Page 122 of Hateful Prince
Watching my little flower from across the room, I knew keeping her just like this needed to be my priority. She’d changed for the better since we’d all come together. Even the set of her shoulders told me that. There was just something about her, a lightness that gave her an air of contentment. It reminded me of the first morning I woke with my wife in my arms after we finally accepted one another. I wouldn’t be the one to take that peace from her.
With that thought in mind, I scanned the ballroom, looking for any obvious signs of discord. With this many people in attendance, strangers and residents alike, it was hard to immediately suss out shady behavior.
Fuck, I missed Asshole. He was the perfect tiny spy.
No one saw him unless he wanted them to.
My attention stalled on the woman with a head of gleaming dark hair curled into a style I knew was what inspired pin-up girls many years ago. She stood with a glass of champagne in her hand, pointy black fingernails promising scores along my back if only I gave her my essence in exchange. That woman was death in disguise. She’d bleed me dry, and I’d thank her for the experience... if I was stupid enough to fall for the ruse.
Lilith.
And there, at the end of her glittering gold chain, Crombie. Few knew the story of the reclusive fae prince. How he came to this realm. Why he’d shunned his birthright as heir to the Night Court. I’d done my fair share of digging, but all I’d come up with was that there was a price on his head, and if he were ever to return home, the Wild Hunt would claim him. Hiding under Lilith’s skirts was probably one of the best options he had.
If anyone would know about nefarious deeds taking place this evening, it would be those two. Lilith couldn’t keep herself out of trouble if she tried. Her finger was in every pie.
She caught my eye, and her crimson lips tilted up in a wicked smile as she began to glide toward me even as I moved in her direction. “Cain, darling. You look absolutely delicious this evening.”
“Keep your hands to yourself, succubus. I’m a mated man.”
“Are you? Well, well, the writer works fast. Must be those delectable curves. You always were a fan of the voluptuous vixens when you’d visit Iniquity.” She winked. “That figure suits your goddess much better than her last form.”
“You knew?”
Her laugh was the tinkle of a bell without any of the softness. “Oh, poppet. I know everything.”
“Do you know what’s going on here?”
“You’re going to have to be a titch more specific. There are so many devious plots afoot.”
“Lilypad, stop tormenting the poor boy.”
“Never. I have so few pleasures in my life.”
“You and I know that to be a bald-faced lie,” Crombie said with a sensual smirk.
“You hope it is, at least.”
“The way I had you writhing this morning and the bruises on your hips in the shape of my fingers says exactly that.”
“Mmm, it must have slipped my mind. Maybe we should have a repeat performance to help jog my memory.”
“I’ll take you right here, Mistress. Just say the word.”
I could feel the sexual tension rolling off them both. An aroused succubus was a dangerous thing. We’d witnessed that firsthand when sweet little Merri was reading a romance novel in the rec room. Thoughts of Lilith’s ward had me scanning the room for her.
“Where’s your little puppet?” I asked pointedly.
To my surprise, Lilith stiffened. “Puppet? I have no idea what you mean.”
My eyes narrowed. “Hit a nerve, did I? What are you up to, Lilith? Why is it you would willingly send your ward to a place like this? If you know everything, then surely you know Blackwood’s more sordid secrets.”
Her eyes shone like shards of glass, and I’d have sworn the temperature dropped several degrees. “Careful, Hades. Don’t go digging where you don’t belong.”
“So you are up to something. And Merri is your pawn, isn’t she?”
She trailed her finger up my chest. Sharp nails I could now see weren’t solid black, but a dark red with black tips dug into my shirt as she stopped just over my heart. Against my will, my cock twitched awake.
“Lilypad, you promised you wouldn’t touch,” Crombie groused.