A Valley of Darkness (A Shade of Vampire #52)(29)

“You know what, don’t worry about it.” I moved to the side. “It’s nothing, don’t… Never mind.”

My ego couldn’t take the grilling, so I decided to walk away and forget this exchange had ever happened. Clearly, I wasn’t any good at asking a guy to dance. I wasn’t going to try that ever again.

Caspian’s hand caught my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. He pulled me back and guided me onto the dancefloor. The crowd slowly cleared around us, and I felt dozens of curious looks measuring me from head to toe. I had a feeling Caspian wasn’t often seen dancing at these events, but he didn’t seem to care.

He wrapped his left arm around my waist, his right hand closing over mine. He kept me glued to his body and led me through a gentle ballad of strings only. People moved back, giving us room to dance. I followed his lead, unable to take my eyes off him. I mentally thanked myself for not wearing heels, as it was easier for me to keep up with him in flats—Caspian was a good dancer and didn’t hesitate in his steps.

I could feel his heartbeat against my chest and his hot breath on my face. His natural scent was combined with a spicy fragrance, and it lit my olfactory sense on fire. I couldn’t get enough of it. As dangerous and as mysterious as he seemed, Caspian had a side to him that I’d never seen before—a side he was carefully giving me a glimpse of as we danced. I was quietly fascinated, and he refused to look away, his eyes piercing through my defenses.

We didn’t say anything for several minutes, but I did notice his signature glare was gone. I could see curiosity in his gaze, as if he were trying to understand me. Not that I could blame him. My behavior had been atypical. On one hand I pushed and glared back, giving him the same attitude he gave, but then I asked him to dance, so what did that say about me?

I saw the wary looks on people’s faces and realized they weren’t aimed at me, but at him.

“Why are the Maras looking at you with such fear?” I asked, my voice weak.

He glanced around, then smirked at me. I noticed the faint dimple in his right cheek, and wondered why I hadn’t seen it before.

Have you seen him smile before?

I couldn’t recall. I’d been too busy labeling him as suspicious and dangerous. Said labels hadn’t come off yet, of course, but the dimple was a little distracting. He was taller than me, so I craned my neck back to get a good look at his face. He was a beautiful creature, by all possible standards.

You’re getting yourself in trouble.

“Since you’re here investigating, Miss Hellswan,” he finally replied, his smirk unwavering, “you must have learned by now that House Kifo deals with defense and correction. People fear the iron fist of law enforcement. Hence, they fear me.”

“That makes sense.” I pursed my lips, finding his answer quite satisfactory. I would’ve been scared of him too, had I not been who I was. “So, is it just you in House Kifo, or are there more of you charming, strapping young lads in the family?”

I couldn’t help but grin, wondering how he’d react to humor, since all we’d exchanged so far had been various forms of aggressive rhetoric.

He mirrored my expression and brought his face a little too close to mine, enough to cut off my breath and make my heart beat faster.

“You didn’t check my records yet? I’m disappointed, Miss Hellswan,” he muttered.

“I did, but they weren’t all that helpful.” I held on, my chin up, knowing that the records I’d read could barely skim the surface of who he really was. I didn’t want him to think he was intimidating me in any way, despite the softness in my knees. I applied more pressure in my grip on his shoulder, just to make sure I wouldn’t slip away. His gaze was so intense, I almost liquefied.

“You should at least wait until I call on you, and we sit down for dinner, to ask me such intimate questions,” he replied.

He baffled me in more ways than one. I blinked several times, confused by the terms he’d used, then found myself locked in his gaze again.

“What do you mean by ‘until I call on you’?” I croaked.

He didn’t answer, but the twinkle of amusement returned to his eyes. We danced like that for a while, with barely an inch separating our lips, as he took deep breaths and studied my face. I opened my mouth to ask again, and his focus immediately shifted to my lips. His heart thudded, forcing my blood to rush through my limbs and overwhelm me with a tingling sensation.

What is going on here?

Then, as if having sensed that someone was watching, he glanced to the side and stilled.

I followed his gaze and saw a beautiful female Mara standing at the edge of the dancefloor, smiling at Caspian. She sparkled in a yellowish dress covered in thousands of diamonds, her pale blond hair combed loosely over one shoulder. Her sky-blue eyes shimmered, as tiny crystals had been mixed into her eye makeup.

“Please, excuse me,” Caspian muttered, then walked away, leaving me there in my glorious bewilderment.

“What the heck just happened?” I breathed, mostly to myself, watching Caspian as he met with the sparkly Mara damsel, who looked very happy to see him and even dropped a kiss on his cheek.

My stomach dropped, and I had a hard time understanding my reaction.

“That’s Amalia.” Rewa’s voice broke me out of my contemplative state. I turned my head and saw Rewa and Blaze dancing right next to me. “She’s Emilian’s daughter.”