Page 4 of Radiant Shadows

His eyes narrowed as his smile widened. “That’s not what your scent tells me.”

My heart stuttered in my chest. My scent? Did I smell bad? “What are you talking about?”

He scraped his teeth over his bottom lip. “Didn’t you know that hounds are known for their acute sense of smell? We can tell your emotions just by your scent. And yours is telling me that you’re more into me than you want to admit.”

I scoffed and folded my arms around myself even as my breaths came faster and shallower. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

He chuckled, a sexy, deep rumbling sound. “I’ll meet you in front of your common room at six.”

I took a slow breath to calm my escalating heart rate, injecting as much sass and resilience as I could into my expression. “And what if I’m not there?”

He shrugged. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Then he curled his finger under my chin in a teasing gesture before stepping around me and heading toward the showers.

All I could do was stand there for several seconds, unsure of exactly what to think or how to feel. Judging by the moist warmth between my legs that had nothing to do with my workout, my body had its own opinion.

Cold shower. I needed a cold shower.

And then a dress that would put Jackson into cardiac arrest—ifI decided to take him up on his offer.

Oh, who was I kidding? Of course, I would.

***

After a much necessary and reluctantly brief shower that chilled even my fire, I shoveled through my closet for the perfect ensemble. Now my burgundy, lace, tea-length dress flowed around me, a thin black studded belt cinching my waist. My bright orange hair was pin-straight—thanks to the help of a flat iron I’d never used before—and a thin braid crown woven with a black ribbon circled my head like a headband.

I paired my dress with all-black jewelry: a choker, long earrings that almost reached my shoulders, and wrap-around bracelets that covered both of my wrists. Smoky eyeliner lined my eyes so thickly that it made their yellow-green color even more piercing. I completed the look with black Mary-Jane wedges that made me about three inches taller—but still short enough for Jackson to look down at me.

Deciding I was just as hot outside as I was inside, I left my room with my head held high. Voices were spilling down the hall, and when I entered the common room, I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful everyone looked.

“Damn, Ash!” Arya exclaimed as she came up to me. “You look like you could set the room on fire. But really, don't do that.”

I laughed, quickly sobering as I took in her stunning appearance. “Me? Look at you!”

She looked like a goddess right out of an old Greek myth, in a slinky, white silk gown that hugged her petite frame like a glove only to flare out at her hips to pour like a waterfall over her legs down to the floor. Her hair was in a half-up-half-down style, the blue strands in the front loose and curling into ringlets at the ends.

Arya smiled and shrugged off the compliment. “You want to be my date? Apparently, Tobias is going to be occupied by his parents most of the night.”

I frowned. “Oh, um, actually, I’m going with Jackson.”

Earnest surprise lifted her brows. “Oh. I didn’t think you liked him.”

My frown deepened, and it was my turn to shrug. “I don’t. I mean, not like that. Or maybe like that, but not likethat.”

She bit her lips in amusement at my description.

“Ugh, I’m just going with him because he asked me, and I figured, why not?” I amended.

She nodded, her smirk saying she wasn’t convinced. “And this has nothing to do with the fact that Niko will be there?”

His name stabbed into my chest, flooding self-consciousness through me. “What?”

Her brows pinched slightly, dulling her mirth. “Yeah, Tobias’s dad is going to be there, so I just assumed Niko would be, too.”

“Oh,” I said.

Figures. When I finally had a day free of thinking about him and was sincerely at least attempting something less than platonic with another guy, of course, he would make an appearance to ruin my night.

Arya’s hand rose and fluttered between us in a placating gesture. “You know what, don’t even worry about that. Just have fun with Jackson. I’m sure you won’t even notice Niko. And maybe he won’t even be there.”

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