Page 31 of Dark Reign

I had to remind myself of all Liv and I had gone over; it was okay to touch them.

The satin of my glove eased over his palm and he gripped it gently, lifting it to his lips the next second. When a kiss was placed there, I somehow had the presence of mind to stay in character.

“Corina. Corina Travis.”

While it may have seemed innocent enough to reveal my actual last name, linking myself to my parents as a Prescott could have had deadly consequences.

“Corina,” he breathed. “It’s beautiful.”

Heat flashed through my cheeks and I prayed they weren’t red.

“Are you from the Capitol or just visiting for the event?” he asked next.

“I’m from the area,” I answered truthfully, not offering more information than he requested.

“And … are you here alone?” That coy smile of his was back and I was surprised it brought one out of me, too.

“I am. Are you?” I realized right away how stupid that was to ask. “Of course you’re alone. You wouldn’t have come over here if you weren’t.”

That once innocent grin turned wicked just before he laughed, glancing over his shoulder right after. I followed his gaze to Levi standing between two clearly peeved blondes. It only took me a moment to recognize them as the McNamara twins, daughters of the man who had likely designed ninety-percent of the gowns floating around this room tonight. One had her eyes locked on Julian and I, leaving me to guess she’d been his date tonight.

He faced me again, scrubbing his hand across the stubble on his chin. “So … about that.”

I didn’t know what to say, acknowledging that whatever he felt, he felt it strongly enough to excuse himself from … freakin’ Cecelia McNamara … to come over here. A small part of me, the part I couldn’t seem to control with him standing so close, was flattered.

Julian’s lips parted as if he readied himself to speak, but it was the well-timed flash of a camera that stopped him. Another off to my right caused his once relaxed posture to turn rigid, as if suddenly remembering he was under the ever-watchful eye of his people, suddenly aware of the audience our interaction garnered.

I’d lost his gaze for a moment as he glanced around, taking in the sight of stunning faces masked in overstated paint. When he turned to me again, it was with a look I couldn’t quite place, a strange mix of frustration and hopefulness.

“Would you object if I asked you to step away with me?” He offered a slow smile that spun my insides into knots. “Promise to bring you back in one piece.”

“Cori! Is he freaking flirting with you?” Liv asked loudly, her voice edging on amused when it blared in my ear.

“I wouldn’t object.” I answeredJulian’squestion instead, ignoring Liv’s while blinking, trying to remember how to breathe.

It crossed my mind that he might be a wealth of information concerning HIN-190487. In fact, I was adamant in convincing myselfthiswas the reason I so readily accepted his invitation to disappear together for a while, but … in my heart of hearts I knew better. It’d been his charm, hisallure,that earned him such a quick response.

He was more than pleased I said yes. The release of tension in his brow and jaw made that clear, the hint of a smile confirming it further. Seeing him come to life when I accepted, his offer excited me in ways that weren’t allowed. Not with all I knew him to be, with the oppression I’d known humans to suffer at the hand of his kind over the centuries.

But then a chilled hand went to the small of my back, causing those thoughts to scamper toward the shadows where they were easy to ignore, even if only for a moment. As I was led through a crowd comprised of men who revered him,and women who suddenly enviedme, it was almost as though there was no distinction between our two worlds.

His.

Mine.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Corina

Bodies parted, making room as we moved toward the exit. It wasn’t until we reached the gallery that I second-guessed this, questioned whether I was playing right into a trap. Our pace was swift as Julian led me toward the foyer where I entered more than an hour ago. However, instead of heading out through the grand entrance like I expected, we turned down a broad corridor flanked at either side by somber-faced, uniformed men, earpieces visible.

Sentinels.

At the sight of them, my pulse strengthened, pounding a frantic beat at the base of my throat. I lowered my chin to hide it, keeping my eyes trained on my shoes as Julian stepped away, approaching a sentinel that stood guard beside an elevator door.

“I’m certain several cameras will attempt to follow us up, but I trust you’ll make sure that doesn’t happen?” he asked quietly, but not so low that I couldn’t hear. He held the man’s gaze until getting an answer.

“Of course, Your Highness. You won’t be disturbed.”

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