Page 27 of Wolf Queen Ruin
Damien stared at me with wide eyes.“We need to work on your salt intake, dear.You’re too thirsty.”
I dragged the back of my hand over the remnants of champagne on my lips.“I gotta dosomethingwith my mouth.Um, honeybuns.”
Marcel choked on his laughter.
Damien’s face remained frozen.
A flush crept up my neck when I realized what I’d just blurted.
“Well.“ Vivienne smiled, all gleaming teeth and cold, glittery eyes.“This has beensoeye-opening meeting you.We won’t keep you from enjoying the festivities.I believe Selene is preparing to showcase her new acquisitions soon.”
“We were just heading that way ourselves,” Marcel said.“Perhaps we could view the collection together?I’d be fascinated to hear another expert’s opinion on their authenticity.”
The invitation was a transparent attempt to keep us close, either to monitor our interests or to prevent us from reaching the skin map first.Either way, declining would seem suspicious.
“We’d be happy to,” I said before Damien could, smiling brightly.“Wouldn’t we, honeybuns?”
Damien leaned into me, the action somehow breaking the awkwardness, thank god.
“Of course,” he said, offering me his arm.“Shall we?”
As we made our way toward the Eastern Gallery with our unwanted companions, I stepped close to Damien, using the pretense of an intimate moment to whisper, “You pinch my ass again, I’ll be forced to pinch yours.”
His lips barely moved as he said, “Don’t tempt me with a good time.”
I snorted, which earned me a disparaging look from Vivienne.“How am I doing?”
“You are certainly making an impression.”He glanced at me, and a devastating smile broke over his face.“Honeybuns.”
I bit back another snort.
The archway to the Eastern Gallery loomed before us, the shadow sentinels raising goose bumps along my arms as we approached.A prickling sensation started at my scalp and dropped to my toes as we passed between them—the magical equivalent of a security scan.The moonpeach’s sensory enhancement let me see the magic flowing over us, searching for deception or harmful intent.
Good thing my dress’s magic protected me from further scrutiny.
Then we were through, entering a space even more remarkable than the Grand Gallery.
The Eastern Gallery defied conventional physics.Star-like lights hovered in the air, illuminating display cases that appeared to float at various heights.Some cases seemed anchored to walls, others to the ceiling, while some drifted through the space like elegant, glowing jellyfish.The overall effect was like stepping into a three-dimensional museum where gravity was a suggestion rather than a law.
“Impressive,” Marcel said beside us.“Selene has outdone herself.”
Guests moved throughout the gallery, examining artifacts displayed in transparent cases of what appeared to be solid light rather than glass.I noted several security measures beyond the shadow sentinels, like guardians disguised as decorative statues, wards shimmering around the more valuable pieces, and what appeared to be some kind of magical surveillance system embedded in the floating lights.
“Let’s split up,” I suggested innocently.“Cover more ground that way.I’m particularly interested in the textile preservation techniques used on those ancient scrolls.”
I pointed to a distant corner of the gallery.
Vivienne smiled thinly.“What a lovely idea.Marcel, why don’t you accompany Ms.Rookwood?I’m sure Damien and I can find plenty to discuss among the older artifacts.”
Her intention was clear—separate us to probe for inconsistencies in our story while she eye-fucked Damien.
I met Damien’s gaze, silently communicating that I could handle Marcel while he dealt with Vivienne.
“Don’t let her steal you away completely, honeybuns,” I told Damien, stretching up to brush a kiss against his cheek.
My lips tingled at the cool smoothness of his skin, and a tremor rippled down his frame as I pulled away.
He gazed down, and our eyes locked.For a moment, the rest of the room dissolved, and I became weightless.Breathless.
