Page 62 of Deceptive Vows
I couldn’t fathom what he’d possibly discussed with Gabriele, which would require a family meeting later. “All right.”
The tension in our little group was palpable after Lucas’s cryptic response. He accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, but his eyes kept scanning the room with a calculated wariness that made my skin prickle.
“Dance with me?” Nazar’s voice was smoothat my ear, his hand already extended. An invitation and a strategy wrapped in one.
I smiled, playing my part. “Of course, darling.”
The dance floor was crowded enough to provide cover but not so packed that we couldn’t maneuver. Nazar swept me into his arms with practiced ease, pulling me closer than propriety might require. To anyone watching, we were just an engaged couple, lost in each other.
“Your brother looks rattled,” he murmured, his lips close to my ear.
I followed his lead through a gentle turn, using the movement to scan the room. “I know. And that worries me. Lucas doesn’t rattle easily.”
“Keep your eyes on the woman near the Christmas tree. Red dress, diamond choker.”
I adjusted our position, catching sight of her—statuesque, stunning, and entirely too focused on our group. “I see her.”
“Gray Wolf. I’ve seen her in New York. Irina Sokolova, Sergei’s cousin.”
That explained the predatory grace in her movements. “Seems the Wolves are traveling in packs tonight.”
Nazar’s hand tightened slightlyat my waist, a fleeting pressure that betrayed his tension. “They wouldn’t be here just to observe. Something’s happening.”
The music shifted to something slower, more intimate. Nazar pulled me closer, his chest warm against mine. For a moment, I allowed myself to sink into the comfort of his embrace, the solid wall of him between me and the dangers circling the room.
“We should leave soon,” I whispered. “Whatever Gabriele told Lucas, I don’t think we want to be here when?—”
A crash from across the room cut me off. A waiter had dropped a tray of champagne flutes, the crystal shattering across the marble in a spray of glass and bubbles. But it wasn’t the mess that caught my attention—it was Sofia’s reaction.
The girl had practically leaped out of her skin at the sound, her face draining of color. Gabriele was at her side instantly, his fingers digging into her arm as he murmured something that made her nod shakily.
“You saw that?” I asked Nazar.
“Da. The girl is terrified of something... or someone.”
I frowned, watching as Gabriele guided Sofiato a seat, his solicitous behavior at odds with the fear in her eyes. “Earlier, when Gabriele mentioned his parents’ arranged marriage, about his mother needing ‘direction’...”
“I caught it.” Nazar’s jaw tightened. “If he’s anything like his father...”
“Poor girl.” I glanced around the room, noting how the guards had shifted positions. “Something feels off. More than just the usual tension at these events.”
Lex watched Sofia too, his expression unreadable but focused. He’d always been observant, and something about the girl had clearly caught his attention. For a moment, their eyes met across the room, and something passed between them, recognition of a shared understanding, perhaps, before Sofia quickly looked away.
The song ended, and we made our way back to Lucas and the others. Claire spoke animatedly with Anna, but her eyes kept darting to Lucas, who seemed distracted.
“We need to go,” he said the moment we rejoined them. “All of us.”
“What did Gabriele want?” I asked again.
Lucas shook his head slightly. “Not here.”
Ari and Anna drifted over,followed by Lex, whose eyes kept finding their way back to Sofia across the room. “Extraction plan?” Ari asked quietly.
“Graceful exit,” Lucas replied. “Thea’s not feeling well. Too much champagne.”
I raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. It was as good an excuse as any.
“I’ll alert the valet,” Nazar offered.
