Page 35 of Crimson Mate

Daphne steps out of the hallway just as we reach the end of it, a flush on her cheeks. Her eyes widen and she jolts at the sight of us.

“You okay?” Valor asks first.

Daphne glances at each of us, shaking her head. “The human is fine,” she says a bit sarcastically, and I cough to cover my laugh. “I'm just thirsty,” she says, pushing away from her concerned cousin and heading toward the bar.

“What in the world was she doing?” Valor asks before a looming presence steps out of the darkened hallway a second later.

I always know when Xavier is close, as the air around him is slightly cooler and more shadowy than what would be considerednatural. He's dressed in an immaculate black suit, and half his face is covered with a white phantom mask.

Valor glares, pointing her finger at him. “What did you say to her?”

Xavier arches eyebrow at the finger pointed at his chest.

Lachlan grabs his mate’s hand, dragging her back toward the dance floor. “We don’t point fingers at the demon king,” he mutters before they disappear into the crowd.

Xavier lets out a smooth, cold laugh, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Alek,” he says as he slowly walks past us.

“Xavier,” Alek returns the sentiment, and his shoulders loosen as he watches the demon king head out of the club.

I blow out a breath too. Despite the demon king being our ally, there isn't really any sort ofeasewhen it comes to him.

I return my gaze to the bar, and catch Talia’s eyes on me. She pulls me in like a magnet, and I find myself weaving through the crowded space to get to her without even saying goodbye to my king.

“You look exquisite,” I say once I reach her.

She smiles, reaching up to trace a finger on the outline of my mask. “And you look downright villainous in this mask. Isn't this so much more fun than the balls we used to sneak out of?”

“I certainly enjoy the attire more,” I say, pointedly dragging my eyes down her body, over the corset that pushes up her luscious breasts and down the tight leather that hugs her legs.

“And the dancing?” she asks.

I offer her my hand. “I have yet to dance in this century,” I say.

She takes my hand. “Why is that?” she asks as I lead her to the dance floor.

I find a spot where we can move and draw her flush against me as I shift us to the melody pulsing throughout the club. “I didn’t have my favorite partner,” I answer honestly.

Something serious flashes over her features for the quickest of moments before she smooths it away, returning to her previous casual fun mood.

“You certainly seem to have adjusted well,” she says, moving her hands up my chest to link her arms behind my neck as my hands fall to her hips.

“It isn't hard to move to music,” I say, shifting against her as the beat changes. I slip my thigh between hers, relishing the blush that rushes over her cheeks as my hand glides around her lower back, and I dip her slightly before bringing her back up flush against me. “Especially with someone I can't keep my hands off of.”

Talia bites down on her smile, like she might be able to hide the fact that she enjoys my company.

But she can't hide it from me. Not when we were once fated to be mates. Not when I still believe she's the one for me.

I hold her tighter, moving us to the music, the two of us getting lost in the beat, in the places our bodies touch, and the way we complement each other even when doing something as simple as dancing.

I can't deny I certainly enjoy this century more than I did the stuffy balls she mentioned earlier. The fact that I'm allowedto have my hands all over her, my thigh pressing against her heat, her shifting against it ever so subtly as if she just can't help herself. These things weren't acceptable back in our time, and it makes me wonder if fate knew what it was doing when it forced us apart all those years ago.

Not that I wouldn't go back and change things if I could, but what if fate had a plan all along? What if it knew that Talia would turn into this powerhouse of a female who thrived in this time? What if the two of us were meant to live inthiscentury for a reason?

“Are the king's inner circle parties always like this?” Talia asks when one dance has turned into three.

“I don't know,” I answer honestly.

“Have you never attended one before?” Talia tilts her head.

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