Page 72 of Fixation of the Mind

I might have just made an enemy, but damn, that felt good.

Not two seconds after I left the bathroom, arms wrapped around my waist. For a second, I almost leaned in, thinking it was one of the guys, but when a smokey leather scent hit me, I knew I was wrong. I lifted my heel and shoved it down. The hands disappeared, along with the foot, then a smooth Latin voice came from behind me. “So the kitten has claws. Intriguing.”

When I whirled around, two identical men stood behind me. Their dark, silky hair went to their earlobes, and light facial hair decorated their chiseled jaws, making you want to touch it to see if you would get cut. They wore black button-down shirts that looked just a size too small for their toned, muscular bodies, paired with gray slacks and loafers. A very laid back effect for an event like this. If all that wasn't enough to make you swoon, their eyes shone a golden honey brown that was so vibrant I could swear they weren't real.

They circled me like wolves, looking me up and down. “We thought we would come save you from Leticia. She always takes it offensively when other women are brought in and more beautiful than her. Something about more competition.”

The other one started to talk, so I turned around to face him. “But to our surprise, you had already saved yourself. That makes us…” He stopped, crowding me from the front, his thumb rubbing across my bottom lip. “Want to know more.”

Behind me, the other one whispered in my ear, his chest pressed to my back, “We can teach you all kinds of ways to survive Foedus. Why don’t you come upstairs with us and—”

Before I had a chance to shove them away and show them what I could do, the man behind me stiffened and backed away on his own while the other turned and glared.

“That was quite uncalled for, Ambros.”

My head snapped to the side. Roux was stomping his way over to us, looking like a bull charging toward a red flag.

He flipped a knife in his hand then threw it at the man in front of me. The stranger dodged it, and when I checked on his twin, he was yanking a knife from his thigh. Oh shit!

“She doesn't need any help from you Maxima hyenas,” Roux growled before yanking me away from them.

They scoffed at the insult before turning their attention back to me. The one who’d dodged the knife lifted his hand to his chest. “Sorry for the late introduction, Miss Rose. I am Branko Maxima, and this is my twin, Colas Maxima.” The brother with the knife wound bowed, giving me a salacious smile like he wasn't bleeding from his leg.

Branko waved his hand at my body. “That dress looks divine on you. I'm sure every woman in there is wishing they knew where you got it.”

Roux took a step forward, but I held him back. “Thank you, but they’ll have to be disappointed. A girl’s gotta keep some things a secret, right?” Roux kept his glare on the twins, but his hand squeezed mine. Apparently, knives in body parts were only warnings here, who knew what would happen if they really tried to push Roux.

I look back to the ballroom and got an idea. “I bet they’re serving dessert now, and I really wanted to see what they were going to come up with. Will you take me to my table, Ambros?” Roux nodded, still glaring at the twins until we turned to leave.

“Let's hope this won't be the last we will see of the beautiful Layrin Rose. You can't keep her all to yourself, Ambros,” Branko called out to our backs. Roux’s arm went taut, like a cord about to snap, but I yanked him forward, refusing to give the Maxima twins what they wanted.

“Don’t let them rile you up,” I whispered. He looked down at me, his hazel eyes leaning more toward a vibrant green. I squeezed his hand this time, smiling up at him to ease some tension. “So it's your turn. I hope his feelings aren't hurt by me not saying bye to him.”

He straightened up, facing forward as he responded, “When the hour was up, he had an urgent email come in, so he had stuff to do anyway.”

When we got to the ballroom, the lights were up and the ballet was over. Thank god. I didn't know if I could sit through much more of that with a straight face. We made our way over to the tables, and since his uncle wasn’t in his seat, Roux sat with me at the Rose table. With him next to me, I felt like I could breathe again.

The waiters brought in slices of decadent chocolate cake that looked more like a piece of art than actual food. Lifting my fork, I had turned the plate around, trying to find the right spot to attack this thing when Roux’s rumble of a voice came out. “Just eat it.”

Rolling my lips into my mouth to hide my smile, I stabbed the center of the slice and took a large bite. The cake was fluffy and moist, the frosting rich and sensual. I thought the dish tasted like sex, but then I remembered the actual sex I was getting. Maybe this was more like an orgasm?

“It's good, right?!” Cin came over to my other side, sitting next to me with her cake in hand.

Her brothers and Elio were sitting at the Ricci table, sneaking bites of their dessert in between participating in what looked like a heated debate about something. Maria was staring at me for some reason, and when I caught her, she lifted her glass in salute. When the boys’ uncle did it, it felt like he was mocking me, whereas when Maria did it, it felt like she was… giving her permission. For what, exactly, I wasn’t entirely sure. To be here? To be friends with her daughter? Nodding to her, I lifted my glass as well, hoping that was enough to stay on her good side.

When she looked away, I looked back at Cin and whispered, “Please tell me you’re not into ballet?”

Her face twisted up in disgust. “No! I was playing a game on my phone under the table the whole time.” We giggled with each other, and finally this night felt like less of a bust.

She laughed her ass off when I shared my run-in with Leticia after telling me she wished she had been there to see that bitch go down. I didn't mention the Maxima twins because from her comment about them earlier today, I felt like there was some bad blood between them and Cin.

She proceeded to take me on a whispered tour of the room, pointing out each table from our seats. Even though Rion and I went over the head families during training, it was nice to connect reality to the information on the pages, so I nodded along with her.

At a table across the way sat three guys who immediately reminded me of the typical surfer boy mold. Tan skin, blond hair, and incredibly bored expressions on their faces as they picked at their plates. A stoic gentleman sat next to them, scanning the room. I remembered him from the council meeting as the one who’d stood back and let the others speak. “Those are the Montagus. Their territory is Australia, New Zealand, and a few of the islands around there. The boys are Arlo, Harry, and Theo. The head of the family is that foxy man, Zandi Montagu.”

Going to the next table, she whispered, “That is the Feng family. They’re in charge of all Asian territories. They have four boys and a girl, although Se-eu doesn't come to much anymore because of her health issues. The boys are Aizen, Bae, Haruka, and Lei. The Feng family is very traditional and runs under their mom, Seiko Feng.” Their matriarch looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties, yet all of her sons were grown men.

“She looks fantastic!”

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