Noah snags my chin, staring into my eyes. “This isn’t your fight, Charlie. The way your daddy has reigned… he’s brought this uprising on himself. All we can do is protect ourselves.”
I shift away from his grasp, and he drops his hand to his side. “No,” I say firmly. “That isn’t good enough.”
His eyes narrow slightly, still holding mine. “You can’t save everyone, Charlotte.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Is that what you came to tell me?”
Noah exhales. His breath fogs the air between us. “Well, that, and to let you know that we’re going to crash a party at the mansion.”
I blink at him. “Are you trying to get hung on the wall?”
“Use your brain for a second, sweetheart. Since the traitor is within Alexander’s family, it stands to reason he—or she—will be in attendance. All we have to do is sniff them out.”
He’s right, of course. But the thought of being back in that place, with the people who stood by as I was cast out, makes my skin crawl with anxiety.
I realize I’m chewing my lip so hard the skin has torn. Noah notices the same time I do, and slowly, he lifts his hand. Using the pad of his thumb, he wipes a drop of blood away. His fingers are rough, calloused and worn.
“I think this is one of the worst ideas you’ve had,” I inform him, ignoring the catch in my voice.
“Guess we’ll find out, huh?”
I’m glaring now, back in familiar territory. “I’m serious, Noah. There’s no way we’ll be able to sneak in.”
The idea of asking Alexander crosses my mind, but I immediately squash it. Whether or not we’re working for him, to solve his problem, there’s no way he’ll knowingly allow a Lavender to attend a royal function.
The bounty hunter rakes his fingers through his onyx hair and grins. “Good thing I actually have an invitation, and that it’s a masquerade ball.”
“Wait. What?” I say dumbly.
“You know, an event in which everyone wears masks?”
“I know what a masquerade ball is, you egotistical waste of fangs. Why didn’t you mention you have an invitation? That changes everything.”
Noah chuckles. “Don’t think I missed the way your pulse jumped when I touched you. Still thinking about our kiss?”
“No,” I lie. The word flies from my lips too quickly. “Are you?”
“Of course not.” The vampire’s eyes glimmer with amusement. He steps closer, and I immediately retreat. When he does it again, my back bumps the other building exterior and my heart races. I’ve got nowhere to go. “I certainly didn’t think about you while I was fucking a pretty brunette last night. Didn’t think about the noises you’d make as I ravished your pussy with my tongue, my fingers, my cock. Didn’t think about how my name would sound on your lips while you moaned it as you came.”
I’m completely frozen as he lifts his hand and cups the side of my neck, tilting my head up with his thumb under my jaw. “Noah,” I force out, my heart in my throat, pounding loudly in my ears.
The corner of his mouth curves into a downright wicked smirk. He dips his face closer, licking his lips, and I’m certain he can feel the race of my pulse in my throat. The scent of his expensive cologne invades my senses and my jaw clenches in response. He may be a vampire, but I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to sink my fangs into his throat and taste his blood.
“We can’t go there,” I breathe at the last moment.
Noah pauses, then leans back to look into my eyes. “No?”
I manage to shake my head. “We need to focus on making a plan for tonight.”
“I assure you, I can multitask. I’d be more than happy to prove it.” My entire body flushes, liking that offer way too much. I close my eyes, trying to clear my head. Noah is all-consuming, and this close, I don’t stand a chance. His voice drops an octave as he murmurs, “You don’t want this?”
I slowly open my eyes, and of course, he’s still right there. Close enough to see the flecks of amber in his green irises. Opening my mouth to tell him no, I don’t want this, I panic when nothing comes out. My throat has gone dry and my heart hammers against my chest.
My mouth snaps shut as realization whips through me. I want this too much. That’s the problem. Noah isn’t… good. Especially not good for me.
Suddenly I want to run.
Noah drops his hands from my face and steps back. “That’s okay. I can wait—I know our first kiss won’t be the last. It’s only a matter of time before you succumb to your desire for me.”
The certainty in his voice makes me want to stay there and argue. That, and slap the arrogance out of him. With some distance between us, I can finally think straight. “We should talk about the masquerade.”
“Subtle topic shift.” He leans against the opposite wall. “And here I thought you royals were supposed to be adept at playing games.”
I shoot him a look. “Can you focus, just once?”
“Easy, baby vampire. I’m all for the work hard, play hard mentality. So, let’s get the work out of the way. I think you’ll very much enjoy my ideas for the play.”
“You… are insufferable,” I snap. “I suddenly have even more respect for Sylvia.”
Noah pouts. “Mean.”
I don’t bother responding as we walk out of the alley and onto the sidewalk together. Noah escorts me back to the hotel, and neither of us attempts to start another round of insults or arguments. Overhead, the sky is a blend of blue and pink. Night and day clashing, fighting each other, even though we all know how it ends. How it always ends, no matter how hard she fights him.
“So what’s the plan for getting into this masquerade, exactly?” I ask as a traffic light changes, and the roar of traffic fills the air. “Waltz through the front door? Ask the traitor to announce themselves?”
Noah grins. There’s something about his smile, a mischievous darkness to those lips, that makes me suppress a shiver.
“Actually, I was thinking more of a tango,” he says.
Chapter Two
Once again, I meet Noah in the lobby.
I spot him standing at the front desk. His profile is familiar, but that’s the only reason I recognize him. As Noah says something to the blushing human, I struggle to hold onto an indifferent expression.
Noah Forrest is wearing a suit.
Hearing my heels click against the tile, he turns. With his dark hair and pale skin, Noah is stark, frightening, and lovely. I immediately feel a sense of inadequacy—my dress is something I’d wear to Crimson—but I quash it down and remind myself that I have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing.
“Car is waiting out front,” Noah says by way of greeting, his dark gaze blatantly traveling the length of me. A pulse of heat goes through my lower stomach. Ignoring it, I walk toward the doors and try not to glance at the Feeding Suite. The smell drifts to me, though, a plethora of cleaning products and blood types. Even though I fed from Deacon before I went to sleep, my fangs begin to slide out, poking at my bottom lip like mischievous children. Will you never be sated? I ask the monster, glaring at my own reflection as I approach the glass doors.