Page 37 of Veil of Death and Shadow

When I glanced down at her, I could tell she was just as infected with the headiness of this place as I was. She swayed gently to the music, her body loose, happier and more relaxed than I’d seen her in a while. Maybe months.

Seeing her like that eased whatever lingering tension I held onto, until it was gone altogether.

“Hi.” The man glanced between us, his gaze settling on me. “I’m Ren.”

His voice was smoky and smooth, like silk against skin.

I glanced down at his wrists, not seeing a band, and a spark of fear fluttered briefly in my chest. Not human.

Studying his face—sharp jaw line, flawless golden-brown skin—I tried to parse what kind of demon he might be. Unless a demon flashed fang or transformed into a werewolf, it was generally impossible to tell.

“I’m Sora, and this is my friend Mars.” She elbowed me in the hip.

“Mars?” He tilted his head slightly, his gaze dipping to my mouth briefly, before trailing back to my eyes.

Blinking, I cleared my throat, extending my hand. “Mareena.”

Mars was reserved only for my close circle, and hot as he may be, this man was definitely not in it.

When his hand closed over mine, I shivered, the feel of his skin against mine far more intimate than it would have been in any other setting. “Care to dance with me, Mareena?”

He said my name like a purr, and my stomach dipped at the sound.

It took a lot to tear my eyes from his, but I managed it as I turned my focus to Sora. “I’m here with my friend actually.”

“Go.” Sora shoved me forward, shaking her head. “Have fun. We’ll check in with each other in a bit, okay? Relax and try to have some fucking fun for once.” The last part was a quiet plea, to me only, her glare piercing as if to cement the demand into reality.

When I nodded, Ren settled his hand on my lower back, the weight of it doing nothing to calm the low arousal that had been coursing through me since the moment we walked in.

I let him lead me out to the floor, as the song transitioned into something slower.

“Your first time here, Mareena?” he whispered the question against the shell of my ear as our bodies moved—twining as they responded to the music and each other.

“Mhm,” I hummed, relaxing a little as the beat pulsed through me. I’d never been a particularly smooth dancer—at least not in public. But something about this place tore away those inhibitions, that fear of being perceived.

“And are you enjoying yourself?”

I nodded, shifting closer to him as a group of people slithered around us.

Ren smelled like power and promise—a spicy combination of cinnamon and clove.

Breathing it in, I let him pull me closer, until my body was firmly against his, his thigh sliding between mine as he effortlessly moved us to the music.

We were below one of the caged dancers and I watched them with rapt fascination, their limbs flexible and lithe as their body married the music, so smooth and filled with so much ease that it was almost impossible to figure out which was in control—the music or the dancer.

“They’re something aren’t they?” Ren’s breath grazed my neck, and my body erupted with chills. His fingers trailed along my arm, my back, featherlight—the barest suggestion of more.

I looked up, my focus latching on his mouth. Pressure sparked in my body, the slow building need, now almost impossible to ignore.

Ren’s lips parted and he inched his face toward mine, waiting for me to pull back.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I glanced up at his eyes, nodding at the question etched in them.

He closed the distance, the warmth of his mouth merging with mine as he sealed us together.

Heat flooded me as I sank into the kiss.

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