Married (8 page)

His palms itched to touch the woman’s skin—the color of rich, dark honey—to discover if it was as silken as it looked. He wanted to drive his fingers into the cloud of curls surrounding her head and test the texture. Physical attraction bowled him over, pooling in his groin almost painfully.

Christiana slammed her elbow into his ribs and sent him a fierce frown. Adam struggled to get control of himself.

Graves towed the beauty to a stop under a spotlight for dramatic effect, hauling her closer to his side. She resisted until her skin paled. Her caramel eyes caught the light and a flash of pain made itself known in their depths. Adam took an instinctive step forward, but Silviu grabbed his arm and held him back.

“Stay close to Georgie,” he whispered before moving forward himself. Silviu wound Madeleine’s arm around his. “Mother Davenold, meet Graves Ngozi, our host.”

The other man swept her a deep, disdainful bow, the light flowing over his skin like stars in the midnight heavens. The tone of the woman’s skin took on a peculiar luminescence, compared to Graves’ darkness. Standing together, they made a beautiful couple, but for the contempt shining in both their eyes.

“Mother Davenold, welcome to Witch Hunt. I cannot tell you how pleased I am that you and your granddaughter have honored us with your presence.”

“Indeed.” Madeleine sounded less than convinced.

Silviu jumped back into the introductions. “To her right, her sister Margaret.”

“Yes, I know her.” Graves’ lips curled in a mockery of politeness. “We both live in England, after all.”

Silviu tensed, but his tone remained calm. “Then perhaps you’d like to make the acquaintance of Madeleine’s youngest grandchildren, Georgeanne, Christiana and Adam.”

Graves’ attention locked on Georgie, sliding over her while calculation gleamed in his eyes. She stiffened, raised her chin, and Adam felt her irritation blaze against his skin. He also felt the weight of the unknown woman’s gaze, a warm drift that slid under the emotions Georgie was battering him with.

The woman stood stock-still next to Graves, her wrist still imprisoned in his hand. Her eyes warmed to molten amber, cataloging every nuance of Adam’s face. Her gaze devoured him, her cheeks flushed. He watched her chest expand on a breath.

Adam wanted her. And it seemed that she wanted him, as well.

Graves noticed her perusal, too. He tore his eyes from Georgie to glare at Adam, but he spoke to the woman at his side. “Do you see something you like, Tulah?”

Rebellion lit her face. “Yes,” she said simply.

Adam’s trousers became unfathomably torturous.

Graves tsked. “Now, pet, don’t get above yourself. An irritating little nobody, with barely any Family to speak of, can’t possibly hold any appeal for Adam Davenold.” A sly grin took his mouth. “Especially when he’s fucking my fiancé, and I can personally attest to her bed skills.”

“Is this how you greet all your guests, Ngozi”—Madeleine’s cold anger sliced through the growing tension—“or just Davenolds?”

“No, no, no, Mother,” Graves cooed. “I’m just putting my pet in her proper place. She’s a lower member of my Family. You must forgive my attitude toward your grandson, of course. It’s a difficult thing for a patriarchal man to accept his fiancé’s lover into his home. Just ask Silviu.”

The man in question raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I had to explain the concept to our host yesterday, when he offered a trade for my sister. He wondered why Eliasz was offended.”

Graves chuckled. “I was referring to you and your woman, Lovasz. Now that I see her, she is far more intriguing to my senses than your sister.”

Silviu’s face lost a measure of his famed self-control. His shoulders pulled straight and Madeleine’s free hand came up to grip his forearm. Next to Adam, Georgie’s irritation erupted into dangerous anger, a living heat along his side. Before anyone could figure out just how Graves meant his last remark, Georgie rose to the occasion.

“How odd that you would care so much about such a small, meaningless fling between Constance and Adam when you’re sleeping with her father, Warner.”

Graves’ eyes narrowed. “You leave him out of it!”

The rage on his host’s face had Adam pushing forward, angling his body in front of Georgie without thought. He pulled boredom over his features before tucking his hands in his pockets, putting on a show of extreme confidence. “I wonder why was I invited, if you’re going to quibble over my relations with Constance?”

“She was quite taken with you.” Graves cocked his head, his expression inscrutable. “Perhaps she wants a repeat performance?”

“I was with her before your betrothal was finalized. I don’t involve myself with other men’s wives.”

“That’s not what I hear.”

“
Enough
.” Again, Madeleine’s tone held all the sharpness of a finely crafted blade. She turned imperious eyes on Graves and stepped forward, dragging Silviu with her by her hold on his arm. “The choice is yours, Graves Ngozi. You can welcome us into your…
home
, with good grace, or we can depart. Either option will suit me.”

“He will welcome you, Mother Davenold.”

Adam winced as Constance’s voice filled the lobby with false cheer. She and Daniel stepped into the fray, rushing down the long aisle between the furniture. Constance’s smile was brittle, but the gaze she turned on Adam sparkled with sexual welcome. He struggled not to shudder. If he’d never laid eyes on the clingy, petulant woman again, it would have been too soon.

But she’d requested his presence at her betrothal celebration. He didn’t have to wonder why.

Daniel cast a glare at Graves as he passed, arm raised to take Madeleine’s hand in greeting. Graves grinned, shrugging as if it were all a misunderstanding. The Levy Father set himself to soothe Madeleine’s ruffled feathers with soft words as Silviu reluctantly let the old woman go.

He dropped back to take Georgie’s hand and a small, violent flare of gold light nearly captured Adam’s attention. Nearly, but not quite. Silviu and Georgie had set off sparks between them so often in Poland it was almost old hat. Ignoring them, Adam kept his gaze on the other women.

Unfortunately for Constance, she’d come to a stop next to the glorious creature.
Tulah
. Adam turned the name over in his head while he compared them. Constance was of medium height, pretty enough with shiny blonde hair and blue eyes. Beautiful, until one was forced into her company for a few days on end. Her allure wore off quickly.

Tulah was something else entirely. Exquisite. He wondered how long it would take before she would grate on his nerves.

Constance shifted, wrapping her arm around Graves’ and forcing him to let go of Tulah. She leaned into him, her mouth barely moving, but Adam twitched his fingers in his pocket, casting a subtle spell that drew her words to his ears. Christiana casually placed her hand on his shoulder, magnifying the magic’s effectiveness through their Match.

“What are they saying, Adam?” Silviu’s voice was barely a breath, traveling no farther than him, his twin and Georgie.

The fact that Silviu knew he’d placed a spell was something to examine later, at a more convenient time. “She’s unhappy that he irritated Madeleine. She wants us here, wants the Sovereign Bestowal, and knows she won’t get it if Grandmother gets in a snit. Graves is trying to soothe her.”

Silviu huffed. “I’m surprised he’s letting her express her displeasure.”

“Judging by the Levy Father’s face, Ngozi is in the doghouse with Daniel,” Georgie whispered. “Graves is trying to make it up to him by indulging Constance.”

“That’s part of it,” Silviu admitted, “but he’s patriarchal, and you don’t quite understand what that means for the women.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No, love, you don’t.” Silviu’s eyes softened then hardened again. Taking advantage of their host’s continued distraction, he said, “There’s something very wrong here. I don’t know why you’ve all been invited, I don’t know what Graves’ problem is and I don’t know how Daniel or Constance really feels about this whole situation.”

“It is odd.” Adam couldn’t keep his gaze from Tulah. “And what about her?”

Silviu followed his stare. “He calls her his pet. Put on a disgusting show of ownership yesterday. I thought Eliasz would kill our host where he stood.”

“Maybe I’ll help him.” Adam didn’t retract the statement, even when Chris pinched him.

Georgie looked at Adam in shock. “You better haul back on those reins, lover-boy. Before you go jumping into the middle of another Family’s squabbles, a
patriarchal
Family at that, you better figure out just what the hell they’re squabbling over in the first place.”

“Well, we’re here,” he shot back. “Perfect opportunity to gain some info, right?”

Georgie set her lips. “You’ll have enough on your plate dealing with Constance and Graves’ hostility.”

Adam shrugged and shared a glance with his twin. “I’m resilient, strong enough to overpower Graves and I’m diplomatic.”

“Graves is very strong,” Silviu murmured. “Equal to or even stronger than you.”

Adam turned to the other man with a challenging glare. “Not with my Match at my side.”

“Adam,” Georgie poked him in the chest, “I’m not about to let you get yourself into more trouble.”

With a sigh, he again pulled his eyes from Tulah and faced his cousin. “You worry too much. This is a perfect opportunity to gather some intel, and I fully intend to take advantage.”

“Relax, Georgie,” Christiana breathed. “We’ve got this covered.”

Georgie opened her mouth to argue, but Silviu stopped her. “They’re right. We’ll all keep our eyes and ears open. Eliasz is nervous, and that holds weight with me.”

Georgie went still. “Graves is a moody man. You never know what you’ll get from one day to the next, and there’s some scandal in his past.”

“And yet he’s gaining influence,” Adam pointed out.

Silviu hummed softly. “The scandal has something to do with the Ngozi Family Father, Muso, who will be here any day. Eliasz is looking into it.”

“Why don’t we get you all settled, hmm?” Daniel’s voice broke into their whispered conversation. Leading Madeleine between the rows of furniture, he looked back over his shoulder with a smile. “Your luggage has already been taken to your rooms, which I’m sure you’d like to see.”

Graves sneered and grabbed for Tulah. Hauling her along, he rushed to lead the procession up the sweeping staircase curving along one wall. Madeleine beckoned Christiana to her side while Daniel bent the full force of his manners on Margaret. Silviu guided Georgie with a hand at the small of her back, which left Adam to reluctantly offer Constance his arm.

She snuggled into his side. “I’m so glad you came.”

“Thank you for inviting me.” He took a deep breath and reminded himself to play his role. He let his hand sweep over her back.

“I wanted to find you a room near mine, but I’m in the Family quarters and Graves refused. Your room is on the second floor, but don’t worry. I know where it is.”

“Constance, what makes you think I could fully enjoy myself with you while under your fiancé’s roof?” Adam searched for, and forced his lips to use, all the diplomacy he housed within his politically savvy brain. “As much fun as we had, sweetheart, I really don’t think—”

She spun on the bottom step with a pout pulling at her lips. She flung herself into his arms, and only reflex had them closing around her. Constance immediately sank against his body, her higher vantage point allowing her breasts to rub his chest and her pelvis to mold to his dick—which was hot and pounding in his pants with the thought of Tulah spread beneath him, not the woman determined to find her way into his bedroom. Still, he forced his hands to grip her hips and haul her closer.

“What are you doing here, Constance? What am
I
doing here?”

“This.” Her mouth took his boldly, her tongue pushing past the restriction of his tightly closed lips. His response was subpar, but Constance was undeterred. She writhed and wriggled against him, giving Adam no more and no less pleasure than any other woman would. She was a warm, willing body against his, sparking interest in his dick, but leaving his head cold and removed.

Memories of her clinginess invaded his skull. He’d only seduced her to glean information on the Levy Family, Daniel’s travels and his willingness to approve of the match between Eliasz and Ileana.

Constance’s attitude left much to be desired. She was vain and simpering, weaker than him in all ways and barely worthy of his respect. She had virtually no magic, and only her ability to be silent among society had kept her from alienating them. She was a liability of the worst sort, and she only wanted his cock to cement her power in
someone’s
Family, even if it wasn’t her own.

Bitterness filled him in a flash. Constance was willing to be his whore in order to stretch beyond her own boundaries. She was greedy, grasping for power and using Adam to get it. He was an anomaly in the witching world—an influential man in a matriarchal Family, a prize for women looking for status on either side of the Schism.

Gently he disengaged and stepped back. He fought against the instinct to wipe his lips as he glanced up the stairwell, looking for the others. They were out of sight and no help to him.

“Sweetheart, at the very least I need to get settled. Everyone will notice if we’re not right behind them.”

“I missed you.”

He gritted his teeth at the whine in her voice and forcibly steered her up the steps. “Honey, you just saw me a few days ago.”

“I want to do more than
see
you, silly man.”

Reacquainting himself with Constance was one mission he didn’t think he could stomach. Adam sighed. “Constance, I won’t take you to my bed when we’re here to celebrate your marriage to Graves. That doesn’t sit well with me.”

“I’m sure we can be creative enough to find our way
without
a bed, if you’re going to be stubborn about it.”

It took effort not to squeeze his hand around her elbow and shake her. Maybe toss her down the stairs. Adam held tight to his patience. “No, Constance. Perhaps, in the future, if you realize you and Graves don’t suit, we’ll discuss the matter.”