Page 43 of Violet Legacy

“But I have taken too much of your time.” Anhur smirked, his yellow eyes giving no emotion away. “You have a guest to entertain. And I have to ensure my consort hasn’t agreed to a restructure of the House.”

DantefoundTalikashe left the ballroom. The corridors were silent and appeared empty, but in reality, they were never far from a watchful guard’s gaze. Or the spies who had infiltrated the House. It had been centuries since he’d felt comfortable in Egypt. Every set of eyes belonged to a possible scout, and every action or interaction was reported to anyone who could afford it. Atlantean or human.

“Rieka went to the vault.” Talik stopped in front of Dante, fixing his cuff links. Amusement flashed in his dark eyes. “But not before she informed me she didn’t need a babysitter.”

Of course, Rieka would take this opportunity to work. He should have known she would not have been distracted by pretty artifacts and the ball. At one point, he’d sensed her almost relaxing, but that was before the encounters with Chaucer and Kai. He had also noticed that Rieka had been skittish around the larger crowd—that had been unexpected.

“Monitor Chaucer. There is something odd about him.” There was a scent he hadn’t recognized surrounding the younger Atlantean. An underlying hint of something muted but menacing. It had not been there when he’d spoken to him last.

Talik laughed. “That is normal.”

The music was barely audible. Soft tendrils echoed through the hall. This far away from the noise and the bodies, it was almost soothing.

“They will notice your departure,” Talik pointed out. “Would you like me to provide a distraction?”

And Rieka’s.

“I trust you can come up with some justification for my lack of attendance,” Dante said as he strode toward the vault. Justifying his departure was not high on his priority list. Finding Rieka was. He looked back at Talik. “No meetings.”

Talik looked affronted. But his eyes shone with mirth as he shook his head. “One time. And you have never forgiven me.”

“It was four hours of my life I will never have back.”

It didn’t take long to find Rieka. The rustling of her dress gave her away.

He stopped a few feet from her, remaining in the darkness. Rieka leaned over the table, looking at an artifact. Sometime between the ball and now, her hair had found its way into a ponytail, stray curls revolting in all directions. In the quiet moment, the light highlighted the tattooed lilies that spilled over to her back; disappearing under the dress. He wanted to know how far down they went.

A flash of silver flew past him with no warning.

Dante didn’t flinch as the knife embedded itself into the wall behind him with a thud. He didn’t turn to look at it. “Is that how you normally greet visitors?”

“Only when they are uninvited or unannounced,” Rieka answered nonchalantly. “I told you that you should have a bell.”

Dante hid a smirk. Rieka was full of surprises. “Noted. You may want to work on your aim.”

“I didn’t miss, Delacroix,” she said confidently.

And he believed it. “Throw a lot of knives at people?”

Rieka laughed darkly. The tension eased slightly from her shoulders. “No. There isn’t much to do on an excavation after hours. Card games, hours of darts, and throwing knives kept me sane.”

Dante calmly removed the knife from the wall, careful to only touch the hilt. “The blade is coated in coral venom,” Dante said. A brief memory flitted across his mind, but he pushed it back. “Paralysis is instant and can last for hours. The pain is excruciating.”

Rieka narrowed her eyes at him. She glanced at the knives and then back at him.

“Am I in danger of having another knife thrown at me?” Dante asked. He carefully placed the knife with the others. “One experience with the venom is more than I want in a lifetime.”

Rieka didn’t move, standing like a goddess of old. The silver blades laid on the table next to her glistened. Rieka would have an ample supply of knives if she continued her target practice.

Her anger was palpable, almost rolling off her in waves. The fury of a wildfire that would destroy anything in her path. It masked the hint of desire that had edged her scent since he had first met her.

Whoever triggered the emotional change in Rieka would not be left unscathed. It was taking all his control not to reach out and drag her closer to him. It wasn’t lost on him that at some point, Rieka herself had quickly become an obsession. And so much more. “Why did you leave the ball?”

Her pain sliced through him.

Rieka flinched at the question as she turned to walk away. “Atlanteans are not very welcoming to hybrids. Even when they are your guest.”

Dante reached for her before she could take more than a step away, drawing her closer until she was pressed against him and the table. He traced the curve of Rieka’s spine, enjoying the soft smoothness of her skin and the way her breath hitched at the contact. Even annoyed, he could sense her desire.

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