Page 47 of Fated for his Flame

“I will end them,” he said bluntly.

It might’ve been my imagination, but it looked like a flicker of amused approval played over her face. Would that be because of what Silas would do?

Or did she approve of him being willing to do it for me, a human?

“Come,” Silas said as the band switched tunes, striking up a familiar one. “Let’s dance, my dear.”

I let myself be led onto the dance floor as other couples also took up position, and we danced without a fuss the rest of the evening.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Silas

It was late by the time we left the ballroom, arm in arm, ready to head home and end the night the proper way. Together. I could fly through the clouds, but at that moment, I was walking on them.

I’d never been happier.

“Remember when you slapped Isaak?” I chuckled, shaking my head. “That look on his face will live on in my memory for a long, long time. That arrogant prick. Totally deserved it.”

Chloe laughed, leaning her head against my shoulder for a few steps. “I still can’t believe I did that.”

“Me neither. But, boy, did that make the others stop and take notice,” I told her approvingly, pausing to look down at her. “They’ll be talking about it. Saying you have the heart of a dragon. You proved yourself to a lot of people tonight.”

“Not your father, though,” she said, her eyes clouding over.

“Hush,” I said, placing a finger to her lips. “We’re not going to ruin what’s been an amazing night by talking about him.”

“An amazing night?”

“Yes.” I stared down at her, never wanting to take my eyes away from her. She was just perfect, from the soft oval of her face to the pert nose and stunning green eyes that drew my attention from the start. “It was. The best night I’ve had in a long time.”

“Really?” Chloe’s cheeks dimpled as she smiled, the skin turning a rosy hue.

“I mean it,” I said, resuming our walk. “And it’s all because of you. You made it that way. I can’t stop smiling. You’re the—”

I stopped talking as Chloe’s attention flicked away from me. Her body language didn’t change much, but her fingers tightened on my forearm, and her eyes widened ever so slightly.

Something was wrong.

Turning to see what was behind me, I moved to keep most of my body between her and whatever was there. What I saw wasn’t good.

Coming down the hallway was a trio of dragons led by Seth, and he had murder in his eyes.

“Silas,” Chloe said uneasily. “What do we do?”

“You,” Seth growled, lifting a finger accusingly.

“Not much we can do,” I said from the corner of my mouth, trying to think about what Seth’s plan was and how I could best counter it.

Seth had us in a bad spot. With the Peace Gala in its later stages, the halls were mostly empty. The guards were closer to the ballroom itself or on the roof, escorting people home. We were alone. We could run, but I didn’t like that idea. It reeked of weakness.

Unfortunately, there were no doors or other hallways for us to turn down and buy some time with either.

Which left confronting him, which I also didn’t like. While I doubted he would resort to violence in the palace, the entire family had been acting wildly lately. I didn’t want to assume anything. If he did take a swing, my aim had to be to protect Chloe. She was too fragile.

Too important.

“What do you want?” I barked at Seth as he came to a stop, interrupting whatever he was going to say. I was angry. He’d ruined an amazing evening by stalking me like that.

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