Page 141 of To Catch A Rogue

"You're late," Lark said.

"Two minutes." Nikolai didn't bother looking at the clock. Instead, he stared down into his sister's face impassively. "Do you want my help or not?"

"We appreciate it greatly," Charlie said before she could reply.

Lark introduced Charlie and Blade.

"Thisis your team?" Nikolai seemed incredulous.

"The others are a little busy right now." Lark slipped over the roof toward the house. "Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered asking you for assistance."

"Busy doing what?"

Lark slanted an untrusting look in his direction. "Never you mind."

Charlie looked at Blade. Perhaps the vampires wouldn’t be the most difficult aspect of the night to manage.

Blade smiled and flicked his fingers. "This might be an interesting night."

"How many Black Wolves did you bring?" Charlie asked.

"Enough. Those that are trained to handle Upyr."

"Ready?" Charlie asked.

"When you are," Nikolai said, his eyes glittering in the night as Charlie reached for his lockpicks.

* * *

The entire courtwas gathered at the Feodorevna Palace.

Obsidian moved through the crowd, Gemma at his side like a silken shadow.

"Are you ready?" she whispered.

His gaze locked on Balfour laughing at something his wife had said on the dais. "Ready."

"Be careful,muy lyubov."

"Always."

Hand curling around the hilt of his knife, he started moving forward, never taking his gaze off Balfour.

"You." Sergey stepped in front of him, spurs ringing on the tiles. "I recognize you now."

Obsidian drew up short.

Five years ago, when he’d first met Gemma, Balfour had sent him to protect this man from the English delegation that had included Gemma and Malloryn. He’d been a spoiled princeling then, and little had changed.

"You are Dmitri Zhukov. I couldn’t quite place your face at first," Sergey sneered.

Balfour watched, smirking into his glass of blud-wein as everyone turned to see what was going on. A circle cleared around them on the marble floors, skirts swishing out of the way, and dark, predatory eyes locking on them.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"You betrayed me."

Obsidian’s brow arched. "I fail to see how?"