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She forced space between herself and Sebastian.

Thrown off, Sebastian twirled Kallie in an attempt to hide her pushing him away. As Sebastian went to pull her back into his arms, another man stole her outstretched hand from his grasp.

“There you are, Princess.” The Tetrian guard pulled her toward him, a coy smirk tugging at his lips.

Masking the sickening feeling that had grown in her stomach from dancing with Sebastian, Kallie forced a light giggle. “Have you been looking for me?”

The man chuckled, the noise quiet yet boisterous. He held her hand high, spinning her toward him as his other hand slid across her back to her hip. His footsteps were light, gentler than she expected for a guard of his stature.

Then her muscles tensed as Sebastian approached her again.

Before Sebastian could steal her back, the Tetrian guard twirled her away. He picked up the pace, matching the music as it hit the song’s bridge.

Still, Sebastian followed, relentless. He weaved through the other men as they hopped and clapped to the beat. A pang of hunger flashed in the prince’s eyes, and Kallie’s heart rate picked up, momentarily transported back to the ship.

As Sebastian made chase, the Tetrian managed to cut him off. Kallie’s lips parted in shock as the guard winked at her and smoothly guided them across the floor with graceful maneuvers.

It wasn’t just a coincidence that the man kept pulling her away at the right moment. He was intentionally helping her stay out of Sebastian’s reach.

Was she that obvious?

The Tetrian led them backward with quick, graceful steps, but there was no way the guard could hold off Sebastian forever. And before she knew it, Sebastian was cutting in, forcing the man to let go of her or ruin the dance.

Kallie concentrated on the music—on anything but Sebastian’s hand in hers, the sliminess coating his very skin.

Sebastian pulled her closer. As his scent overwhelmed her, the words slipped out of her mouth before she could pull them back, the command on her tongue. “You will not touch me.”

Like the low fog atop the grass in the early morning hours, the haze coated Sebastian’s eyes, dulling the sickly green color of his irises. Within a second of the command, Sebastian pushed her away from him as if her touch had physically burned him.

Kallie, light on her feet, twirled, hiding the interaction from the watching crowd.

Her back hit one of the men, but the Tetrian effortlessly slid one arm across her back and dipped her low. Her leg slipped through the slit in the red fabric as she pointed her foot out, the tip of her crown nearly touching the ground.

The man’s head hung over her, and long dark strands of hair floated in his face as he looked down at her, wrinkles forming in the corners. As her gaze bounced across his face, the song ended, and clapping erupted across the room. She inhaled, and her eyes widened as the air stuck in her throat. The skin at the back of her neck prickled. A thin layer of sweat coated her skin.

“Princess?” The Tetrian man’s brows furrowed. “Are you all right?”

“Mhm.” Her voice was caught in her lungs. Her heart spun in her chest as cedar and citrus filled the air. And before she could think twice about it, Kallie ran.

Chapter35

KALLIE

Kallie racedout of the grand hall, slipping down a side hall. With small smiles, she rushed past guests, their faces a blur as the oxygen caught in her throat. She couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t speak. Her vision spun.

Once she found a hall void of guests, she pressed her back against the wall and counted.

One.

She inhaled, closing her eyes.

Two.

Her heart threatened to burst through her throat.

Three.

Kallie could feel each pump, each beat, echo in her throat. It throbbed. It screamed.