Page 15

I withdrew my hand, ignoring the lingering tingle. "So is taking a job at a matchmaking agency when you don't believe in love, but I think we both know how that's going to work out."

His eyes sharpened with sudden interest, and something in that predatory focus made me shift uncomfortably. I caught Diana's eye across the crowd and she gave me a subtle thumbs up, saving me from whatever questions were forming behind those too-perceptive eyes.

I took my place near the fountain, smoothing down my sweater for the tenth time.

"Thank you all for coming, and special thanks to Diana for letting us use her beautiful garden for tonight's mixer." Diana inclined her head gracefully from where she stood near the roses.

"For those joining us, we'll start with an hour of mingling and refreshments." My voice came out steadier than expected, though my fingers kept fidgeting with my glass. "After that, each lady will select up to three gentlemen for private conversations in our designated areas."

I cleared my throat. "Just a few ground rules to keep things civil: no compulsions, no shifting without warning, and please —no territory marking." That last bit earned a laugh from Elena, while Ruby rolled her eyes. "Remember, everyone here is looking for a genuine connection."

Vivienne caught my eye and raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, her attention already drifting to the dark-haired vampire who kept pretending not to notice her. Astrid's presence alone seemed to be drawing half the room's attention.

"Well then," I lifted my glass, hoping nobody noticed how my hand trembled, "let's begin."

As the crowd broke into smaller groups, I caught Lust watching me with that infuriating smirk. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine. Right. Time to prove I could make better matches with my week of experience than he had with his years of practice and questionable filing methods.

The evening air settled around us like a comfortable blanket as conversations started to flow.

I leaned against the fountain's edge, watching Vivienne pretend she wasn't watching the dark-haired vampire.

Something flickered at the edge of my vision—a weird smoky haze that reminded me of heat waves rising from summer pavement.

I blinked hard. Too much stress, obviously. Except...there it was again. Soft lavender mist clung to Vivienne's shoulders like expensive perfume.

"What's wrong with me? Why does this keep happening?" I muttered, rubbing my temples. The vampire—Marcus, according to his file—had his own haze. Deep violet, like twilight just before full dark.

They drifted closer together, these two who kept pretending they weren't interested. When they finally ended up near each other, their individual hazes reached out like curious fingers, swirling together where they overlapped.

"I'm losing it. This is what a breakdown looks like." But I couldn't stop watching as their colors danced and merged while they made careful small talk about wine vintages.

A movement near Diana's herb garden caught my eye. The wolf shifter—Jeremy—was doing that thing where he was trying to disappear into the landscaping. Sickly green fog surrounded him, giving me the sense of seasickness and anxiety.

My gaze drifted to Elena, the female wolf he kept stealing glances at. Her aura glowed healthy spring green, reaching out like sunbeams while his kept curling in on itself.

"For heaven's sake," I grumbled, heading for the drink table. "Even their weird energy things are flirting better than he is."

I grabbed a glass of wine, heading back to work on my latest match, when I slammed straight into Lust's chest. Red light blazed around him like cinnamon and clove, spicy and sharp enough to make my nose tingle.

"Look who's back for more punishment." He smirked. "Given up already?"

"Actually, check the lovebirds by the fountain," I said, nodding toward where Marcus and Vivienne were deep in conversation. His aura pulsed hotter as he followed my gaze.

"We don't know if they are a match yet." But there was intrigue in his voice as he studied the vampires.

"Being such a downer is only working against you. Maybe that's part of why you're so terrible at this." The words came automatically, but I was fighting not to sneeze from the intensity of his spice-rack aura.

Wait. Was some of that crimson heat swirling into my wine glass?

The red light around him curled like smoke signals. "Bold claims from someone who barely knows the job."

"Bold concerns from someone who sucks at theirs," I shot back, but my mind was racing. That wolf's aura looked sick with nerves. Lust's essence was pure heat and confidence. Maybe...

"Such fire in my newest employee," he said, voice rich with amusement. His aura wrapped around us both like a warm blanket.

"Just watch your wallet, boss." I headed for the herb garden, glass in hand, an idea taking shape. Either I was crazy, or I was about to do something impossible.

The wolf startled when I approached, his sickly green aura curling tighter. "Hi, um, I was just..."

"Studying herbs? Fascinating stuff. But you know what goes great with herbs? This wine. And conversation. With Elena. Who's right over there, looking amazing, and who specifically requested someone who knows about pack histories."

His aura brightened slightly. "She did?"

"Mhmm. Here." I offered the glass, watching gold swirl through the red wine. "Liquid courage. Diana's special blend."

He took a careful sip. The sickly green shifted and brightened, unfurling like leaves in springtime. His shoulders straightened as he glanced toward Elena.

"You know," he said, voice stronger, "I did just finish researching the Northern Pack migrations."

"Fascinating stuff," I lied cheerfully. "You should definitely tell her all about it."

I watched him walk over, his healthy green aura reaching out to meet hers. When they started talking, their colors danced together like northern lights.

"Huh," I murmured, trying to ignore how my head was starting to pound. "Either I'm having a very specific stroke, or I just did magick."

Across the garden, Vivienne laughed at something Marcus said, their merged purple aura pulsing like a heartbeat.

"Two down, three to go," I whispered, watching Jeremy and Elena's auras dance. I tried to focus on the success, but my heart was still racing from using whatever power this was.

I scanned the garden, tracking the remaining auras. Astrid's golden glow hovered near the reflecting pool, while Lunara's silver mist wove through the hedge maze. Sarah's rust-red aura crackled near the roses.

"Hazel? Hazel Blackwood?"

Ice flooded my veins. One week. It had only been one week since I clawed my way out of that grave. And I was still hearing Xavier’s voice in my head.

Keep moving. Act naturally; like you’re not hearing things. I forced myself to drift toward Astrid, as if I hadn't heard anything.

"It can't be..." A hand caught my elbow, spinning me around. Xavier himself stood there, his face drained of all color, eyes wide with shock.

That made two of us. My heart plummeted to my feet, and bile rose in my throat.

How the hell was he here?! I had vetted every name on that list myself, checked every photo–except not all the files had photos, and with how ‘official’ Lust’s vetting system was the chances of this cheating bastard using a fake name wouldn’t be impossible.

Lust's terrible system struck again.

I turned with practiced confusion, though my pulse hammered so hard I worried he'd hear it.

Lie. Lie. Lie.

"I'm sorry?" My voice was jagged edges of glass in my throat. "I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm Juniper."

His grip on my arm tightened as he stared at my face, his mouth opening and closing like he couldn't find words. The confident Alpha I'd known was nowhere to be seen–this man looked like he'd seen a ghost. I could still feel his hands around my neck.

"No. No, this isn't..." He stopped himself abruptly, glancing around at the other guests who were starting to notice our interaction. His gaze went followed theirs to his hand on my arm.

"I'm Juniper Grey," I said more firmly. "I’m the employee running this matchmaking event. I'm sorry, but you have the wrong person."

"You look exactly like..." He trailed off, his voice hoarse. His hand trembled slightly where it gripped my arm, and I could see sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool evening air.

Xavier's eyes darted around the garden, suddenly seeming to register where he was, who might be listening. When he looked back at me, there was something desperate in his expression.

"I...you..." He seemed to be struggling with something, caught between disbelief and panic.

This wasn't happening. My brain spiraled, my body remembering the weight of wet earth, the burn of soil in my throat, the desperate prayer for air as thunder crashed overhead.

My week of freedom crashed down around me like the walls of that grave, and I knew with bone-deep certainty that Xavier wouldn't let me escape twice.

Xavier's grip on my arm tightened, his eyes boring into mine with absolute certainty as his resolve hardened. "Don't play games with me, Hazel. I know it's you."

"I'm sorry," I managed, fighting to keep my voice steady. "I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm Juniper."

I tried to pull away. He yanked me back.

"Bullshit." His Alpha presence pressed against me, that familiar dominance that used to make me feel protected and now made my skin crawl.

"Sir, you need to let go of her." Lust's voice cut through the garden chatter, deadly quiet.

Xavier's head turned, taking in Lust's approach with dismissive arrogance.

"Back off,” Xavier growled. “This is between me and my fiancée."

"Your fiancée?" Lust's eyebrows rose, magick beginning to gather around him like heat waves. "Interesting. Because this is my employee, at my event, on my territory."

"I don't give a damn whose event this is," Xavier snarled, his Alpha power flaring. "This woman belongs to me."

Another man materialized beside Lust–dark hair, casual posture, but something predatory in his grin. "Did he just say she belongs to him? How delightfully medieval."

"Let. Go. Of. Her." Lust stepped closer, each word dripping with menace. "Now."

Xavier's grip shifted, pulling me closer. "I'm not going anywhere without her. Hazel, enough of this charade. We're leaving."

"I already told you. My name is Juniper Grey," I said, louder this time, putting every ounce of conviction I could muster into the words. "I work for this matchmaking agency. You have me confused with someone else."

"The lady said no," the dark-haired man said cheerfully. "Which part of that was unclear? The no part, or the part where she's obviously terrified of you?"

Xavier's eyes flashed yellow, his wolf rising to the surface. "Stay out of this, bloodsucker."

"Bloodsucker?" The man laughed. "Oh, that's precious. Brother, I think our puppy here doesn't know who, or what, he's talking to."

Something shifted in the air. The temperature dropped, and everyone in the garden turned to look at us. I felt power rolling off both brothers in waves—not just magick, but something deeper, older, more fundamental.

"You want to know who you're talking to?" Lust asked, his voice carrying despite being barely above a whisper. "I'm Lust. That's Envy. We're two of the Sins, and you're touching my employee.”

Xavier went very still. I watched the arrogant confidence drain from his face as the implications hit him. Alpha werewolf or not, even he wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with the literal embodiments of sin.

"That's...not possible," he said, but his grip on my arm loosened.

"Oh, it's very possible," Envy said with that same casual grin. "And we're having such a lovely evening. Shame to ruin it with bloodshed."

Xavier's gaze darted between the two brothers, then back to my face. I could see him calculating, weighing his options. He was outgunned and he knew it.

"This isn't over," he said finally, releasing my arm.

"Security!" Diana's voice rang across the garden as she glided toward us. "Please escort this gentleman out. He seems to have gotten confused about the guest list."

Two massive security guards appeared as if from nowhere, flanking Xavier. He looked like he wanted to resist, to assert his Alpha dominance, but even his ego wasn't strong enough to take on two Sins plus whatever other supernatural backup Diana had on hand.

He let the security guards escort him toward the exit, but I could feel him looking back at me, confusion and suspicion written in every line of his body. He wasn't convinced. How could he be?

The moment he was gone, my knees gave out.

"Whoa there." Envy caught my arm, steadying me. "You OK?"

I couldn't breathe. The garden was spinning, and all I could think about was Xavier's hands around my throat, the weight of wet earth, the desperate clawing toward air and light and life. Everyone closed in, and I couldn’t breathe–

"Hey." Lust's hand settled on my shoulder, magick washing over me—warm, grounding, gentle. "You're safe. He's gone."

Diana appeared at my elbow, her face pale with realization. "Oh my god. Juniper...that was him, wasn't it? The Alpha who..." She stopped herself, glancing at the two brothers.

"Who what?" Lust demanded.

Diana's expression shifted, pieces clicking into place. "The night I found her, she was running through the woods in a torn wedding dress. Covered in dirt, like she'd been...like she'd clawed her way out of something. She kept saying 'he called me Evangeline' over and over."

The temperature around us dropped another ten degrees.

"He called you what?" Envy asked, his casual demeanor evaporating.

I wrapped my arms around myself, the memory flooding back.

"We were...we were about to..." I couldn't finish, my face burning with shame and humiliation. "And he said her name instead of mine. When I confronted him about it, he just...snapped."

"Evangeline," Diana said grimly. "The Northern Range Alpha's sister. There were rumors about her and Xavier having an affair, but it was never confirmed."

"So he was cheating," Lust said, his voice deadly quiet. "And when you caught him..."

"He tried to kill me," I whispered. "Strangled me. Left me for dead in the woods behind my cottage."

Lust frowned. “Diana, did you say she was covered in dirt?”

Envy’s gaze sharpened, his head whipping around to stare at me.

“Were you buried alive?!” Envy demanded, even as Lust’s face drained of color.

The words hung in the air like a physical weight. Diana's hand found mine, squeezing tightly. Envy's expression went deadly serious. And Lust ...

Every glass in a hundred-foot radius exploded.