Cole couldn’t tear his gaze away from the beautiful woman standing before him. Elexiandra, he recalled Sindri saying.
Del had told him his daughter’s name, but it was lost to him until Sindri announced it. He would not forget it again.
Up close, she was even more beautiful beneath the radiance of the turning sky. This close, he could tell shards of pure emerald flecked her hunter green eyes.
With her high cheekbones and rosebud lips, she stood out in a room full of immortals. The smattering of freckles dotting the bridge of her slender nose and sun-kissed skin gave her beauty a charming air of innocence.
Looking at her, something inside him shifted, and for the first time in his life, the lycan part of him exerted dominance over the dark fae. And the lycan wanted her.
He’d always identified more with his dark fae side and found it more powerful than the wolf, but now the beast was making its presence known as fangs he always kept suppressed throbbed and lengthened.
She’d attracted the attention of more than a few men in the room, and Cole had to keep his mouth shut as he restrained himself from bearing his fangs at them. His claws lengthened until they bit into his throne.
Wood splintered beneath his grip and buried itself deep within his skin. Still, the pain did nothing to ease the turmoil churning through him. His teeth scraped together until he was certain everyone in the room could hear them grinding back and forth.
He didn’t know what it was about this woman, but for the first time in his life, he was on the verge of losing control of his wolf. He was still staring at her when the woman she walked onto the dais with strolled over to her.
“Elexiandra,” the woman whispered, “we must go.”
Elexiandra nodded before speaking. “Milord.”
Her voice was as enchanting as her, and when she spoke, he spotted the tips of her fangs. Vampire, he recalled.
Half vampire, half human, he recalled Del once saying. Unlike full-blooded vampires, she could go out in the day, but she couldn’t teleport, and she wasn’t as strong as other immortals.
For some reason, that weakness caused his protective instincts to become more extreme. He tore his attention away from her to glare at the crowd of men openly admiring her. They all looked away from him.
“Milady,” he greeted.
Before he could say more, the father and his daughter stepped closer and edged Elexiandra and the other woman away. He opened his mouth to stop them, but the father was speaking, and they were gliding down the stairs.
He watched until they vanished into the crowd.
• • •
All Lexi wanted was to flee this place. There were far too many immortals here, they were far too comfortable with each other, and she felt like a fish out of water as everyone else celebrated. However, if she left now, they would notice.
Or would they?
She was one of thousands here tonight; surely they wouldn’t notice if she and Sahira slipped away before the party ended. Sahira could stay; she was enjoying herself.
Lexi smiled as she watched Sahira being twirled around the dance floor by a handsome dark fae. The flutes' haunting strains and the dark fae’s musical instrument, the ocraba, filled the room.
Now that the introductions were over, the night had given way to music and dancing. The black floor, which reflected the stars above, was filled with immortals imbibing in drinks and food. Their laughter filled the air while their bodies warmed the room.
She had a feeling Sahira wouldn’t be returning to the room they were sharing with other immortal women until much later tonight, if at all. Which meant, even Sahira might not notice if she slipped away to return home.
She knew how to get back to the portal leading to the human realm. It was probably guarded, but she didn’t think they would deny her if she said she was returning home. They probably wouldn’t tell the king either. Who cared if someone left before it was all over?
And since her father was gone, she was the one responsible for protecting and watching over their property.
Maybe she could get permission from the king or one of the princes to return early. As soon as the idea popped into her head, she shut it down. The idea of talking to any of those men made her shiver in apprehension. The power radiating from them was more than she’d ever encountered before, and she wasn’t eager to experience it again.
Unfortunately, she didn’t think she could avoid it. She was in their world, after all, in their home, and at their party.
But did that mean she had to stay here?
Yes, it did. Because it would be rude if she left early, but she could always slip away to her room. At least it was quieter there, and the night would pass faster if she slept. In the morning, she could leave. If she stayed until then, it wouldn’t be seen as rude… she hoped.
Lowering her head into her hands, she rubbed at her temples as she tried to figure out what to do. But the more she pondered her options, the more her head pounded.