He pulls me against his body, and it takes every ounce of self-control to not knee him in the groin.
“You seem stiff. Is something wrong, Harlow?” He smiles, but it’s not warm. It’s a dare.
“Not at all,” I say.
I know how to dance, but following his lead is unnatural. He dips me, and I’m so stiff I almost slip.
“Careful. Wouldn’t want you to fall,” he chides.
My stomach twists. I’m winded. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I can hardly catch my breath as he pulls me back up to standing. It’s as if my brain and my body are divided. My body is on the dance floor, but my mind wants to go far away.
His magic swirls around us more as he spins me.
I catch Kellan’s eye over Rafe’s shoulder, and my brother looks murderous. Libby is holding his arm, not out of affection, but with the white-knuckled grip that’s meant to keep him in place.
I raise my brows at If my family doesn’t react, no one will know that Rafe is taunting me with the threat of his magic. The hair on the back of my neck rises.
Rafe’s hand slides down my back, resting just a touch too low to be appropriate. The knife-sharp strike of manipulation slices at my mind, trying to convince me to let him leave it there. I’m too practiced at blocking this magic for it to actually work.
He’s just testing me for weakness. His blessing is the kind that works best if you can’t see it coming. I let him leave his hand there. I’d rather him think he’s won than find out how he’ll act out if he hasn’t.
Still, I wish I were wearing thicker fabric. His fingers brush along the back of my bodice. He presses his fingers a little lower, running them back and forth, like he’s looking for something.
My blood goes cold. I know what he’s looking for. He wants to know if Aidia and I have the same scars.
I force my face into a soft smile. “You would do well to keep your hands still. My fiancé is watching and he’s half wild animal.”
Rafe grins and winks at Henry. I glance over my shoulder.
Henry looks wholly unbothered, leaning back in his chair. Even his aura is calm and steady, not that Rafe can see it.
“Tell me, what does his wild-man aura look like?” Rafe asks.
If he didn’t banish Aidia from family events, she’d be here to tell him. I’ll do no such thing.
My parents let him do as he pleases because he has so much support from the common people. For a while, that support kept the rebellion from gaining too much traction, but in the past year, it feels like he’s been testing my parents by keeping Aidia from attending family events and saying things that are subtle criticisms of my parents in mayoral speeches. It’s never enough that the rest of the magical high houses would sanction taking any action against him, but it is enough to be noticeable.
I’m disquieted by Rafe’s sudden lack of subtlety. Normally, he wouldn’t taunt me so publicly.
“What do you want, Rafe?” I ask, trying to sound bored and not furious.
He leans closer. “I was just wondering if your feral fiancé has been enjoying his extended stay in town.”
I cock my head to the side like Rafe is the dumbest man I’ve ever met. “He’s only been here a day. Does time pass differently in North Hold?”
Rafe rolls his eyes. “You’re such a terrible liar. I hear that you and he had a private meeting two nights ago.”
My blood runs cold. He should not know about that, unless he’s the one who set me up to kill Henry.
“Tell me, is that mouth always poison, or is it safe when it’s stuffed with cock?” Rafe nods at Henry. “I have to assume the latter since he’s still breathing.”
I sink my nails into his neck and smile tightly. “Watch the way you speak to me.”
“Why? You’re just the throwaway daughter,” he whispers. “You and I would have been well matched, but your father insisted on marrying you off to that old bastard. What a shame. You could be sated in my bed every night.”
The thought sends a wave of revulsion through me. I knew that Rafe wanted to marry me. My father had insisted I was spoken for because he needed me to do his dirty work. More than once, I’ve thought about what I might have endured if things had gone the other way—what I might have saved Aidia from. I wonder if he’d be raising his hands to me, knowing that I have magic that could actually fight back.
A throat clears behind us. “I’ll ask you to keep your hands to yourself.”
