el

hand was warm and strong, his calloused palm a stark contrast to the delicate silve

ust a girl, startled by the

f pain-surfaced, and I instincti

d over the back of my hand, a slow, deliberate movement that s

, his voice a low rumble. "To wager an unve

wagering that you need this informat

It transformed his face, softening th

cked the silver wolf pendant from my palm. He didn't just pocket it. He sli

dly intimate. I blinked,

at Aniyah, who was watching us with wide, wary eyes. "She's been given a dose of Mo

his 'crippled' prince was far more knowledgeable, f

her?" I asked,

his coat. He uncapped it and shook a tiny, dark pill into his palm

ing. "Miss...?" She saw me and relief flooded her face. Then her gaz

, my voice softer than I inten

he air. I saw something soften in Dam

ck," he said. It

a shield. With him, no one woul

is seemed like a mockery now, a calculated performance for a world he was secretly plotting

ic of the ballroom gr

id, his voice laced with dry amusem

ring girls. She was gesturing dramatically, her face a mask of tragic concern, poi

aid, my voice

ire assistan

r, this could all be over in an insta

. "This is my stage. I only

e to tear down their

solve in my eyes, and gave a si

e deeper shadows of

head toward the stone pillar beside the trellis. "Leave her