Page 32 of Dark Reign

Julian responded with a firm nod before coming to my side again, placing his hand exactly where it’d been before.

The rhythmic click-clack of my heels on the marbled tile was unnerving in the sudden silence, away from the music and ambient clatter of the gala. Passing the sentinel, I avoided eye contact, holding my breath until the doors of the elevator closed, sealing Julian and I inside.

Alone.

The air felt thicker in the small space, his scent surrounding me in potent waves. My nerves were consuming me in the stillness, so I was grateful when he broke the silence.

“May I ask who your connection is?”

I turned to find his gaze locked on me like I fully expected it to be. I didn’t quite understand what he was asking, and the confusion must have shown on my face.

His lips parted with a grin just as the elevator stopped, the numbers above it revealing that we had only gone to the second floor of Lord Wilford’s palace. It surprised me Julian had free reign of someone else’s home, then I remembered who his father was, and that this entire dynasty was their domain. Literally, every door from one end of the Earth to the other was open to him. Hence the reason the sentinel didn’t even bat an eye at our use of the lord’s private property.

The sound of my tall heels filled the space again as Julian guided me.

“Pardon me if that question was forward, I only ask because these events are rather exclusive. And it’s because of the exclusivity that I tend to see the same faces recycled over and over again. I’m sure you can guess the guestlists don’t change often,” he reasoned. “But … somehowourpaths have never crossed, and none of my Dynasty Brothers recognize you either. I suppose I’m curious how that’s possible.”

Now I understood.

When I paused to rifle inside my purse a moment, he watched until I resurfaced with an answer. At the sight of my press pass, a tight smirk accompanied a nod.

“Ah, I see … You’re a reporter.”

“Don’t lose him, Cori,” Felix chimed in. “He’ll clam up if he thinks you’re just there to get a story. Do whatever it takes to convince him that’s not the case.”

“Yeah, but don’t lay it on too thick,” Liv added. “He’ll know if you’re trying too hard.”

I wanted to switch off the earpiece, wanted my headspace all to myself, but I knew that wouldn’t go over well. My best defense was ignoring the team’s frequent interjections.

Julian and I ended our short walk at a pair of French doors that stretched from floor to ceiling. He held one open for me to pass through, and then followed me out onto a broad terrace, one overlooking a beautiful, moonlit garden below.

Turning to Julian, I kept in mind what Felix said, that the prince would shut down if he suspected I had ulterior motives for being here tonight. While that wasn’t entirely untrue, my motives definitely had nothing to do with scooping a story about the Eastern Dynasty’s golden boy.

“Did I scare you off?” I asked as we approached the edge, bracing our hands on a smooth, stone banister as we stared out across the greenery. “You haven’t said one word since you found out what I do for a living.”

The stretch of silence that followed left me wondering if I’d shot myself in the foot.

“It takes a little more than a plastic I.D. card to scare me,” he insisted, and I was hopeful again. “But … I can admit I might be a bit skeptical of the press these days.”

I nodded, understanding how that might be. With what I saw a few floors down—the camera lenses of ambitious reporters aimed his way, hoping for some morsel of gossip to feed their minions—how could Inotunderstand.

A settling breath made its way to my lungs. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I only used my work as an excuse to score the free ticket. It was either that or spend an entire year’s salary on admission. So, I put my thinking cap on, and being rather resourceful, I promised the editor nothing more than a fluff piece documenting Lord Wilford’s party décor and a rundown of the menu. In exchange, I landed a free night out on the paper’s dime,” I embellished. “I know it may seem like a lot of trouble to go through, but I don’t get out much. So, I figured what better time to spread my wings than the most anticipated gala of the century.”

To my surprise, he smiled, seeming to buy the pile of lies I just shoveled toward him.

“Wow … that’s—”

“Sad? Pathetic?” I guessed with a laugh.

His pearly white smile flashed when he glanced over, moonlight swimming in those silver eyes. I couldn’t turn away.

“Actually, the word I was thinking of was‘fortunate’—formeanyway. If you hadn’t put forth the effort, I wouldn’t have met you.”

I swallowed hard, doing all I could to prevent his words, his presence, from getting to me. However, fighting was futile.

“This cannot be real,” Liv whispered, speaking my thoughts aloud.

It was then that I realized I’d gotten carried away, lost in the fantasy of it all, forgotten the objective. I turned to look out over the garden again. It was easier to clear my head when I wasn’t facing him.

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