Page 5 of Princely Agreement

Chapter Four

LEO

“And what about that one?” my mother says as we take another turn around the dance floor.

“Owen Taintus? I guess nothing except his last name,” I say, and my mother snorts.

“Yes, it’s rather unfortunate. Zelly wouldn’t appreciate the monogram either.”

“ZIT?” I offer, and my mother tries to press her lips together to keep from laughing. “Yes I suppose it’s not a match then.”

Her eyes are sharp on the crowd as we move to the music being played by the live orchestra. It’s clear tonight that Cinder Financial is alive and well and not afraid to drop some serious coin on this extravagant party.

“And you’re sure you don’t think the twins would be an option?’ my mother asks for the second time, and I shake my head.

“Matthew and Jace aren’t even Cinders, though it seems like everyone has forgotten that in the rush to fill the void left by their stepfather.”

She hums in agreement before the music comes to a stop. Just before the next song plays, Flynn appears like an absolute saint and offers his hand to my mother.

“Come on, Janet, let’s dance. I’ll let you make a man out of me yet,” Flynn jokes, but my mother scowls.

“Is it necessary to be so lewd?” she huffs, but she takes his offered hand, and I swear I see her cheeks turn a little pink when he bends down to kiss it.

“Take it easy on him,” I tell my mother before the two of them waltz back into the crowd.

On the other side of the room, I see Matthew and Jace speaking to some of the executives from Evermore Holdings. It’s another one of the major players in this city, and if they’re looking to legitimize their claim on Cinder Financial, then it’s probably a good move to get on their good side.

Franklin Cinder died suddenly five years ago, leaving behind a widow named Fiona and her two sons. I’d heard rumors of a young daughter, but she must have gone abroad to live with family after his death.

No one has seen her in years, and it was assumed that she would need full-time care with Fiona recovering from her injuries. It was a tragedy, but I was away at school when it happened, so I didn’t get all the details.

All I know is that when I got back, Matthew and Jace had temporarily taken over but are now looking for permanent placement. Prince Enterprise has dealings with them—most everyone in the city does—and in the few times I’ve had to interact with them, I’ve been less than impressed. If it were me, I’d think long and hard before putting them in charge, and maybe I ought to make my opinions better known to Evermore Holdings.

But even as I glance around the room, I realize that will probably be an impossibility tonight. There are hundreds of people here, and there’s practically a line forming behind Matthew and Jace to speak to the Evermore executives. I’ll make a call early next week and drop a few hints. Maybe find out where their heads are on the whole situation.

Glancing at Flynn and my mother, I see they haven’t killed one another yet, so I go in search of a drink. These kinds of parties exhaust me because I can only put on a fake smile for so many hours. There are people everywhere, and when I finally reach the bar, I order a double out of sheer desperation.

After I down the entire thing in one gulp, I order another but decide to take my time with this one. In the distance behind the bar, I see a flash of color that catches my attention. It’s odd because that hallway is blocked off with a velvet rope and not well lit. It’s supposed to be closed off for the party, but as I move closer to get a better look, I see the flash of color again. It’s ice blue and it sparkles, and now I have to know what it is exactly.

Placing my drink on the bar, I glance behind me to make sure no one sees me slip behind the privacy rope and down the hall. Up ahead, there’s a door slowly closing, and I see the flash of blue disappear inside. Something about it calls to me, and although I don’t understand why, I have this feeling in my gut that I have to follow it.

I hurry my steps until I reach the door, and thankfully when I turn the handle, it silently opens for me. I slip inside undetected, and even in the dimly lit room I can see it’s a library. One that would rival my own, which is saying something.

A soft sound comes from the other side of the room, and it’s almost like singing. There’s a gentle hum in the quiet, and then out of the shadows steps the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. The dazzling blue is her dress, and it twirls as she hums the melody of the music to herself. I’m mesmerized by her every movement as she dances with her eyes closed and sings the song softly.

I could name every person in that ballroom of hundreds of people, but this creature is unknown to me. There’s no way I would have ever seen her before because I wouldn’t have forgotten something so pure and innocent.

My tie feels tight around my neck, and my skin heats as I take a step toward her. There’s an ache in the pit of my stomach like I’ve leapt from a tall building, and there’s nothing under my feet. I don’t blink because I don’t want to miss a moment of her perfection in the moonlight, and yet even as I watch her, it feels like I’m running out of time.

“May I have this dance?” I say before I can stop myself, and the spell is broken.

The beautiful songbird stutters to a stop and gasps in surprise to see me standing there. “I’m sorry. I was—”

“Please.” I cut her off and try to somehow recapture the moment. Taking another step forward, I reach for her hand, and when her petal-soft skin touches mine, there’s a jolt of something familiar. It flows through my veins and heads straight to my soul. “Dance with me,” I manage to say, my voice husky and low.

This close to her perfection is nearly unsettling as I pull her into my arms. Her ice-blue eyes that match her dress perfectly look up at me in wonder.

“Who are you?” She asks the question as she breathes, and it makes it as soft as butterfly wings.

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