Cole couldn’t tear his gaze away from the woman who looked about to bolt from the hall. Her deep auburn hair hung in waves around her shoulders and swayed against the middle of her back as she searched for what he assumed was an exit. The deep red strands of her hair shimmered in the starlight.
She tugged at the collar of the emerald dress hugging her slender body. It emphasized the rounded hips of her hourglass figure. Her full breasts were thrust high by the bodice, but she revealed far less cleavage than most other women in the room.
Despite that, when his gaze fell to her breasts, a bolt of desire hit him. She turned back toward the stage, and when her eyes met his, they widened. They stared at each other before she glanced back toward the doorway.
For a second, she looked about to bolt as she stepped away from the line, but then she closed her eyes and resumed her place. He’d never seen her in the Gloaming before; he would have remembered her.
His hands gripped the ends of his throne as the line snaked forward and the woman moved closer. When she bit her bottom lip, his gaze latched onto her lush mouth.
What does she taste like?
He vowed to discover the answer to that before this night was over.
Cole stalked her every move as she snaked through the throng and shifted from foot to foot while the other immortals crowded around her. She didn’t meet his gaze, but her eyes traveled toward him before darting away.
When a male vampire pressed entirely too close against her back and she cringed away from him, Cole almost rose from his seat to kill him. However, he couldn’t kill a guest for touching a woman.
Such a thing could set off another war, and he’d had enough blood and death. However, he suspected more would come soon. The war was over, but another one had been brewing for years; he would find himself at the center of it again.
He didn’t know how much time passed, but finally the woman stood near the stairs. A male lycan climbed the four steps to the dais in front of her. After he was introduced, Cole nodded to the man, but he didn’t hear a word of what the lycan said.
The woman leaned forward and gave her name to their helot, Sindri. Sindri stepped away from her. “Milords, I present to you the ladies Elexiandra and Sahira Harper.”
Cole jolted when Sindri announced her last name. Harper!
Brokk’s head turned toward him, and Cole exchanged a look with his brother. He was sure his startled expression mirrored Brokk’s. Between them, their father didn’t react, but the king had to know she was here; he’d invited her after all.
Harper.
And now he understood the woman’s nervousness. She had never been to the Gloaming or any of the Shadow Realms before. Or at least that’s what her father told him during one of their countless conversations.
The world shifted and blurred, and for a minute, Cole found himself sitting in a tent across from a man with pale blond hair. Delano Harper’s bright blue eyes twinkled as he smiled and sipped his wine.
“They’ll never know what hit them, boys. I can assure you of that,” Del said as he finished his drink and gestured for the pretty serving girl to bring him more.
Brokk and Cole gazed at each other before returning their attention to the robust vampire sitting across from them. The wine had reddened Del’s cheeks, but his eyes remained clear.
Over the two years they fought together, Cole had learned nothing dulled Del’s intelligence. He often used his ability to drink more alcohol than three immortals combined as a way to make others think he was less aware of what was going on around him, while he was keenly aware of everything.
He’d fooled Cole a couple of times before he caught on to the act.
He learned Del was a brilliant master of deception, manipulation, and strategy. He’d also become one of Cole and Brokk’s best friends.
Del rarely talked about his daughter over the years, but on the rare occasions when there were no battles to fight, strategies to plan, or enemies closing in on them, he would sometimes speak about her. There was no denying the love in the man’s voice, and it was difficult to shut him up once he got started.
Cole had always found this amusing while he listened to the doting father prattle on about his daughter. He’d claimed she was beautiful, but Cole had blown it off. There were many beautiful immortals, and a father was always biased, but Del hadn’t exaggerated.
Over the years, he’d spent many hours with Del, they’d saved each other more times than Cole could count, and then, one day, unable to get to him in time, he watched helplessly as his friend died.
And now he was about to come face-to-face with his daughter.
• • •
Lexi tried not to bury her hands in the abundant material of her dress as she sought to control the tremble in them. She could do this, and she would do it without falling flat on her face.
The king first. Make sure you approach the king first.
She kept reminding herself of this because she was desperate to rush through this and get out of here. However, if she didn’t approach the king first, it would be considered an insult, and the dark fae did not like to be insulted.
As the lycan ahead of them left the dais, she threw her shoulders back, lifted her chin, and strode up the steps with a confidence she didn’t feel. At her side, Sahira sauntered forward with elegant grace.
When they stopped before the king, Lexi curtsied. Having never done it before in public, she half feared she’d faceplant, but somehow she managed not to fall over.
“Your Highness,” she murmured.
“Milady,” the king replied with a bow of his head.
Lexi gulped as the power emanating from him rippled across her skin. The number of ciphers he possessed had hinted at his power, but this close, she could tell he was keeping a lot of it hidden and doing a damn good job too.
Lexi forced a smile and somehow managed to keep her hands from shaking as she turned away from him. She approached the younger of the two brothers as Sahira went to the older. Brokk’s aqua blue eyes were warm as he studied her.
“Milady,” he said and clasped her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Lexi had no idea what to make of those words and the gesture; she hadn’t seen him touch anyone else, so she merely smiled. “You also, Your Highness.”
The prince looked about to say more, but a man and his daughter were already being introduced. They were heading up the steps and toward the king as Sahira approached her. If she didn’t move now, she wouldn’t get the chance to speak with the older brother.
She’d prefer not to talk with the intimidating man, but it would be rude if she left the stage, and one did not snub the dark fae. They especially didn’t snub the eldest son of the king.
Knowing their time was over, Lexi gave a subtle tug on her hand in the hopes the prince would release her. It took a couple of seconds before he seemed to recall he was holding her hand.
With a small smile, he released her. Lexi’s gaze lingered on him, not because she was still confused by his strange behavior but because she had to brace herself before walking over to the older brother.
She had to go now.
Walking away from the brother, she crossed before the king as the father and daughter stepped onto the dais. Acutely aware of all the eyes on her, she tried not to blush, but she couldn’t control the riotous beat of her heart.
When she finally lifted her head to take in the prince, she wasn’t surprised to find his striking, Persian blue eyes locked on her. She’d felt them burning into her flesh since the second she stepped onto the dais.
She’d never seen a blue so pure or vivid before. They were like looking into a pool of crystalline ocean water on the clearest of days. If she wasn’t careful, she could get lost in those eyes.
Her heart lodged in her throat as she stopped before him. Unable to keep the tremor from her hands, she twisted them into the folds of her dress and clutched them until her bones ached.
His leisurely perusal of her body caused her knees to quake. She was used to men examining her, but she’d never experienced it with this kind of intensity before, and she’d never been this unnerved or excited by it.