Page 74 of A Fate so Cruel

They glanced to the governor who nodded his permission, then the servant led her toward the stairs. Selina stumbled once and Rion caught her arm, inquiring if she were all right like the dutiful boyfriend he was. The guards watched, their gazes wary.

Five minutes. That’s all he’d be able to give her.

She made a good show of tripping up the stairs before disappearing into a dimly lit hall. Rion shook his head as if annoyed with the state of his companion.

The governor busied himself with another couple and Rion leaned against the wall nearest the stairs to wait for her, doing his best to appear indifferent. A servant offered him a glass from the tray they carried. Rion took it, then watched to be sure the other patrons were drinking from the same tray before he dared a sip. He figured they were probably too drunk to plan his assassination without risking the health of others, but one couldn’t be too careful.

Three minutes passed.

Then four.

The guard at the top of the hall peered down it and Rion made a show of meeting his gaze and looking toward the same hall as if impatient.

Another minute.

The guard exchanged a look with another downstairs.

Rion sighed, set his flute down on the edge of the railing, then proceeded upstairs. The male at the top stiffened, but Rion only had to glance at the guard before he pointed him down the hall. Rion followed her scent, but it didn’t lead to the bathroom. It led around the corner and three doors down. She’d left the door slightly ajar.

He pushed it open with the tip of his boot and found her leaned over a cherry wood desk, silently rummaging through a drawer. There were papers scattered across the surface and more littered the floor.

Rion glanced down the hall again before closing the door in his wake. “Find anything?” he whispered.

“No,” she hissed, closing one drawer before moving onto the next. “There’s a safe behind the large picture frame downstairs though.”

Rion arched a brow. “How do you know?”

“Because the paint on the lower corner is rubbed off. Someone moves it often.”

“That’s probably where you’ll find what you need then.” He wasn’t sure why she’d even bothered with the room.

Selina placed her hands on her hips and huffed. “I know, but getting—” She was in front of him before Rion could blink. Fast. So much faster than he’d seen her move before. He stepped back, but then her lips were on his, her hands trailing down his chest to his belt. Then somehow, those hands were on his skin, running up his back, tugging him close.

He thought he’d prepared himself, thought he could control the urges, but then her tongue glided into his mouth and he was hers. Totally. Irrevocably.

He pushed her into the desk, knocking whatever sat there to the floor. He didn’t care, not as he lifted one hand to cup her face and knot his fingers through her soft hair. Rion angled her back, just the way he wanted.

Desire flooded his body. He wanted to rip the dress to shreds and claim her right there on the table.

Her legs wrapped around his waist and Rion leaned in, grinding his hips against hers, moving on instinct and nothing more.

She sighed into his mouth and his hand traveled down her body to the slit in her dress. His fingers grazed her thigh—a throat cleared by the door.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Rion pulled himself away from Selina and turned to the guard standing there, his hand resting lightly on the knife in his belt.

Undiluted rage blinded him. Rion’s sand rose and his lips pulled back to reveal razor sharp fangs. Then he moved. In less than a second, he had one hand around the male’s throat, lifted him from the floor, and slammed his body so hard into the rear wall that the plaster cracked. It spider-webbed outward and toward the ceiling. Pictures fell from their hooks and Rion’s magic crawled across the male’s body, pinning his arms and legs in place.

The male’s mouth gaped, his eyes wide. Stunned.

A singular thought pulsed through Rion’s entire being.

Mine.

This male wouldn’t touch her, wouldn’t look at her, wouldn’t desire her.

A pair of hands grabbed the back of his arm, tugging, and Rion spun to find Selina staring, bewilderment written across her face and . . . there it was.

He’d tasted it from her once before, but she couldn’t hide it now. The familiar coppery tang invaded his nose, addled his senses. Fear poured from her, even as she stood in his magic.

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