Page 169 of House Ignis

"Ready, darling?" his voice purred, dark and hungry.

I looked at my reflection—at the fire in my eyes and the black silk on my body—and sent a pulse of pure, unadulterated confidence back to him.

"Ready to ruin you, Maddox."

I could practically feel his smirk from across the castle.

Tonight wasn't just about a dance. It was about claiming the darkness before it claimed me.

"Let's go," I said to the girls, my heels clicking sharply against the stone floor. "We have a statement to make."

•••

We stepped out of the dorms, the air thick and electric with anticipation.

Students fluttered past in a blur of shimmering gowns and sharp suits, their laughter and whispers trailing behind them like silk.

The ball was held in the House Ignis courtyard—the grandest space in the Academy—and tonight, it looked like a dream forged in gold. Massive lanterns floated between the ancient trees, and flames danced gently in enchanted sconces, casting a warm, flickering glow over everything they touched.

My heart stuttered. The bond flared.

My sigil lit up along my collarbone like a brand, a faint, rhythmic glow pulsing beneath my skin as it sensed its match nearby.

“My dark king.” I sent the words through the bond, and gods, the low, visceral growl I received in return nearly made my knees buckle.

"I'm warning you, darling," he purred down the link, his voice a delicious, lethal threat. "If you don't speak to Jeremy soon, I might just lose my patience and take you in the nearest closet. I don't care who hears."

My breath hitched. He knew.

He knew exactly how much I wanted to be claimed, how much I craved the way his shadows undid my sanity.

He knew I was ready to lose every ounce of control to him.

We reached the courtyard entrance, where the hum of magic was so dense it buzzed against my skin.

Enchanted lights shimmered overhead like captured constellations and in the center stood the grand fountain of Ignis—carved from obsidian and spouting molten water that shimmered like liquid gold.

"Hey, there are the guys," Maddy whispered, her hand finding mine.

My gaze followed her pointing finger—and found him.

He stood on the far side of the courtyard, impossible to miss.

He was dressed in black from head to toe, his shirt unbuttoned halfway to reveal the intricate tattoos across his chest and—gods—the glowing mark of our bond.

My pulse thundered in my ears. All around me, students turned to stare as we entered, but I didn't care. Not tonight.

What Ember had called a dress was really a two-piece set of shadows and lace: a strappy black bodysuit paired with a flowing silk skirt slit scandalously high at the hip.

My skin hummed against the delicate fabric, and attached to my waist was a flowing silk skirt with a scandalous slit that climbed all the way to my hip.

Every step I took revealed the black lace garter clinging to my thigh like a silent promise.

Asher's eyes didn't just see me; they devoured me.

His gaze trailed from my face, down the line of my throat, pausing at the swell of my breasts before dropping to the slit in my skirt. When his gaze finally landed on the garter, the bond didn't just hum, it snapped.

Heat coiled violently in my belly.