Page 29 of Scales and Seduction

For all their differences, it’s clear both men carry their own burdens but have some hope that they can find love with the app.

“If you’re both interested in the app, why not find a way to stop whoever is out to get me? Then maybe you can get your own mates.” My voice is firm, and I cross my arms over my chest.

Silas grins, pushing himself off the desk to stand beside Loran. “We’ll protect you, Ruby. We want to find out who’s doing all of this, but all we have to go off is an old dead king and a curse.”

Loran nods, his expression remaining serious. “No matter what, Ruby, we will keep you safe. Let’s hope our fearless leader knows what he’s doing.”

Their promise should comfort me, but it leaves me feeling more concerned about what’s coming. Gideon and I have a connection I can’t shake, and it’s clear he wants me to stay, but it’s a reminder that this app has taken all of our control away.

For now, their words have to be enough. Giving them a small, grateful smile, I try to hide the simmering unease in my stomach. “Thank you.”

Loran returns the smile, and Silas gives a playful wink, saying, “Now let’s hope they don’t tear you apart at dinner.”

The dining hall is decorated in a grandiose spectacle, just as I knew it would be. The table in the center of the room seats thirty, and there are pillows scattered everywhere on the floor for guests to sit on. Ruby sits beside Silas, directly across from me. Her appearance draws curious glances from Avalon’s parents. My mother sits at the head of the table, and each sharp look in Ruby’s direction is a silent reminder that she wasn’t invited.

Seating her beside Silas was his idea. In his words, he “deserved a pretty date for this shit show.”

My fiancée sits beside me, as always, the picture-perfect example of poise. She wears the finest black gown with twinkling jewels that hang off her shoulder in tiny webs. The room is tense, to say the least.

“So, do tell me where your friend is from?” Avalon’s mother peers over her glass of wine at Ruby. Her question is dipped in false interest, and I hate the way Ruby’s shoulders tense.

“Ruby’s from outside of the Vale,” Silas answers immediately in a cool tone, a façade he was so adept at creating, given his line of work.

“Oh?” she asks unenthusiastically, but she gives a polite smile as if the answer satisfies her curiosity. As the first course arrives, the servants move gracefully around the table placing bowls of roasted mushroom bisque in front of us. The moment the bowl is set in front of Lady Alyss, her face squishes upward in bitter disapproval.

Ruby glances at me, and I give her a subtle nod of reassurance, wishing I was beside her, where I could squeeze her thigh to let her know she is safe. “Yes, I live in a tiny town,” she keeps her answer vague.

Lady Alyss makes a noise of disapproval in the back of her throat. “I see… Well, I am pleased you will be here for the wedding. You will see nothing like this in your quaint little town, I’d imagine.”

My mother takes it upon herself to seize control of the conversation, and for once, I’m grateful. She blathers on and on about the upcoming nuptials, which takes Alyss and her husband’s complete attention.

“Have you lost your mind?” Avalon hisses through her teeth, her breath catching in my ear. “Why would you bring her here tonight of all nights?”

The surrounding conversation is loud, but not loud enough to conceal the entirety of what we might say. “Not now. We can talk later.”

Avalon’s perfectly arched brow lifts at my defiance. “No, let’s speak now, honey.” She rises to her feet, knowing everyone in the room will go along with her. “I need a moment with my husband-to-be. My apologies.”

She leads me down the corridor with the grace of a predator, and I follow reluctantly as I always have, at her beck and call. Avalon has a way of forcing my submission to her. With just a bat of her pretty eyes, I have always folded to her whims.

Out under the night sky, the air feels chilled, with a faint scent of the gardens wafting our way. Avalon leans against the balustrade, her expression calculating.

“What’s so urgent you needed to pull me away from that fascinating conversation about all the ways our wedding will have silks?” I ask sarcastically.

She doesn’t rise to my bait; instead, she squares her shoulders, meeting my gaze with a predatory glare. “It seems you have brought a new plaything to our dinner, and you didn’t have the heart to ask first.”

I stiffen but try my damnedest to keep my expression neutral. “Are you jealous?”

Avalon’s face doesn’t falter as she steps forward, giving me a devious grin. “Me? I couldn’t care less how you pass time before our big day, but bringing her here is a slap in the face.”

My jaw clenches as I watch a thin smirk spread across her elongated mouth, dripping in satisfaction. “We know what our arrangement is, but I’m no longer interested in maintaining it.”

Avalon’s expression softens momentarily as she inhales a breath, thinking through her next choice of words. “Of course, this arrangement,” she gestures between us, “has always been about appearances and sex. So why would it matter what either of us does with our time or with whom?” She smirks, chuckling as she leans farther down into my face. “But we know she is different, isn’t she?”

I force myself to rein in the shock that flickers across my face before burying it beneath the mask I wear around others. “Yes, she’s different from anyone before.” I can feel Avalon’s not-so-subtle prodding. The way she pushes me just enough to unsettle me and pull the answers from my lips, simply for the pleasure of watching me squirm.

Avalon smiles, straightening herself back to full height, though her palm presses against my chest. “Tell me the truth.”Her fingers trail upward toward my neck, which she knows is my most sensitive arousal zone. This time, her touch does nothing. I grab hold of her wrist, pulling her arm away. “How did the human get here?”

My breathing catches as I hear the word “human” come from her lips. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I wrench myself from her grasp, baring my teeth in a snarl. “I can’t go through with this wedding.”

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