ask, the words out before I realize I’ve said them.
He seems surprised too, but he nods and offers his hand. “I’d be honored.”
I let him lead me onto the dance floor, aware of the eyes on us now. But when his hand lands on my waist and he steps close, I forget them. Just like before with Declan and Dean, I am grounded in this moment, content with the pleasure he offers simply by holding me.
“New dress?” he asks.
I laugh but it’s short-lived. “You could say that. Does Cutter throw these parties often?”
His eyes dart around the room, quick, assessing. “This is definitely a first.”
“In more ways than one.”
He holds my gaze for a long moment and then glances away at something over my shoulder. “Your court is unhappy with me.”
I lift a brow. “My court?”
“Every queen has one.”
I scoff. “I’m no queen.”
His eyes sparkle with some amusement I can’t read. “Oh, but you are, Celeste. You’re just the only one who hasn’t figured it out yet.”
“And these are all my subjects?” I can’t help but play along with his little game.
“Of course.” He nods at the gathering we’ve attracted. Angus, Maria, and of course, the guys, all watch from the edge of the dance floor. “They root for your happiness. And they would give up a lot to help you achieve it. Isn’t that the definition of a loyal subject?”
“You make them sound so one dimensional when you put it that way.” I look back at him. “I root for their happiness too. And for yours.”
“Mind if I cut in?”
Dr. Livingstone’s expression shutters as Cutter steps up beside us. A refusal is on the tip of my tongue, but I bite it back, along with my disappointment at being interrupted before our dance is over.
But Dr. Livingstone reluctantly drops my hand and steps away. “Of course.”
He walks off, leaving me alone with the puppet master himself.
“May I?” Cutter bows before me and then holds out his hand.
I take it, then stiffen at the unmistakable sound of a growl from behind me. Without turning, I know it’s Declan. Sure enough, it’s followed by a quiet hiss from Dean.
Cutter seems amused as he begins to lead.
“That dress looks ravishing on you, my dear. I’m surprised they haven’t torn off their suits and resorted to a brawl for who gets to take it off you tonight.”
“Don’t be crass,” I snap. “And don’t reduce them to animals.”
He tilts his head. “Aren’t they, though?”
“The only animal I see in here is you.”
“You wound me, Celeste. I am only trying to make your stay more comfortable. And I’ve included your friends, which I knew you’d want. Don’t they look nice in their fine clothes?”
I refuse to take his bait and look at them.
“You’re trying to win me over,” I say. “I don’t know why, but it won’t work.”
Something sharp and sinister flashes in his eyes, there and gone in an instant. “I don’t need to win you over. Not when you’re the only one who can help your sister.”
He’s right. We both know it.
Still, I won’t let him think he’s won me.
“This changes nothing. At the end of the day, you’re still a monster.”
He smiles blandly, but his next words are cut off as something slams into him from behind. He drops my hand, staggering sideways a single step before quickly recovering. Dark eyes blazing, he turns as Maria unleashes another blast of magic.
A chandelier rips free and crashes to the ground where Cutter just stood.
The music stops.
Maria utters words in a language I don’t understand. Something ancient that makes my earlier vision of the bloody heart flash before my eyes.
Behind her, and all around us, spirits reappear.
Maria raises a hand and points at Cutter, still chanting. A chair lifts off the floor and breaks into pieces. One of the legs flies at Cutter, its pointed end aimed at his chest.
Cutter catches it in midair before it can impale him. He tosses the wood away and snarls at Maria.
Her eyes glaze softly yellow, but whatever she’s preparing for next is cut short. Cutter closes the distance, moving faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.
Maria shrieks as Cutter’s fist slams through her body and into her chest. He rips it free with Maria’s heart gripped in his hand. It pumps for another beat, blood running in thick rivulets down Cutter’s wrist and onto the floor.
Maria’s eyes are wide and frozen, and then she falls, crumpling to the floor in a heap of gown and blood.
No one else