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A rush of heat creeps into my cheeks, an embarrassing blush spreading under the weight of his gaze.

“Just because we share a bed on occasion doesn’t mean we engage in pillow talk,” he says.

I nod in reply, then, because I know I owe it to him, I add, “I’m sorry. Truly. You were one of the first ones here—hell, one of the only ones—who was willing to help me, tell me what’s worth fighting for and what’s not.”

“And look at you now!” His smile broadens as he runs an admiring glace over me.

Luckily, I know all too well that Jago’s flirtations are merely part of his charm and never to be taken to heart. “You must be the most charismatic individual I’ve ever met,” I say, a playful note in my voice, “and likely ever will.”

He laughs, pulling me closer, and we take another spin around the dance floor. When we’re back to where we started, I ask, “So, what’s next? Where will you go from here?”

Stopping abruptly, Jago grasps my hands in his and levels a look so piercing, I’m left struggling to read between the lines of the unspoken message in his eyes.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he finally says. “Though I have no plans to join you on your quest, I won’t be an obstacle, either.”

“But Jago,” I start, the weight of unspoken thoughts dying on my tongue when he silences me with a cautionary gaze.

“This is not the place for that conversation,” he warns, his voice carrying a seriousness I’ve seldom heard from him. “But rest assured, I’m not leaving. Gray Wolf is my home, and whether you like it or not, it’s yours now, too.”

“So you don’t think I’ll succeed?” A flash of anger mixed with panic surges inside me.

Does Jago know something I don’t?

I search his face, looking for clues, but before I can ask, insist he elaborate, Killian appears by my side, saying, “May I?”

I’m on the verge of telling him no, that he absolutely may not, because this dance with Jago is far from finished.

But when I glance back to where Jago once stood, I find he’s already gone, vanished into the crowd.

41

Killian stands before me, a study in casual elegance. Wearing a white linen toga that drapes over one muscular, suntanned shoulder, it leaves little to the imagination about what might—or might not—lie underneath. His golden hair is artfully tousled, and his vivid blue eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that’s impossible to ignore.

Yet, despite his undeniable allure, his presence fails to stir the reaction he likely expects.

“Yeah, no thanks,” I say, my attention drifting across the room to where Braxton continues his dance with Elodie. His hand poised carefully at her waist, he appears to listen intently to her every word—a sharp contrast to the disinterest I feel standing before Killian.

“What’s good for the gander,” Killian says, his gaze trailing mine. “Come on, Shiv. For old time’s sake. How about you and I trip the light fantastic together?”

I shake my head, signaling a clear and decisive end to the conversation. As I leave the dance floor, I’m halfway to the bar when he says, “Shiv, please.”

I spin around, irritation bubbling to the surface in a way that’s impossible to miss.

“Just a moment of your time,” he says. “Then you’re free to go. I promise.”

Reluctantly, I give him a nod, my hesitation made clear in every line of my body. Yet Killian’s grin widens, evidently content to accept whatever concession I’m willing to make.

“Why do I have this nagging suspicion,” he says, getting right to the point, “that despite my attempts to warn you, you’re concocting some sort of scheme you should absolutely steer clear of?”

Determined to keep my emotions masked, I lift my shoulders in a casual shrug. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say.

Killian regards me for a long, sobering beat, and I’m on the verge of leaving, when he finally speaks. “For the record, I’ve known who—and what—you are, long before those golden rings ever appeared on your arm.”

I shrug once more. “I’m well aware,” I say.

“Then you may also recall that Arthur once charged me with the task of eliminating people like you.”

“Kind of hard to forget,” I snap. Yet, as my gaze meets his, there’s a complexity in his eyes I hadn’t noticed before.