Page 92 of An Empress of Fire & Steel

Kellen’s face lit up at the compliment, but a second later, his visage went still, then pale, then flushed.

Emara turned to see that two hunters flanked Torin, Artem and a hunter she had only seen from afar a few times.

Artem turned to Emara. “Mrs Blacksteel.” He beamed from ear to ear.

Emara felt her fist twitching at her side and it almost became unbearable not to punch him. But she couldn’t, not here.

“You do know she could crush your windpipe with the flick of her wrist, don’t you?” Torin taunted.

“Let’s hope she never learns that trick,” Artem jested, his eyebrows dancing.

“I will make sure that it’s the first trick on my list,” Emara sneered.

Artem ignored her threat. “Emara, please meet my younger, devilishly handsome brother.” He gestured to the other male. “Arlo, of Clan Stryker.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Arlo.” She slipped him a smile.

“The pleasure is all mine,” the hunter said, his dark eyes dazzling like an intense storm that you could see from the coastline, where lightning met the sea. His reddish-brown hair was long, unlike his brother’s, adding more tones of auburn and russet through it. There was no sign of any tattoos that Emara could see, but as he stood there, something clicked into place.

She held in a gasp.

Arlo flicked his eyes over to Kellen for only a second, but that was all it took to confirm what lay between them. It was discreet, but for a moment more than it should have, a fiery desire revealed itself. Emara assumed Kellen knew better than to return his stare, as he kept his enchanting eyes on her. She wished with every part of herself that Kellen knew what thoughts lay in her heart.

If he wanted that night to be lost in the chaos, then it was.

Emara cleared her throat, cutting through the tension the only way she knew how. “I am sure you are the more pleasant Stryker.”

Artem placed a hand over his heart, and his silver nose ring caught the candlelight. “Do you actually plan on taking this friendship seriously? It can’t be one-sided, you know.”

“Oh, that’s exactly how I intend for it to be.” She smirked, letting him know that his teasing wasn’t going to best her anymore.

“Okay.” Torin held a hand up, patting his best friend on the shoulder. “I think I should take Emara back to her room before there is a full-scale riot on our hands. Stryker, find Magin and let him know where we are. There is no need to follow, I will take up the post for tonight. You guys get some rest.”

Emara’s heart quickened at the sound of that, the temptation fizzing through her blood.

Torin held out an arm and Emara took it. “It was a pleasure to see you all.” She motioned to the line of hunters who were staring at Torin like he had just done something out of character.

Well, maybe he had.

They all bowed, and she returned the gesture gently.

As they started walking, Artem shouted from behind, “Remember our deal, Blacksteel. Me and you, tomorrow. Sunrise.”

Without looking back, Torin smirked. “Like I would miss it.”

Walking over the threshold of the great ballroom, Emara released a sigh that sent Torin turning to face her.

“Relieved to have made it through your first ever community dinner?”

“I don’t think ‘relieved’ even touches how I am feeling right now.”

“They won’t all be as daunting as this one.”

They only managed to get around ten more steps in before Torin whisked her into an alcove in the passageway, curtained by heavy material used to cover the stained-glass windows during summer.

“What are you doing?” she squealed.

Shock and delight thrummed in her veins as his mouth landed on hers. It was warmth, darkness, light, and savageness all wrapped into one.

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