displays of affection, and she knew what would come next. Sure enough, his fingers drifted through her hair a moment later, absently stroking the strands.
"I know you don't like this," he said, quiet but firm. "I don't, either. But I'll be stronger with you there, and you can read Cerys in ways I can't. It could make a difference this time, especially since one of those bastards may have been working with Trent--"
"You're preaching to the choir, Declan." She closed her eyes. "Just...shh."
His chest rumbled with his amused noise, but he went silent. He fondled her hair as his chest rose and fell in slow, even breaths.
They still needed to pack. They still needed to talk. But, for now, the quiet suited her just fine.
Chapter Seven
No matter how many times he visited Sector Two, the one thing Dallas could never get past were the fucking angels on the ceilings.
Every sector enjoyed its own degree of wealth. Four was no exception, and a man who kept carpenters and leather workers busy creating custom sex furniture didn't have a lot of room to judge how other people wasted money. He'd come a long way from scrabbling for food and shelter, and paying for creative sex toys was as frivolous a use of his fortune as Dallas could imagine.
But fuck, at least he had fun with them. The painted angels just glared down at Cerys's guests in prissy judgment, which was rich, considering how the woman had amassed her fortune. No innocents here.
The reminder made him tighten his arm around Lex's waist. "Here we go."
"It's a party," she whispered in response. "Not a firing squad. Everyone's just gonna flash their feathers and compare dick sizes, and you've got nothing to worry about on either count, all right?"
His lips twitched, trying to form into a smile that would surely ruin his glaring barbarian image. "Fine, but it's an insult to fun to call this a party."
"You're above it all," Lex told him firmly as they made their way down the wide marble staircase to the main floor. "If you forget everything else, remember that."
Dallas didn't know about that, but they were sure as hell at the center of everyone's attention, and he'd bet his next batch of corn liquor that no one was staring at him, not with Lex sultry and deadly at his side. The leather pants were hot, and so were the heels that brought the top of her head level with Dallas's eyes. But everyone gaped the first time they saw that corset, a masterwork of stamped leather and shining rivets. The fastenings began beneath her breasts, which were on glorious fucking display behind nothing but crisscrossing ties.
Someday, he was going to pull a knife and slice through those taunting laces. Maybe tonight, as a reward for getting through this without pulling a knife for a different reason.
Cerys crossed the floor, her feet silent and her lavender robes flowing behind her. The tall brunette was still stunning, her pale skin showing only the vaguest hint of lines, and a fierce intelligence sparked in her amber-colored eyes, as sharp as the calculating smile that curved her lips.
She stopped in front of Dallas and bowed slightly. "Welcome, Mr. O'Kane."
"Cerys." He inclined his head--as close as he was planning to come to bowing to any of these people--before tilting it in Lex's direction. "You remember Lex, I guess."
"Of course." Her gaze lingered on Lex's throat as she held out her hand. "Alexa."
She ignored the proffered hand. "You heard the man. It's Lex."
"Lex," Cerys corrected, her smile widening. "Yes."
Dallas knew what held the woman's attention. The fancy collar, the one he'd set Stuart's sister to work on the morning after Noelle's welcome party. Not a subtle symbol, dripping as it was with rubies and diamonds he'd pried out of a dozen pre-Flare trinkets. It was a statement of wealth as much as ownership, and Cerys was unlikely to miss any of it.
Dallas laid his hand on the small of Lex's back and tried to smile without baring his teeth. "Lex has settled into being my better half. Isn't that right, love?"
Lex focused on his mouth, a tiny, secret smile playing at the corners of her lips. "That's right."
He wanted to kiss the hell out of her. He could probably get away with it, too--no one expected him to be polite--but something about the glint in Cerys's gaze made him hold back. Instead, he smoothed his hand to Lex's hip, splaying his fingers wide in a