I knew he was watching me. I knew he wasn't going to take his eyes off me for the entire night.
But I had to find a way to meet Rafiq at midnight.
I was skeptical at first, but he was right. I didn't have any options. Erebus wasn't exactly forthcoming with information about who I should be on the lookout for. And Erebus seemed to respect Rafiq enough.
Not like I trusted Erebus's judgment, but still. It was better than nothing.
I kept my head down as I weaved through the crowd. Most of the werewolves ignored me completely, only a few were brave enough to raise their heads and meet my eyes. Erebus's reputation had seen to that, I was sure.
Whatever reputation he had with the werewolves was beyond me. But whatever it was, it hadn't been all rumors. Or else his brothers wouldn't have banded against him like that.
Perhaps the rumors I had heard about my dear husband held some truth.
I continued walking the perimeter of the ballroom, but I found myself drawn into the pure magnificence of the building. I had never seen anything like it. The beauty of the Caliphate was far beyond what our empire looked like.
But this…this was more than I had ever imagined. Even in the grand room, the space felt inviting. The walls were not just bare stone, but they were covered with vines and greenery that moved with the structure. Each doorway was large enough to fit four people at any given time, and the ceilings were arched with an opaque glass that allowed me to see through the ceiling and into the now dark sky.
Someone bumped my shoulder, nearly knocking me off my feet, but I caught myself against the wall. I turned, half expecting to be confronted by another werewolf, but the culprit just mumbled an apology and kept moving.
"Having a good time?" a woman's voice approached from my left. I snapped my head in her direction, only to find myself staring directly at the gorgeous blonde werewolf who had been speaking to Erebus earlier.
Great.
I forced a smile and rolled my shoulders back. "As good as possible, I suppose."
The girl smiled and stepped closer. "The werewolves loves their parties. I suppose of all the rumors that live in the human lands, that one is likely the most truthful. I'm Kara by the way."
I studied her face for any ounce of malice, but found nothing. Every word that came from her mouth felt genuine. But if what I saw between her and Erebus earlier was what I thought it was, Kara was just pretending to be nice to me. If anything existed in both the werewolves and human lands, it was jealousy.
"It's nice to meet you, Kara. And yes, this party certainly does not disappoint after everything I've heard," I said, matching her politeness.
"This must be quite a change from home," she continued. "I can't imagine leaving here and continuing life in the human lands."
Was that a diss? Or was she being genuine?
"The human lands weren't much, but they were home."
Kara took a sip of her drink and flipped her long hair over her shoulder. Her dress was even more scandalous than my own, exposing most of her tanned skin. "The Caliphate can be tough at times, but it's home. If you find yourself needing a friend here, I'm never too far."
I hid my shock as much as possible. Not only was she a werewolf interacting with a human, but she clearly had some sort of past with Erebus. Nonetheless, I needed as many allies as possible.
"That's very kind of you, thank you. Although I'm not entirely sure how much freedom I'll be permitted here," I said.
Kara laughed. "Erebus can be possessive, that much is true. But you're a smart girl, Eve. I can tell. You'll figure it out."
Now it was my turn to laugh. "You sound pretty confident for someone who just met me."
Kara leaned in to whisper, "You remind me a lot of myself, Eve. But I must warn you– Erebus isn't the brooding, obedient prince everyone takes him for. He's a crack of lightning in the middle of a thunderstorm. Be very careful."
I didn't have time to question what she meant. She winked at me and disappeared in the crowd, her dress flowing on the ground behind her.
Okay, this night was getting weird.
What in the Saints did that mean? Amanda had told me I could trust Erebus, but Kara was telling me the opposite?
I caught myself frowning and straightened immediately, replacing the slip of emotions with a delighted, ignorant mask.
Kara wasn't going to mess with my head. I knew what I was doing. I took a few steps toward the massive doorways. It was almost midnight. Rafiq would be waiting for me, and after the conversation I just had with Kara, I was desperate.
Nobody seemed to be paying attention. Everyone was busy dancing or drinking until they passed out. I dipped my head and slipped through the doorway, into the dark hallway.
A few rings of laughter echoed against the stone walls. I froze, but nobody approached. I kept my ears peeled for any sign of approaching footsteps.
Saints. Would I even be able to hear a werewolf if one tried to sneak up on me?
I walked slowly, but my shoes still clicked on the floor. I knelt down and slid them both off. My plan wasn't about to get ruined because of some stupid high heels.
The floor was cold against my feet, but it was refreshing. It was like a wave of cool water rushing through me, electrifying my senses.
I didn't so much as breathe as I snaked through the shadows, counting the doorways as I passed them. Rafiq would be waiting here, I just had to make it a few more feet until–
A strong hand grabbed my arm and yanked me sideways, sucking me into a shadow-filled doorway. I would have gasped if it weren't for a strong hand covering my mouth and forcing away any scream for help.
I fought to get free in the dark hallway we were pulled into, but the arm that wasn't covering my mouth pinned my arms to my sides and forced me against his body.
"Be quiet, dammit!" Erebus's voice whispered roughly in my ear.
I needed to scream out. I needed to get free. I needed to do something–anything. Because I wasn't going to die here. I wasn't going to let him ruin my entire plan.
I was seconds away from biting his hand to scream for help when a group of footsteps rushed into the hallway.
"Where is she?" a man asked. No, I knew that voice. It was Rafiq.
"She came this way, I swear!" one of the other brothers chirped.
"I told her to meet us here at midnight," Rafiq's voice echoed through the hallway. I stiffened. Mal's hand didn't leave my mouth.
They were talking about me.
"Maybe she's not quite as stupid as the others," another one of the brothers asked.
This earned a laugh from the rest of them.
Were all of the brothers out there looking for me?
"Do you think she told Erebus what you said?" The brother asked.
"I doubt it. She doesn't trust a soul right now, and after I was done talking to her, she practically reeked of fear. She won't tell Erebus anything."
Now it was Erebus's turn to tense behind me.
Okay. If I wasn't dead earlier, I would definitely be dead now.
The footsteps approached us, and I was prepared for them to walk into the same dark room as us. But they passed us by, echoing into the distance until they eventually grew silent.
My husband released the death grip he held on me and I let out a long breath.
"What was that?" I breathed, whirling to face him. "Why are you hiding from them?"
He grabbed my shoulders and shoved my back against the wall, pinning me there. "What did he tell you?" He asked, his dark eyes piercing into me. I hesitated. Erebus saw it, too. "I can smell lies, princess, so think wisely about what you're about to say."
I debated my options. Telling Erebus what Rafiq said would ensure that I couldn't sneak away to meet with him. But Erebus clearly had reasons not to trust his brothers. Did that mean that I shouldn't, either?
After what I had just heard, I wasn't so sure meeting with Rafiq was going to help me at all.