard. He’d take their lives just for his sadistic pleasure.
“I knew I shouldn’t have said yes to that outfit,” Reyfyre mumbled as we closed in on the bar. “What do you want?” he asked.
“Long Island iced tea,” I answered, knowing it would piss him off even more.
“I’m not carrying you home again.” He turned to the bartender after reminding me of my last escapade with Long Island iced tea. He indeed had carried me the couple of blocks from the bar because the alcohol in those cocktails rendered me stupid drunk. “Two mimosas please.”
“That’s for wussies,” I muttered. But he was right: if I got drunk, I would blow our cover. Although we couldn’t strike them down tonight and live to tell the tale, it still was a rampant desire in my blood.
Music started up, and people either lingered at the buffet table, picking at the food, or made a beeline to the dance floor.
With our drinks in hand, Reyfyre led me to the buffet. He loaded a plate for the both of us and then steered me to a table. I didn’t want to waste the night away picking at food and glowering at those dancing.
I’d rather be glowered at. “Dance with me,” I said before he could settle into his chair.
He peered up at me with raised eyebrows and nodded toward the plate, as if we could really stomach the food right now. My belly was far too jumpy to eat.
I drained my glass, placed the empty next to the overloaded plate on the table, and parked my pocketbook next to it in plain sight. I didn’t care whether someone lifted it. It only had our licenses and some gum.
Then I removed the glass from his hand and pulled him toward the dance floor, where dozens of couples were already swaying to the music.
“Karen,” he warned, but he didn’t dig his feet in to stop me.
I spun on my toes and faced him.
Reyfyre took in his surroundings and then wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close as he stared down at me. “I haven’t done a waltz since I was little and standing on my mother’s shoes.” Then he began to move me around the dance floor like an expert.
My heart soared and my stomach dropped at the same time. “You are such a liar.”
Dimples appeared in his cheeks, and he smiled in a way I had never seen. It made his eyes glitter like a thousand suns. Then a hand landed on his shoulder and that gleam disappeared, replaced by irritation so thick, I almost choked on it.
“May I cut in?”
Fuck.
Reyfyre sent a strained smile over his shoulder at Thor and relinquished his hold on me. “Yes, you may, Your Majesty.” But his words sounded clipped and the expression of worry on his face made me pause.
Reyfyre backed away and found a spot at the side of the crowd to keep an eye on us. Thor had already started to move me around the floor, and I unglued my gaze from Reyfyre and smiled up at Thor as heat filled my cheeks. I wanted to throw him over my hip and rip his head clean off, but neither of us would get out of here alive if I did that. My gaze kept wandering back to Reyfyre.
“I could make you cry out to the heavens,” Thor whispered in my ear.
I had to stomp on the growl that crawled up my throat as I forced my gaze back to his. I slowly blinked up at him. “Excuse me?” I attempted to speak as politely as I could without sounding offended.
“I could make you forget your boyfriend.” His Cheshire-cat grin appeared.
It was the one I had always wanted to smash off his face.
Today was no different, but I couldn’t react with my usual snark.
My cheeks heated with my building fury, and the flush moved to what was exposed of my chest. I was sure Thor thought he was turning me on, but this wasn’t sexual. It was fueled by an anger so raw, all I could do was let it burn through my skin instead of lashing out.
His arrogance fanned the flames, and I pretended to be flustered and humbled by the great god Thor paying extra attention to me. Thankfully, I only had to endure another twirl around the floor before the song ended.
“While I appreciate the attention,” I pulled away from Thor, “Ray has my heart.” I batted my eyes and turned, sauntering away, swinging my hips a little more than normal as I shot to Reyfyre across the dance floor.
As I approached, he kept his poison-tipped glare to the spot behind me where Thor was. Reyfyre’s tight jaw and fisted hands were enough to shoot straight to my heart. It was a look of insecurity and self-doubt, all rolled up in indignation.
I stopped close to him and when he didn’t glance down at me, I palmed his cheek. At my touch, his gaze dropped to mine. I rose on my tiptoes and gently pressed my lips to his, staking a public claim in front of Thor, so he’d back off and forget about me.
This was supposed to only drive home my point to Thor, but Reyfyre deepened the kiss, pulling me closer to his hard body. When his tongue ran a slow trail over my lips, I opened my mouth, giving him access. Our tongues rolled together, looping slowly and seductively enough for my knees to weaken. It was tender, yet possessive, and I think my foot lifted off the ground like some smitten schoolgirl.
His hand cupped my cheek; his fingers threaded into my hair and a low groan came from his chest. For a moment, in Reyfyre’s arms, the world around us disappeared and there was only this feral connection pulsing through my muscles.
Then Reyfyre gasped and pulled his mouth away from me. He pressed his forehead against mine with his eyes still closed and growled through pants nearly as needy as mine.
“We need to go,” he whispered, and his eyes flashed open, meeting mine. Fire burned in his irises like I had never seen. This wasn’t anger either. It was something wild in nature, waiting to ravage me. Without pausing for me to speak, he took my hand, grabbed my purse off the table, and started toward the door, weaving through the crowd as if the world were ablaze.
The doorway came into view and then Thor was there, blocking our exit. His eyes sparkled with a challenge.
Damn it all to hell.
We both pulled up short, and Reyfyre tucked me into his side in a protective reflex.
“Where do you think you two are going?” He crossed his arms.
Reyfyre’s lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. “To scratch an itch, if you know what I mean.” He winked at Thor.
“No one leaves until they’ve had a drink from the truth fountain.” He pointed to a fountain of flowing chocolate. “So, march your asses over there and grab a cup and then we’ll have a chat before you go. Or, if you can’t wait, you can fuck her in the coat closet over there.” He pointed to his right, and both our gazes moved in that direction. “And maybe I can watch.”
I recoiled.
Thor tilted his head. “Would you rather I join you?”
“Um. No,” Reyfyre said. “We don’t need an audience. And I certainly have her needs covered, so while the offer to join us is...interesting...I think not.”
Thor’s gaze narrowed.
Reyfyre pivoted and led me toward the coat closet. Once inside, he closed the door and slammed me against it. He pressed his body against mine and nipped at the side of my throat. “Can you really withstand the truth serum?” he whispered and licked a line up my throat to my ear.
We had discussed this multiple times over the last couple of days. We had our stories straight, and I was certain I could pull it off.
“Yes.” I breathed the word out as he nibbled my lobe, sending shocks through my body.
He pulled back and searched my eyes. “Was that an answer to my question, or me nibbling your ear?” He started to unbuckle his belt.
“Oh.” My gaze shot to his hands and then back to his face. His eyes were dark and definitely not what I was used to.
“That’s not an answer, Karen,” he snarled and pulled at my dress, lifting it up high enough to press his hips against my core.
Reyfyre was harder than stone as he pressed against me.
My mind stalled, and I pushed my palm against his chest. His heartbeat slammed against my hand. My gaze jumped from him to where we were, and I shook my head as he rocked his hips against mine, causing a friction that heated me from head to toe.
He grinned down at me. “So, I’m a two-minute wonder, huh?”
I stared at him a moment and then I snorted a laugh. “I doubt that very much.” This was him acting the part.
He leaned close and whispered, “Can you withstand the serum?”
“Yes.” This time I shouted the word and banged my palm against the door. At least I thought I could. Especially with the feel of Reyfyre hard against me. That might be all my mind could focus on anyway.
He groaned in a way that added to the heat between us. And then he panted as he pulled away with a smile.
“I’m going to need to find a ladies’ room,” I said.
“No. I want my cum sliding down your legs. I want every man here to know you’re mine.” His voice rang out loud enough to make me blush.
He nodded to the door as he buckled his pants. He shook his head, making his hair a little more disheveled than it had been, and he pulled a few locks out of my hair, making me look less put together. And then he stared at my lips.
He stepped in and slammed his mouth to mine. This kiss was wild and untamed and, frankly, exactly what I expected from Reyfyre. And holy shit did my body react. His hands caressed my breasts through the dress until I thought I’d scream.
He abruptly stepped away and scanned me again. This time, he nodded. “Try to straighten out your dress. We wouldn’t want anyone to catch sight of your drenched panties.” A dimple appeared, and he reached beyond me to open the door. He straightened out his belt as he stepped into the hallway.
I followed, straightening my dress out.
Thor stood near the entrance, acting as a buffer to anyone trying to escape the event. He glanced our way and then nodded at the fountain.
Reyfyre didn’t hesitate and he didn’t so much as send a glance my way. He grabbed a cup, filled it, and then downed the liquid, smacking his lips together as if it were a tasty treat. He crossed to Thor without looking at me.
Doubts as to what happened in the closet filled me, raging through me like wildfire. I crossed and took a cup, but I took a small amount as Reyfyre and Thor chatted. I drank the sickly-sweet liquid, thinking it would gag me at any moment. Chocolate sweetness slid down my throat, numbing me. My limbs felt heavy, as if I’d drunk too much, but my brain was clear enough to understand this was a truth serum.
I glanced at Reyfyre, but he ignored me, chatting it up with Thor as if I didn’t exist. As I approached, he glanced at me.
“You can go,” Thor said to him and turned his attention to me.
Reyfyre walked out the door as if ditching me.
A punch in the gut would have been easier to take.
Thor pulled out a picture from inside his vest. It was a pretty Valkyrie with grand black wings. “Have you seen this person around the city?”
I glanced at the picture. My picture. I hadn’t seen that person in over three thousand years. And the last time was in the mirror on Asgard. My gaze moved out the door. “No.”
“On any of your travels on Earth?” He raised an eyebrow.
“No. I haven’t seen her around here.” I moved my gaze from him to the door and back. “Why did he leave?” I waved at the door with a whine as Reyfyre’s actions hit home. “I mean...” I waved at the coatroom and then dropped my purse as nerves and an underlying devastation crawled into my muscles. I bent over to pick it up, but Thor was faster. He handed it to me.
“Men can be dicks. The offer is still on the table, though.” He smiled.
Yeah, offer the poor excuse for a human girl a death sentence. No, thank you.
I shook my head. “He still has my heart. But thank you for the generous offer. I’m sure there’s someone here who would be more than willing to take you up on that. But I need to find Ray.” I stepped toward the door.
“Kara?”
Thor’s question rang in my head.
I turned. “My name’s Karen.” After all, that was what my license in my pocketbook said. It was the name I had my job under. So, in a way, it was a form of truth. My skin tingled and then settled, as if it wasn’t quite a big enough lie to trigger the serum. “It was...interesting meeting you after seeing you on television so many times.”
Thor pursed his lips. “Go on. Your boyfriend is probably waiting for you outside.” He turned away with a bit of a growl.
I didn’t want to stab a gift horse in the mouth, and I scurried outside. Reyfyre stood on the sidewalk, looking in the direction of our apartment. He held out his hand, and I took it.
He had a truth serum in him. So did I, but I wasn’t as concerned with what might drop out of my mouth. But I had to know what had happened to him back in the coat closet.
“How much of the situation in the coat closet was real?”
Reyfyre glanced at me, and his eyes flashed. “You shouldn’t have kissed me the way you did.”
“You did not answer my question.”
His grip on my hand tightened, but he kept silent, gritting his teeth.
The walk home took a little longer than five minutes, but with the busy streets, a cab home would have been longer. Reyfyre’s silent treatment burrowed under my skin, flaring my temper.
The apartment building was empty and eerily silent as the rest of the residents were at the party. Reyfyre held the door for me and as soon as I walked in, I threw my pocketbook across the room and spun on him.
“Answer me!”
The door shut behind him with a bang, and he grabbed me by the arms, slamming me into the closed entry. Before I could balk at him, his lips were on mine, kissing and nipping as his tongue pillaged my mouth. His hands were in my hair one moment and then caressing my body in a way that broke down all my barriers.
When he came up for air, he hissed, “You really shouldn’t have done that, Kara.”
My fingers fumbled on the buttons of his shirt as he again lifted my dress, but this time, he didn’t stop when he got to my waist. He pulled the fabric up and over my head before he tossed it over his shoulder. He clamped my wrists and held them above my head.
Black smoke wisped around him, each tendril caressing me as if they were as solid as his hands. His eyes were the color of cobalt now as he leaned in to kiss the tops of my breasts. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done,” he growled and scratched his teeth across my bra. His free hand slid between my legs, rubbing me in such slow strokes that I moaned.
“What have I done?” I gasped, and my eyes rolled back as he removed the rest of my clothing.
“You have awakened the beast in me.” His mouth covered one breast and then the other, teasing me until my nipples were hard peaks. His finger dipped inside me, and I groaned in response.
“Yes,” I whispered as every cell in my body quivered. I wanted the beast right now, not the calm, controlled man I had lived with for nearly a year now.
“How much of the closet was real?” He took my hand and ran it along the front of his pants. “You tell me?” He released my hands and stripped his coat as I pushed him toward the bed. “But if I had fucked you in the coat closet, every single Asgardian in that place would have known a wraith was present.”
I tore at his shirt, wanting him as naked and exposed as I was. I couldn’t get his clothing off fast enough, and he chuckled.
One glance at the black smoke traveling from the corners of his eyes sent ice slithering over my spine, cooling some of the heat he had produced.
This was Asgard’s worst enemy.
“Truth. Do you really want what you see before you?” His tone mocked me, as if seeing his wraith side would somehow knock this frantic lust right out of me.
My eyes cataloged every inch of him from the crown of his head, down his chiseled chest to his hard manhood standing at attention, and beyond at his powerful legs. When my gaze locked back on his, some of the smoke tendrils had faded, as if my slow inspection of him had softened his need.
His black irises stared down at me, waiting for an answer, but underneath, I could still see Reyfyre. My Reyfyre.
I closed the distance between us. “Yes, Rey. I want what I see before me. Do you want what you see?”
He growled in what I believed was a yes, but he didn’t even spare me a glance. His smoke tendrils shot out, yanking me into his arms. His mouth hovered over mine. “Last chance,” he whispered.
“Shut up and fuck me.” I pulled his lips to mine, and the kiss seared through me like a raging fire eating away at my inhibitions. All these months with him, and I’d only seen the fae side.
His wraith side was wild and even more demanding than the fae.
And my, oh my, he was definitely not a two-minute wonder.