Page 42 of Queen of Wrath

I quickly squeezed my eyes closed, but I could feel the graininess of it inside my lids. I’d reacted too late. I quickly wiped my face clean and looked up at him angrily.

“There she is, the true face of the woman I know. I was right,” he whispered so that no one else could overhear.

Did he somehow undo the potion I took for my disguise?

“What have you done?” I panicked, trying to hide my face with my hands. “I have to get out of here!”

I looked around, but there was nowhere I could go. There were too many people everywhere. If the wrong person saw me, I would be put to death quicker than I could plead my case.

“Relax. Do you really think I would put you in danger? The powder will wear off in a handful of seconds.” Emory seemed so nonchalant about it, but I was utterly confused and fear-stricken.

I was so focused on avoiding being exposed, that I didn't stop to think how Emory knew me from my past. He certainly didn’t look familiar to me, though he’d made it sound like we had been acquaintances at some point in the past.

I glanced around at the sea of unfamiliar faces, counting down the seconds until my disguise would return.

Then my eyes locked with someone in the distance.

Zane!

His face went pale, and his jaw dropped.

Quickly, I looked away and ducked behind the crowd, hoping he would think he’d only just imagined seeing me, a ghost, a figment of his imagination, and not come over to investigate.

“Dammit!” I raised my sleeve next to my face like a curtain, my eyes darting up to Emory. “If you didn't want me to get caught, you have a funny way of showing it, you big oaf!”

Emory looked over his shoulder and must have seen Zane approaching us because he looked back at me, and did something I never could’ve seen coming.

He grabbed either side of my face, and with eyes filled with adoration, he leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine.

“What are you—?” I punched him in the chest, trying to get him to move away, but he only held on tighter. I then realized what he was doing.

He was just trying to buy me time, hiding my face until my disguise reverted back. I stopped fighting it, and actually…

Hey…this actually feels nice…

Whoever this Emory Blake was, he was a really good kisser.

Without realizing it, I leaned into the kiss more, wanting to soak up the feeling.

There was nothing tainted about this kiss.

I didn't have to pretend I was Emma kissing someone else.

This man, for whatever reason, knew exactly who I truly was.

His fingers moved to the back of my head, tangling in my hair and pulling me closer.

A burning heat clawed its way into my core.

I wanted more.

Hold me tighter…

Emory was suddenly yanked away from me, and I opened my eyes to see Zane pulling Emory back with a tight fist bundled in the guy’s shirt.

Zane quickly looked at me, eyes wide with anger and hope, scanning my face for something.

I had no idea whether the powder's effects had dissolved by now or not, but I still gave him a look of bewildered outrage.

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