Chapter 12: Tamed By His Touch

Rose“Do you know her?” Tessa whispers as we walk into the banquet hall that evening.

Across the room, Zaneta can’t take her eyes off us. Her mouth is open, and the hand holding her drink is frozen in the air.

Anger ripples through me instantly. I clench my fists, holding myself back. Of course, Jacob brought Zaneta with him.

I glance at her bump, and the sight of it is like a knife slicing through my heart. Jacob holds her close, kissing her cheek while speaking with one of Darius’s men.

“Not really.” I blink back hot tears, moving in another direction.

The hall smells like a variety of exquisite flavors. Dinner has been served, but Darius’s seat is still empty.

I glance at it every five seconds, wondering where he is.

“I thought I would miss the last moonlit banquet, but this food is blowing my mind away,” Tessa moans on a forkful, and I giggle at her silliness.

“They look like they’re having fun,” I say after a beat, pointing at the group dancing at the center of the hall.

Tes