Page 67 of Branded By Shadow
House Zeus had taught me to read every room I entered for political advantage and potential threats. Tonight, the Fairmont Hotel’s grand ballroom offered neither.
Two hundred humans celebrated a love they believed would last forever. Meanwhile, I hid behind the marble columns, watching the one person who could barely tolerate my existence.
Andie moved between tables with the efficiency I’d grown obsessed with over the past months. Her dark hair was swept into the kind of updo that revealed the graceful line of her neck. Her expensive navy dress hugged her curves to perfection. She directed catering staff with subtle gestures and adjusted centerpieces that were already immaculate. But the moment she saw me, her concentration broke.
The transformation was instantaneous. Her professional smile dissipated, replaced by a fury only an Olympian could understand. She murmured something to a server and walked toward me with purposeful strides.
Every step radiated barely contained violence.
“Mr. Stormwright.” She stopped close enough that her perfume made my head spin. “A word. Now.”
She turned and walked toward the hotel’s side corridor without waiting for my response. I followed her into the quiet hallway because I was apparently addicted to punishment.
The moment we were alone, she spun to face me.
“Are you following me to my events now?” She planted her feet shoulder-width apart like she was preparing for battle.
Her anger would have given Damon Blackwood a run for his money. Somehow, I managed not to flinch. “I wanted to see you.”
“You wanted to see me.” She leaned in, so close to me I could see gold flecks in her blue eyes. “At another one of my weddings. Where my professional reputation depends on everything going smoothly.”
The accusation hung between us because she was absolutely right. I had been showing up wherever she worked, finding excuses to be in the same space, watching her from a distance like some kind of obsessed stalker.
“This is the third wedding this month where you’ve mysteriously appeared,” she snapped. “The Hartwell reception, the Morrisonceremony, and now this. What exactly are you trying to accomplish? What’s wrong with you?”
Everything was wrong with me. I’d abandoned all sense the moment our paths had first crossed. Being near her felt necessary even when she looked at me like I’d crawled out of a sewer.
“I don’t have a good answer for that.”
“You don’t have a good answer.” She laughed and shook her head in disgust. “The great Alexander Stormwright, House Zeus political mastermind, doesn’t know why he’s stalking a wedding planner.”
“I’m not trying to stalk you,” I offered. It was a lie, and we both knew it.
“Then what would you call this?” She gestured between us with sharp, angry movements. “Because from where I’m standing, this looks like harassment.”
“I know how this must look—”
The slap cracked across my cheek before I could finish. My head snapped sideways, and I tasted blood in my mouth.
“Don’t,” she hissed, as vicious as a cornered gorgon. “Don’t stand there making excuses like you’re the victim in this situation.”
“I’m not trying to be a victim.”
“You are, though.” She backed up and wrapped her arms around herself defensively. “You’re standing there with that wounded expression, acting like I’m the one in the wrong. When did I ask to be followed around by an Alpha I barely know?”
“Andromeda,” a familiar voice cut through the tension. “Enough.”
Helena moved toward us with the kind of regal bearing only House Hera could ever display. I hadn’t seen her in weeks. We’d both been too busy trying to figure out a solution to our common problem.
It didn’t surprise me at all to find her here tonight. Not that it helped my conflict with the woman I loved.
Every muscle in Andie’s body went rigid. “Mother. How absolutely perfect. What’s the powerful leader of House Hera doing at the wedding of a regular mortal?”
Helena took Andie’s taunting in stride. “I’m here because you are, dear. And perhaps we should take this conversation somewhere more private.”
“There’s nothing to discuss.” Andie smoothed down her dress and let out a slow breath. “Your political ally here has been stalking me at work, and I want it stopped.”
Helena’s eyes flicked between our faces. “I’m certain Alexander meant no harm—”
