“What?” the stranger gasped.

Baring his teeth, the man shoved into Ezra. Breaking his opponent’s hold, Ezra landed a crushing blow to the man’s jaw. His head snapped back, but he recovered instantly and threw his own punch.

The two inhumanly strong men fought with lightning-fast blows. My eyes went wider as I nervously withdrew a few yards. Ezra rarely let his real speed and strength show—most opponents didn’t require it—but now he was a blur of powerful strikes. And so was the other man.

Ezra added his aero magic to the fight. A blast of wind, a boom of air pressure, and the man flew backward and hit the ground with a crunch. Snarling, he scrabbled at the grass as he clambered up.

He leered at Ezra, his hands balled into tight fists. “Whatever you are, tomorrow I’ll be stronger. You’ll feel my real strength on the full moon.”

Arm whipping out, he hurled a small object into Ezra’s face.

Ezra lurched away, arms shielding his head, and with his stolen moment, the stranger pivoted on one foot and sprinted for the trees. Ezra lowered his hands but didn’t give chase. The man had too much of a head start, and following him into the dark woods alone was an ambush waiting to happen.

“Are you h-h-hurt?” I asked as I rushed to his side, the question distorted by a sudden onset of teeth chattering. Holy hell, it was way too cold to be standing outside in my underwear. An icy wind swept over us, damp and bone-chilling.

“Just a scratch.” He held up his bare forearm, displaying a shallow cut, inflicted by the rock our mysterious attacker had thrown. “What about you?”

“F-f-fine.”

He scanned me from head to toe, then gently touched my chin to tilt my head. I was probably already developing some nifty bruises from that asshole’s crushing grip. Ezra angled my head the other way and his fingers tightened on my chin. A sound rolled from him—not really a growl, but a deep, husky exclamation from the back of his throat.

“He bit you.”

Okay, that was a growl.

“Is it bleeding?” I asked.

“Not bleeding.”

“I’m g-g-good, then,” I chattered.

He stared down at me, his chocolate-brown eye almost black in the darkness, his other eye eerily pale. Then he swept his arms around me and pulled me tight to his chest—his bare, sculpted, mouthwatering chest. I gasped, then shamelessly plastered myself against his warmth, my hands gripping his shoulders. I buried my face in the base of his throat, inhaled his heavenly scent, and acknowledged how terrifying that struggle had been.

When I started to shiver, he drew me even closer, and I closed my eyes. Thank you, nasty intruder dude, for the small things—like a half-naked hug from Ezra in a dark, wintry garden beneath the castle’s glowing windows.

Chapter Eighteen

The black alpha wolf. Yesterday morning, he’d waltzed onto the academy’s back lawn and challenged Aaron to a battle. Then last night, in human form, he’d broken into the manor and almost turned me into a wolfy chew toy.

I hadn’t made the connection during the fight—too focused on not dying—but his identity had been easy to piece together. The bulging muscles, preternatural speed, and inhuman strength. His comment about knowing I was feisty “as soon as I saw you.” And, the dead giveaway, his promise to show us his real strength on the full moon … which was only a few hours from now.

Between the shifter’s threat and Sin’s exorcism, midnight promised to be all kinds of fun—but I had other worries on my mind.

“I should’ve gotten the green dress,” I moaned, fighting hysteria. “What was I thinking?”

Sin looked away from the bathroom mirror, a tube of her homemade, alchemic, never-smear-or-fade lipstick in her hand. “You look amazing.”

I shook my head, almost dislodging the fancy twist she’d spent thirty minutes taming my curls into. A few loose tendrils swayed around my face. “Noooo. I should’ve gone with the frumpy dress. This is a dignified party full of prudish zillionaires.”

She dabbed pale pink lipstick over her lower lip, capped the tube, then planted her hands on her waist and surveyed me from head to toe. I gave her the same assessment.

Her dress matched her teal hair perfectly. The strapless bodice’s crisscrossing fabric wrapped her bust, while layers of soft chiffon draped down to the floor. Her hair hung in magazine-perfect waves over her shoulders, subtle makeup enhanced her dark-lashed eyes, and a pearl necklace finished off her outfit. Lovely and elegant, classy but fun.

Gulping, I faced the mirror and nearly buckled under a million doubts. My dress’s V-neck offered only a hint of cleavage. That part was modest, but the rest …

Embroidered black roses ran up and down the curves of the tight mermaid cut. Where roses didn’t cover me, the sheer black lace revealed tantalizing glimpses of the nude-tone silk beneath, giving the impression that under the embroidery, my naked skin was barely hidden by semitransparent fabric. The black lace flared out at mid-thigh and swished around my legs as I turned to look over my shoulder. The front’s modest cut belied the completely missing back, the straps sweeping straight down to my waist.

“What was I thinking?” I whispered, horrified by my lack of foresight.

Sin stepped in front of me and gripped my shoulders. “You look amazing, Tori. Sexy sophistication. You’re a bombshell and every woman here will be jealous.”

I gulped. “Right. Okay.”

She handed me a tube of blood-red lipstick. I swiftly applied it, then gave my appearance one final check. Thanks to some healing magic and alchemic salves, a faint red mark on my shoulder was all that remained of my injuries from last night. Good thing, because bloody bite wounds were, like, so last season.

As ready as we would get, Sin and I boldly swept out of the bathroom.

We’d spent so long getting ready that the guys had given up waiting and gone down to the party. Sin and I took the spiral stairs to the gallery that overlooked the entrance hall. A few people—men in suits and women in long dresses—milled in front of the fireplace and Christmas trees.

Vaguely disappointed that I wouldn’t get a movie moment where I slowly descended the grand staircase while the guys stood at the bottom, amazed by my transformation, I lifted my skirt off the floor and hastened down to the main level. Since it was a floor-length dress and I loathed high heels for the torture devices they were, I’d opted for a pair of black ballet flats.

Low voices in dignified conversation rolled out of the drawing room. Sucking in a breath to calm my nerves, I ventured through the door.

Over a hundred people mingled in the expansive room atop a deep red carpet. Crystal chandeliers cast soft light over green garlands looped along the walls, and twelve-foot Christmas trees filled the corners, adding their own golden glow to the lighting. Two beautiful stone fireplaces faced each other across the length of the room, and the outer wall featured a bank of windows that looked out onto the stone terrace.

Waiters in black suits, bow ties, and white gloves, with one hand tucked primly behind their backs, carried trays of champagne flutes among the guests. A long table draped in shimmering gold cloth boasted silver platters of delicacies, finger foods, and desserts. An ice sculpture of two stylized reindeer formed the centerpiece, a pale blue light illuminating the melting ice lit from beneath. Everywhere I looked, the room shimmered and sparkled like magic.

Actually, there might be some genuine magic involved.

Sin hovered beside me, all shyness, so I raised my chin and led the way. Eyes turned to us, but I paid them no attention. The only people whose opinions I cared about were my three mages.

I found them in the corner by the terrace door, opened a crack to let a chill breeze into the stuffy room. Ten paces away, I had to stop and take in the sight of them all fancied up in formal tuxes.

Kai, in typical Kai fashion, had gone for all black—and he pulled it off beautifully. Black jacket over black vest over black shirt, with a black tie neatly knotted and tucked into his vest. Dashing and mysterious, with a hint of danger. He could’ve stepped off the set of a James Bond movie—the beguiling villain rather than the hero.

Aaron’s jacket was the darkest of blues, and the color made his vibrant eyes pop so brightly he could’ve passed for a fae. His black bow tie sat on a crisp white shirt, and the jacket’s cut showcased his broad shoulders and tapered waist, the sleeves falling exactly so, a white square of silk peeking out of his breast pocket.

Ezra’s tux was charcoal gray, layered over a white shirt and medium-gray tie. As a concession to formality, he’d combed his tousled curls back from his face, and without the tangle of dark hair across his forehead and curling over his ears, his cheekbones had taken on new life, with subtle shadows revealed along his clean-shaven cheeks and jaw.

Damn, these boys cleaned up good.

Before they noticed us, I grabbed Sin’s arm and swung her in front of me. Hands on her shoulders, I steered her forward. She needed a confidence boost and I was certain the guys would deliver.

Aaron spotted her first. He broke off mid-sentence, whatever he’d been saying to Kai forgotten. For a long second, he just stared. I gave Sin a final push, then hung back.

“Sin.” He blinked, stunned. “You look …”

Kai slid past him, swept Sin’s hand into his, and lifted her fingers to his lips. “Ravishing,” he finished for Aaron, speaking against her knuckles.

Oh, he was smooth. I grinned as Sin turned bright red and tried to look demure despite her delighted smile. Aaron and Kai were so busy charming her that they hadn’t noticed me several long steps away—but Ezra, standing behind the other two, wasn’t watching Sin.

He stepped around Kai and approached me, smiling in a way that made my lungs quit working. His fingers brushed my elbow as he leaned down to speak in my ear.

“Beautiful isn’t a strong enough word,” he murmured. “You’re exquisite.”

My heart fluttered.

“I’m supposed to watch out for the what?” Sin exclaimed.

Ezra straightened and looked over, and I inhaled before I fainted. Stupid lungs.