Page 68 of Tortured Royals

“Never stop.”

Mason chuckles. “I wouldn’t if I had it my way, my mate.”

My lips quirk up, and I crack my eyes open just as Dante stops before us, holding drinks out to me and Prince Callan.

“Here. This’ll help too,” Dante says, and I reach up, taking the glass.

I don’t even bother asking what’s in it. I drink greedily, glad that he’s given me something that burns as it goes down. I’ve already finished it by the time Dante hands drinks to the others, and he grins, refilling my glass before pouring one for himself.

“So, it sounds like you’ve all had a productive day,” Luna says, sitting on the settee opposite me.

I take my feet from Mason, murmuring a thank you, and planting them on the floor.

“I’m not sure productive is the word I’d use,” Dante drawls, “but it was certainly enlightening.”

Noah drops down beside Luna and curls his arm across her shoulders. “So what do we do now? Just wait until my invitation comes?”

“How ’bout we get somethin’ to eat?” Nate suggests. “I’m fuckin’ starvin’.”

At that, Dante organizes us a ridiculous amount of food, and we discuss the witches and the realms while we eat. When everyone has had their fill, Dante sits at the grand piano in the far corner of the room. The conversation dies off as Dante’s fingers fly over the keys, music filling the room andfiltering through the house. He plays a soulful melody that tugs at something inside me, bringing my emotions simmering to the surface. The tempo increases, and I approach the demon, standing to one side.

Dante’s fingers go from one end of the piano to the other, and when he plays the last note, I give him a soft smile. “I didn’t know you played.”

“It’s one of the things that’s helped to distract me,” he replies, his midnight blue gaze sliding to my face.

“Distract you?”

“Distract me while I was away from my mate,” he replies, his gaze so intense it makes me shiver. “I wrote that one for you, princess. As I did many others.”

My heart stutters. “You…wrote it for me?”

His lips curve up. “Was it not to your liking, my mate?”

Mate.Because they’re all mine now. The tattoos burn against my skin, and I smile, my chest feeling as though it might burst. Leaning down, I plant my lips on Dante’s, and he pulls me onto his lap, deepening the kiss.

Luna clears her throat. “As much as I’m glad that Dante can finally stop pining, the invitation could arrive at any moment.”

“We should be preparing,” Alaric agrees, and it’s the first time he’s spoken in a long while.

I pull my lips from Dante’s because they’re right.

“So what’s the plan for the dinner party?” Noah asks Dante. “I’m guessin’ you’re not going as me this time?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s too dangerous. If Ivar is poisoning the food, the last thing we need is Dante eating it as well. I say once we know where the dinner party is being held, we break in and pretend to be waitstaff.”

“Ivar won’t be happy that Noah hasn’t attended,” Dante says. “Luna and Noah, you might want to lay low for a while.”

“Without knowin’ the layout of Ivar’s house, it’ll be hard for us to slip in undetected,” Nate points out.

“The kitchens are usually on the ground floor,” Dante says. “If we can take the places of a few of the servers, all we have to do is follow the crowd and we’ll be led to where we need to go.”

Luna frowns. “But if you know where Ivar is going to be, why not take him out before the party?”

“We need the clan leaders if we’re going to survive a battle against the witches,” I reply. “Despite what Ivar believes, the clans won’t fight unless their leaders command it. But Ivar has swayed them to his cause. Even Gloria agreed to assassinate the king, and she was the one who seemed the most reluctant.”

Prince Callan’s expression is grim. “You think if we reveal Ivar’s plan to poison them, it will restore their support for the king?”

“And then they’ll be willin’ to fight for the king again in the war?” Nate says.

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