Sheridan’s voice rose loud enough on the last word that a few others—werewolf and vampire alike—turned their heads to look.
I shot a look at Charlie and she glanced back at me with a single brow raised. Guilt worked its way along my gut as I realized I’d been caught in my lie. I’d told Charlie Mom was stabbed—it was technically true. Stabbed by fangs. The knife wound story was the official one that we’d given to police and outsiders. And the day I’d told Charlie, as far as I was concerned, she’d still been an outsider.
For now, I offered a subtle shake of my head and an apology in my expression. Charlie turned away, and I knew she’d let it go for now. I’d have to apologize later.
“Lower your voice, Sheridan.” Dad smiled—one of his fake, political ones. “We’re at a party, remember? An engagement party, to be exact.” He turned so easily that I knew he’d been aware of us the entire time. “And here are my girls now.”
Dad turned to me and I returned his smile with one of my own. It felt just as forced and plastic as his. God, I hated parties. And politics. “Hi, Dad.”
“Regan. You look beautiful, as always.” He turned to Charlie and his eyes flickered over her. His smile deepened to something more genuine. “Charlotte, you look … breathtaking.”
A pang of jealousy twisted in my gut. I swallowed, shoving it down.
I couldn’t stand there and watch my dad fawn over Charlie. I felt inadequate enough being next to her.
“Excuse me,” I said, stepping away. My sister watched me go. Dad didn’t even look.
The clearing was uncomfortably full with a large empty space slicing through. It was as though an invisible line had been drawn down the center of the forest. My pack was crowded on one side, forming a solid wall of impenetrable bodies, and then several feet away, the vampires watched with hungry eyes.
I found a vantage point at the back of the crowd where the hill sloped up a little, letting me watch everyone. Whatever the elders said about a truce, I didn’t trust a fight not to break out. Too many of us felt like Sheridan—hungry for violence even without our wolves’ reflexes begging for it. I needed to be ready to intervene.
The vampires weren’t really any taller than the rest of us, but they seemed to take up so much more space in the clearing. Darkness radiated from them. A chill in the air. They were venomous snakes in the grass, and we had invited them onto our land and into our home. And I would have to marry one of them. The very thought of it gave me a sour taste in the back of my mouth.
I glared at Blaine and Gretchen Rossi as they sipped champagne and laughed, like they hadn’t a care in the world. It was a ruse. It had to be.
But where was that prince of theirs?
My eyes flicked to Charlie. She looked so small among everyone else, and protectiveness rocked me to the bone. I couldn’t let her marry a vampire. I just couldn’t. Even if I didn’t outweigh her in every category, I would still find a way to beat her. Somehow, she’d gotten underneath my skin and made me care about her.
Several feet back, I found Carter. Still sipping and watching Charlie while also scanning the surrounding area and beyond. His searching led him directly to me and our eyes met—as if he’d already known where I was. His green eyes sparkled brightly even from this distance as his expression lightened. Not quite a smile, but a little less worry lines along his forehead. I waved and he waved back before finally turning away to listen to whatever Bevin was saying to him.
A hush rippled through the crowd on both sides.
A new vampire stepped into the clearing. It was like he’d appeared out of shadow; empty space one minute and then the next, he was just there. His shoulders were almost as wide as he was tall, his hair buzzed close to his scalp in some version of a military cut, and angry red eyes scanned the gathering. Not the prince—I recognized the heavy signet ring on one hand with the royal family’s seal, which meant he was in their service. He was a brute. A bodyguard. The Rossi killing machine, I’d heard some of my pack call him.
And a moment later, I saw why he had come.
The leaves rustled unnaturally in the still air. The hush turned to a vibration of expectancy. The vampires, in particular, watched with upturned faces, red eyes sparkling.
The brute moved aside in deference as Prince Owen himself stepped into the clearing.