Page 101 of Exiled Heir

“Follow my lead,” he muttered, starting an awkward one-two-three-four.

He yanked on my hand like a lead, trying to pull me where he wanted me to go. For a second, I thought about letting him, but then I used my hand at his back to pull him close. No tissue box between us here.

His eyes widened, and he gasped. “What—”

“I said I don’t dance, not that I can’t,” I said, bringing us into a more even box step. His mouth dropped open slightly, and I focused on the curve of his neck so I wouldn’t press my lips against his and take him in front of everyone.

His body was tortuously close to mine, his hand perfectly shaped to fit inside my own. I could feel the warmth, the heat where his skin and mine weren’t touching. His hand on my shoulderburned. The music faded out, and the universe condensed down to him and me, moving together in sync.

The fluttering pulse at his chest slowed until he was barely breathing, his body following mine. I wondered where else I could get him to follow me, how he would react if we were doing some other activity together. Would he be this responsive if I laid him down across his bed with its silky sheets? Or if I lifted him up and placed him on the solid granite countertop in his bathroom?

His breath puffed out against my neck, almost as though he was thinking the same thing I was. I saw his eyes look up at my face, but then he looked down, the delicate sweep of his eyelashes on his cheek making me nearly stumble.

Around us, the other couples fluttered like distant butterflies, adding color but not worth the attention. Then the music stopped.

Everyone applauded, and Cade stilled, his eyes widening. I wanted to grab him close, pull him against me again, but he yanked himself away, stalking toward the food and drink. By the time I caught up to him, he had a glass of alcohol in his hand and a blank expression on his face. If he had been at all as affected as I was by the dancing, he had already recovered.

Without speaking, I took my place guarding his back.

After dessert had been set out, I smelled panic outside the ballroom door. I made a quick excuse to Cade before slipping out.

Jay stood outside, staring at his phone. His shoulders slumped when he saw me. “Coral and Tyson are back. They won’t talk to me.”

I glanced at his phone, reading the time as seven thirty. “Take me to them.”

Jay led me through the house to one of the servants’ doors and then straight to the relaxation room. Coral was pacing, streaked with dirt and dried sweat. Her muscles trembled.

Tyson was still half shifted, long gray hair on his skin and a mouthful of sharp teeth.

“Report,” I commanded.

“There’s an enemy werewolf pack in the forest,” Coral said.

ChapterThirty-Two

The rabbit carcass looked profane sitting in the middle of the council table. It had been torn apart, and it was one of several carcasses they had found. The deer, Coral had said, was more obviously killed by a werewolf pack, however, the rabbit had been the easiest to transport.

The bones had been stripped clean, but Tyson had said the intestines were set aside, bowels and all. Tufts of fur still clung to the body, and the rabbit’s face was mostly intact.

As councilors entered the room, they covered their mouths and noses, put off by the sight.

When all the seats were filled, Cade turned to me. “Are you sure it’s not just a fox or some other predator?”

“Yes,” I said.

Cade waited, clearly needing more from me. The councilors shifted, and I heard someone murmur further down the table about my competency.

“Coral and Tyson smelled other werewolves near the site. Besides that, real wolves don’t leave anything behind. A pack will strip a deer down to its bones.” I picked up one of the bones. Ignoring the gasps, I turned it in my hand. The blood was already dried, everything slightly tacky, sticking to my fingertips. “And these marks right here are human teeth.”

“All right.” Sonja stood, pressing her palms to the table. She wasn’t one of the ones who had leaned away, disgusted by the rabbit. “I will immediately begin working with Lynn to reinforce the wards. We’re going to need some volunteers to go over them with a fine-toothed comb. The werewolves have been walking them, but they wouldn’t notice any missing magic. Tyson will lead a hunt, so the consorts will need magical support. Does anyone have any ranged spells ready?”

A few blue-robed members of the council lifted their hands, explaining what they had on hand.

Further down the table, Petrona was staring hard at Cade, even as he was focused on the rabbit, his face pale. Leon said nothing, his hands gripped in front of him.

I leaned slightly sideways, my hip brushing Cade’s shoulder. He startled, trembling in his seat. Terror seeped from every pore, the stink of it heavy in his sweat. He gripped the armrests of his chair so tight that I saw his knuckles go bone white.

“Cade,” I murmured.