Page 132 of Fated In Blood

Livingon the run didn’t afford many opportunities for fancy dress dinners, and I’d never, ever worn anything like the midnight blue gown someone—probably Riordan—had laid out on my freshly made bed.

The bodice was embroidered with sparkling crystals, tightly fitted over my waist and hips before poofing into a wild spill of glittering blue silk and tulle. Thin beaded sleeves covered the tops of my shoulders but left a large expanse of my chest exposed, all the better for the enormous necklace—a teardrop stone surrounded in diamonds—to be displayed. Of course, there were matching earrings and a cuff bracelet that looked like they should be stored in the Tower of London.

I ran my finger over the huge stone, leaving a smeared fingerprint.

This was ridiculous.

We should be going to war, not to dinner.

I toweled off and braided my damp hair into a heavy bun, smoothing back all the errant curls with a generous handful of product. Then I slipped the dress over a pair of matching dark-blue panties. The bodice fit like a glove, while the full skirts were easy to move in, something else Riordan had probably factored in when he’d chosen this.

Hopefully running for my life wasn’t on tonight’s agenda, but I wasn’t optimistic.

Shoes with the skinniest heels I’d ever seen went on next, then the jewelry, worry shivering through me when I held up the teardrop pendant, watching the stone splinter into a thousand different blues. I could probably buy a house with this damn thing.

God. Looking at myself in the mirror took me back to the last time I’d gone to Darkmore and ended up bleeding out in Tyrell’s fancy office. My own choice but still. I gripped the edge of the sink for dear life, freckles standing out in stark relief, a pulse pounding in the hollow of my throat.

I’d never been this scared.

From his shaken appearance earlier, I came to the only conclusion that made sense. Riordan had been outplayed.

Tyrell had engineered every aspect of tonight, and we were walking right into his trap.

I didn’t know when I’d ever felt this powerless.

I narrowed my eyes at my reflection.

“You can handle this, Evie. You’re stronger and faster and smarter than you ever were. You know more, and Riordan wouldn’t take you along if there was any other choice.”

“Nice speech.” Blake chuckled, stepping into the bathroom with a grin. “You wouldn’t happen to have one of those for me, would you, little slayer?”

Not only did I not have a speech prepared, suddenly I was incapable of talking altogether. Blake Marten in a simple t-shirt and jeans was a work of art, but Blake in a tuxedo was…holy fuck was he hot.

“Well?” He did an elegant turn on the carpet, and I noticed he’d kept his boots. “Aren’t you going to say something?”

“You look…clean.” I choked. I was definitely not going to tell him he looked good enough to eat. Or any of the other things I wanted to do to him right now.

Falling on my knees and taking him into my mouth…God, my entire body heated up at the thought.

“High praise, coming from you, Slayer.” He winked then crossed to me and threaded my arm through his, turning us so we both faced the mirror.

Blake took my breath away, towering over me in his fine tailored suit, long hair gathered back, not a strand out of place…Yet somehow still he managed to look untamed, his hooded gaze fixed on me with single-minded intent.

Blake reminded me of a brewing storm, where even the thunderous clouds and flashes of lightning masked the true depths of power brewing within, ready to lash out and decimate everything in his path.

“You are the most stunning creature I’ve ever seen, Evangeline. You bewitch me now, like you did that first time I saw you. Not a day goes by without me thinking of that moment, wondering if I’d imagined that spark of hope that flared in my chest when our eyes met.” He laid his warm palm over my arm, thumb rubbing circles on my bare skin.

“Did I imagine that spark, Evie? Am I a fool to hope it was real?”

“It was real,” I admitted softly, unable to take my eyes off him. I’d lied to myself about so many things in my life. That I wanted to become one of my father’s soldiers. That I could protect my mother and my sister from my own family.

That I was strong enough to take on the world alone.

But I couldn’t lie to myself about Blake, not any longer. Not with the proof thumping in my chest, that constant tug beneath my heart pulling me toward him.

“Thank God.” He cradled my face in one calloused palm, making me feel impossibly delicate, then brushed his lips over mine hard enough I tasted his smile. “I promise to protect you tonight, Evangeline. Even if I can no longer walk, even if I can no longer fight, I will find a way to keep you safe.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” I said breathlessly, my already wobbly stomach doing flip flops.

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