Chapter 13 Katarina
We’d been standing in this receiving line for more than an hour.
How many freaking people were coming to this Equinox Ball?
I’d yet to see anyone I recognized from the Crescent Coven enter the room, but then again, I wouldn’t put it past Murielle to be fashionably late.
She liked having the world revolve around her.
If Roman was frustrated by the constant meet and greet, he didn’t show any signs. Not until I started to rock back and forth on my feet to give them some relief from the heels. “Stop fidgeting,” he gritted out through his smile.
“My feet hurt,” I grumbled right back at him, smiling at an older man and woman who nodded as they passed. I think they were some sort of shifters.
Roman turned to face me and looked like he was about to say something when he suddenly straightened up as he noticed someone in the doorway.
“Here we go,” he whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arm around my lower back and pulled me closer to his side.
I turned my head to see who had him on edge and noticed the tall, dark-haired woman wearing a crown of willow branches.
Looking more like a showgirl than the leader of the Crescent Coven, Murielle entered the grand ballroom.
The crowd parted as she stepped inside, men and women bowing toward her like she was a damn queen.
Roman cleared his throat, making me wonder if he was having the same thoughts. Granted, I didn’t know what type of relationship Murielle and Roman had, but I suspected it was cordial at best. “If she says anything about the necklace, just smile.”
I looked up at him with narrowed eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself and—”
“Katarina,” Murielle cooed. Her long, dark hair had been perfectly curled and hung freely to her waist. Someone had done a very professional job highlighting her alarmingly light blue eyes and sharp cheekbones.
I had no idea how old Murielle really was, but tonight, she looked no older than twenty-five but wore an aura of maturity one only got with decades of life experience behind them.
There wasn’t a wrinkle to be seen and I snickered to myself as I thought about how many virgins had to be sacrificed for her to gain her youthful looks tonight.
A slight smirk grew at the corner of her mouth as she focused on me.
She stood at eye level with me tonight, so I didn’t miss the way her gaze traveled down my throat and hesitated on the necklace I was supposed to steal for her. “What a surprise.”
I nodded my head and ignored Roman’s tight grasp on my waist. “Murielle.”
“I thought you were dead,” she mused with zero concern in her voice.
“Not yet,” I quipped, not missing the way roman’s fingers tightened against my waist.
“Yes,” she said as she twirled a string of wooden beads that hung down her chest. She looked like a dryad—like one of those fairies who became trees.
Maybe that was the look she was going for.
“Fortunately for you,” she finally said as her face tilted up toward Roman.
“And here you are, standing next to Roman Zarka.”
Slowly reaching out her hand, Roman took her fingers and placed a chaste kiss on top of them.
The two didn’t break eye contact and I didn’t need to be a supernatural to pick up on the sparks flying between them.
Although not like the passionate energy I’d shared with Dorian and Aiden.
No, this was pure hatred passing between the two.
I swear, everyone in the ballroom stopped to see what would happen next.
“Murielle, it is always a pleasure to have you in my home,” Roman said without a hint of sarcasm. From across the room, I saw the three other men in his crew watching anxiously. Dorian gave me a wink when he caught my gaze, but none of them were smiling.
Murielle grinned and as several witches moved in behind her, I noticed Ramona.
I would have once considered Ramona a friend…
in as much as a witch would ever befriend a human.
She had been my main point of contact with the coven when they required my services.
Like my handler. So when she refused to meet my gaze, I would be lying if I said it didn’t sting a little bit.
Had she acknowledged my existence, I would have told her how beautiful she looked in her forest green gown resembling the kind you see elves wearing in fantasy movies.
Her black hair had been twisted up in an elaborate way, with beads of green crystals reflecting the light in the room.
Smokey eyes and a large, emerald pendant finished off the flawless look.
Ramona had always been beautiful—I wasn’t too proud to admit that.
But even as stunning as she appeared tonight, something was off with her.
“Roman,” Murielle said loudly when she saw me watching Ramona. “We should talk.”
“Yes,” he said, dropping her hand and looking over her head at the guys.
Ramona jumped when Aiden appeared beside her and I did my best to hide my smirk. Until I realized why he was here.
“Miss Katarina,” he said with a way-too-elaborate bow. “May I have this dance?”
I glared up at Roman, but Aiden pulled me away before I could say anything to him. “Hey, buddy!” I grumbled as we made our way onto the dance floor. “I want to hear what they talk about.”
“No, you don’t,” he said as he smiled at the women who couldn’t take their eyes off Aiden. He certainly did have an ethereal vibe flowing off him tonight. “Roman needs time alone with her.”
Glancing over his shoulder, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Roman ushering Murielle to a more private corner of the grand room, if that was possible. Perhaps she would invoke a privacy spell so they could speak.
“Don’t be jealous, Kitty Cat,” Aiden whispered into my ear as we moved with the other couples and danced some sort of waltz.
“I’m not jealous,” I spat back.
He laughed and spun me in a quick circle. As my feet lifted off the floor, I noticed Dorian dancing with Ramona, and this time, the green claws of jealousy did take hold.
“Easy there, Katarina.” Aiden had said my whole name, so I knew I must have been putting out some bad vibes. “Roman needs Ramona out of the way as well.”
“So, you admit he just wanted to get rid of me?”
Aiden kissed me, full on the lips and in front of everyone. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t distract me from my anger. “Roman has a plan and we need to trust it.”
As Dorian and Ramona waltzed by us, the wolf licked his lips and gazed at me with such heat, my core tingled in anticipation. Again, Aiden laughed as he held me tight. “You will be the death of us all, Kitty Cat.”
I decided at the moment to let the men do what it is they do best and work together like a well-oiled machine. Everyone had a role to play, including me, even if that role was me dancing in the arms of Aiden all night long. I supposed I could get used to that.
I’d been so distracted by the receiving line and waiting for Murielle that I hadn’t really had a chance to appreciate the space.
This grand ballroom must have been at least three stories high and boasted a mural on the ceiling that could have been painted centuries ago.
The staff had decorated the large statues and oversized planters with fairy lights, vines, and décor perfect for autumn.
Oranges, yellows, greens, and blacks decorated the room with wisps of willow and larger branches tying everything together.
“Roman needs you,” Blaise suddenly cut in.
Aiden stopped dancing and glared up at the giant man. “Now?”
“Yes.”
With a sigh, Aiden kissed my hands and passed them over to Blaise.
“Time for the half-breed to have a dance.” We both looked at him in shock.
“What?” he asked with a laugh. “Blaise is probably the best dancer of all of us.” Aiden slapped him on the shoulder and walked away, leaving the two of us standing there in awkward silence.
Thankfully, before I could say something dumb, Dorian pushed his way between us and grabbed my face between his hands.
I didn’t miss the growl rumbling in Blaise’s chest.
“Find me later tonight, Kitty Cat.”
“What? Where are you—?” Dorian smashed his lips against mine and pushed his tongue inside so quickly, I let out a little whimper of delight. Damn this man could melt my resolve in seconds.
“Tonight,” he said again as he pulled away from me and vanished amongst the crowd as Aiden had.
“Where is he going?” I asked Blaise.
He didn’t answer at first and instead pulled me into a twirl that led us to the center of the floor. His stiff arms wrapped around me, but he didn’t seem to fully relax into the dance as Aiden had. “Roman needs him too.”
“Oh,” I said, looking up at the man who’d been forced to watch out for me. “You know, you don’t have to babysit.”
Blaise snapped his head down so he could see my face. “Roman wants to keep you safe tonight. At all times.”
“Sure, but I doubt the witches would try anything in a room full of people.”
“Do not underestimate them,” Blaise growled as he continued to scan the people moving around us.
We twirled with the group and then switched directions. I was glad that I had enough of a dance background to quickly pick up the steps and hear the three-count in the music. But even if I hadn’t, Blaise would have been able to make me float effortlessly across the floor as he held me in his arms.
His strong, muscular, and competent arms.
Stop it, Katarina. Two men were enough for you.
“So why do they call you half-breed?”
My question must have thrown him off, as he stumbled for the briefest moment before recovering. Grinding his jaw, he pressed his lips together before looking down at me and answering. “Because I am.”
“Half what?”
Again, Blaise paused and scanned the room. “Dragon,” he finally said.
“Holy shit! You’re a dragon?”
Blaise spun me gracefully off the dance floor since I’d basically shouted my question at him and to all of those around us. I had no idea if his identity was a secret or not, but it was clear with the stern look he was giving me now that I probably should have had a little more class.
“I’m sorry,” I quickly said. “It’s just that…I didn’t know that was possible. That dragon shifters were real.”
“I’m not a shifter,” he growled.
“What?”
“I can’t shift.” Blaise pulled me against his side as he perused the guests again. I watched the muscles in his jaw move back and forth and I felt the heat of his body press into mine. Like a fire warming my skin. I loved how my small frame was dwarfed by his.
“Does it hurt?” I asked quietly.
“Does what hurt?”
“Not being able to shift. I once had a panther shifter friend who told me that if he couldn’t change at least monthly, his animal tore him apart from the inside.”
Blaise shook his head. “No, it’s not like that for me.”
“Oh, well that’s good.”
“Sure.”
I didn’t know what to make of his clipped response other than maybe this was a topic he didn’t want to talk about.
His eyes constantly roamed over the crowd as his arm held me tight against him.
The string quartet played something a little slower and the dance floor filled with couples looking for a chance to impress their dates.
I was about to ask Blaise if he wanted to dance again, when he suddenly said, “Have you had dinner?”
Taking a moment to think about the last time I ate anything, I shook my head. “No, I haven’t.”
He slid his arm down until he grabbed my hand. “Come on then, let’s get you something to eat.”