did a double take, and there was his stylish wife beside him, hidden behind a demonic-looking Judy.
It was surreal. How had Demian gotten all these humans to come? Was he using his magic to influence them? His natural charisma, the result of Otherworldly pheromones, was powerful enough to turn her to mush each time he even looked at her, so who knew what he could achieve by talking to humans in positions of power in the world? The possibilities were horrifying.
Perhaps she should start hoping that Demian really was only interested in revenge on the alchemists. Whatever else he might have planned for the world, she couldn’t begin to imagine.
Xan said something that she didn’t catch. She tucked strands of hair behind her ear and adjusted her mask, leaning toward him, trying to hear over the music. But before he could repeat what he’d said, the crowds parted and a lone figure appeared on the main stage. And “appeared” was the right word. Demian was obviously intent on making a dramatic entrance; he materialized out of the already magic-stained air.
Donna squeezed her hands into fists, prepared for anything.
Xan glanced at her, concern creasing his brow. “What’s the matter?”
“You didn’t see that?”
He grinned. “Oh, him. Sorry, I was too busy looking over there.”
She followed the direction of his gaze and shook her head. Three immaculately groomed women had taken to the floor, each wearing a low-cut, backless gown. They looked gorgeous—almost unreal visions of female perfection. Each wore a jeweled bird mask, which made them look predatory and ever-so-slightly scary.
She elbowed him. “Be serious. We don’t know what De-
mian’s up to.”
“Seems like the dude’s just having a party, to me.”
“You don’t believe that for a minute. Stop trying to put me at ease.”
He shrugged. “It was worth a try. I know how much you’ve been missing Navin. I guess I should try to take on his role for you, right?”
Donna continued watching Demian through narrowed eyes. “Maybe you should leave the humor to him. And honestly, I’m glad he’s not here. I don’t want Nav anywhere near Demian.”
Xan squeezed her shoulder gently. “But it’s okay for me to be in the same room as a demon king?”
“You know what I mean.”
“If you mean that you think I can handle myself, I’ll take that as a compliment. We all know that Sharma would probably run screaming.”
Donna glared at him, finally taking her eyes off the stage. “That’s not true! Nav is one of the bravest people I know.”
“Hey, relax. I’m just messing with you. I know you’ve got a soft spot for him. For some reason … ”
He was grinning again, so Donna chose to ignore his teasing. When she looked back at the stage, Demian had already gone. She couldn’t see him anymore, but the band looked ready to play their first number.
Xan nudged her. “So, shall we dance?”
Donna was suddenly self-conscious. She didn’t know the first thing about ballroom dancing. “Sure.”
It had been weeks since she’d last been in Xan’s arms, and her heart automatically began to speed up in anticipation. Maybe he was acting a little strange, but he could still make her melt with that smile.
His left hand circled her waist and he took her right hand in his. He pulled her gently against him and they began to move to the music, entering the flow of dancers swishing around the floor. A minute had barely passed before the music changed to something slow and seductive. Xan’s hand was warm against the small of her back as he pulled her more firmly against him.
The lights flickered and dimmed. Donna frowned and tried to look over her shoulder, but Xan spun her and she had to concentrate on her footwork to keep up. She might not know what she was doing but he seemed surprisingly adept, leading her around the floor as though he’d had lessons.
As they swayed with the music, Donna began to feel hot—unnaturally hot. Her tattoos were quiet beneath her long gloves, otherwise she might have thought something weird was going on with them. Her powers had seemed to settle down over the last couple weeks, which was a huge relief, but even so … she was always prepared for that to change.
“Xan, I think I need to stop for a moment,” she said, beginning to step back.
“Let’s keep going!” he replied, spinning her again, faster and faster.
Too fast.
Impossibly fast.
Donna looked into his eyes and watched as they flickered from green to black and then back