Page 35 of God Touched

"I wondered where you had gotten to. I apologize for not waiting for you. I just had so many new friends to make," Imogen replied. Owain passed her a glass of wine, but she nursed it without drinking. There was something about him that made her hunter instincts twitch.

"New friends is one way of describing them," Owain said, looking about the room. "These parties are all the same. Inane chatter, the same scandals, the same old nonsense. At least when Arawan was sleeping, we could do more with our time than dance to his will."

Is that so? I wonder what you were doing unsupervised,Imogen mused. He was clearly comfortable in his authority to bitch about Arawan to a stranger.

"Now, that sounds like a male jaded by the times. You have a great opportunity to glimpse into the human realm again. Things have changed so much. I doubt you would be very jaded for long," Imogen replied, trying her best to sound enthusiastic.

Owain looked her over slowly. "You know, you are the best thing about this castle. How lucky for Lord Arawan to have you so close and willing to do his bidding."

Imogen looked up at him from under her lashes. "I'm here to foster good relations between our courts and serve any way I can."

Owain's expression heated. He took her hand and kissed her wrist. "Is that right? Perhaps you could come to my suite in the southern tower later, and we can discuss that further."

"This castle has so many suites. How will I know which one is yours?" Imogen asked, biting her bottom lip.

"There is a painting of the Wild Hunt hanging beside the door. You can't miss it," Owain replied.

Imogen placed a hand on his chest and leaned in closer. "How about I go and powder my nose, and when I come back, we can have a dance? You can tell a lot by how a male dances if he's going to be good at other…sports."

Owain smirked. "Is that a fact? In that case, you had better hurry back so I can start to convince you of my prowess, and if my dancing doesn't convince you, maybe the size of my cock will."

Imogen giggled like a scandalized virgin and stepped away from him. "I'll find you soon, my lord."

She slipped out the doors and past the guards. Duncan would never give her the key to a guest's room, so she would just have to do things the Ironwood way.

Imogen had no problem finding which rooms were Owain's. Even if he was forward as hell, the lord was charming enough, but she couldn't dismiss the niggling feeling in her hunter's gut. Her instincts were flashing big red flags at her, and she had learned the hard way to never overlook a red flag.

Imogen checked that the hall was clear before she pulled two picks out of the small clutch hanging from her wrist. It also held lipstick and Bayn's charmed knife, which was everything Imogen needed. There was no way she would step into a snake pit without a weapon on her.

Using the picks, Imogen made quick work of the lock and stepped inside Owain's suite. Growing up in a house of female hunters, Imogen had become an expert in hiding spots. She checked the obvious places, in the drawers of clothing, behind paintings, and tucked into bathroom cupboards.

"Come on, Owain, where are you hiding your dirty little secrets?" Imogen murmured to herself. Then she remembered some of Layla's elite hiding places. Of all the Ironwood sisters, Layla was always the sneakiest because she could play the most innocent. She was also incredibly good at keeping all of her treasures away from her too curious sisters.

Imogen crossed the room and checked the mattress on the bed. There was no tampering and nothing tucked under the bed itself. Imogen lay back on the pillow and something pressed into her neck.

"Sneaky son of a bitch," she laughed, sitting up again. She pulled the pillow out of its case and found a small hole in the stitching. She stuck a finger inside it and dug about in the feathers until she found something cold and smooth. It was a piece of quartz the size of her thumb and carved with runes she had never seen before. It pulsed softly in her hand like a tiny heart.Magic.

"I don't know what you are, but I'm sure Arawan will."

It could be something innocent like a charm to help him sleep at night, but she really fucking doubted it.

17

Imogen rejoined the party downstairs, disappearing into the crowd as seamlessly as she had left it. Arawan was back on his throne and looked bored. Well, she was more than ready to spice up his evening.

She wove her way through the press of people, carefully avoiding Owain until she was before Arawan's high table. Interest sparked in his eyes, and a warm feeling bloomed in her chest. She liked that she could have that effect on him, even if for a moment.

"My lord, might I be so bold as to have that dance you offered?" Imogen asked politely. Arawan frowned a little as if sensing something was off about her.

"I could never deny such a beautiful woman anything," he said, stepping down from his throne and taking her hand. He led her to the dance floor and pulled her close.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"Just smile and dance with me. People are watching," Imogen replied. He led her out into a waltz.

Kenna had insisted on all of them having dance classes growing up, and Imogen found her feet after a few turns.

"And how are you enjoying your evening, darling?" he asked.

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