Cosimo tried to make conversation. The weather, how lovely my dress was, this and that he thought I might be interested in. He couldn’t have been farther off.

My friends were still watching Cosimo and me. Though “watching” wasn’t the right term for the look Anastasia was giving me. I really hoped she’d find a man for herself soon. Knowing her, she was probably just pissed that for once I was in the lead, though I wouldn’t have minded if my father had taken more time to find someone for me. I tore my gaze away from my friend’s scowl and let my eyes settle in the corner where Growl had stood. He still hadn’t returned.

“My friends and I noticed a man earlier,” I said, not even sure what Cosimo had been rambling on about before I interrupted him. “My friends told me his name was Growl. He looked…”

I didn’t get further.

Cosimo’s grip on my back tightened. “He should have stayed where he belongs,” he said with a sharpness that surprised me, then he gave me an encouraging look. “Don’t worry. You’re safe. He knows he’s not allowed near women like you.”

I opened my mouth for more questions, but Cosimo shook his head. “Let’s talk about something else.”

There was nothing else I wanted to talk about right then, but I let Cosimo’s small talk lure me in. It didn’t stop my gaze from searching the room for Growl, though.

Cosimo led me back to my friends and a look passed between Anastasia and him. Her scowl obviously hadn’t slipped past his attention either. If I were braver, I’d have confronted her and asked what her problem was, but I definitely didn’t want any trouble at my first party.

Cosimo excused himself and headed toward a group of men, including Falcone. Trish handed me a fresh glass of champagne. “How was it?”

“Good,” I said automatically, unwilling to admit to them that I couldn’t care less about my soon-to-be fiancé.

“You looked cute together,” Anastasia said sweetly. Surprise surged through me, and I felt myself relax at once. Apparently, Anastasia had realized there was no reason for her to be jealous of Cosimo and me. It was finally time to enjoy the party.

CHAPTER TWO

Cara

I’d lost my way; the three glasses of champagne that I’d downed didn’t really help my sense of direction. This house was a maze, obviously built to impress and intimidate, and not so much as a place to feel comfortable and actually live in. At least, I could not imagine ever feeling comfortable in a place like this, but maybe the almost life-sized paintings of Falcone had something to do with it as well. His cold eyes seemed to follow me wherever I went.

I fumbled for my mobile in my purse and pulled it out, but hesitated. How embarrassing would it be if I called Anastasia or Trish to tell them I’d actually managed to lose my way while looking for the ladies’ room? They wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. The atmosphere between us had been strained since my dance with Cosimo anyway. No need to give them any more ammunition against me.

Not for the first time I wished Talia were here. We’d laugh about this together, and she’d tease me about it for a long time, but never out of malice or schadenfreude. She wouldn’t use it against me when talking to other people.

I paused, realizing with sudden horror that I didn’t even trust my two best friends. I shook my head. This was the world I lived in. “You can’t walk around trusting people, not even your so-called friends”—that’s what Father always said. I’d never wanted to believe him. I put my phone back into my purse. There was no way I was going to call anyone.

Mother was out of the question anyway.

And Cosimo. No, I didn’t need another reason for it to be awkward between us. And he was as good as a stranger to me. I had an inkling that wouldn’t change until our wedding day and perhaps a long time after.

With a quiet sigh, I kept going. At some point, I’d have to see something I recognized and find my way back to the party.

I turned another unfamiliar corner—they really looked all the same—when I spotted someone in the corridor only a few steps in front of me. Finally, someone might be able to point me in the right direction!

My elation turned to shock, then fear when I realized whom I’d walked into.

Growl.

He didn’t move. Just stood there. Tall and imposing. It seemed as if he’d been in this corridor for a while.

Waiting for a victim, and here I was all alone. Don’t be ridiculous.

But as much as I wanted to scoff at the idea, I had a feeling it wasn’t that far off. Fear and fascination battled in me, and I reminded myself that he wouldn’t touch me. My father was too important to Falcone, and that meant I was too. Maybe Growl was merciless, barely more than a killing machine and monster, but he was definitely a clever monster or he wouldn’t have made it this far. And yet I hoped my bodyguards would come to find me soon. But had they even seen me leaving the party? They’d tried to give my friends and me room. Now I wished they hadn’t.

Growl’s eyes showed nothing as he watched me. The suit was too tight around his broad shoulders, and the hint of black peeked out under his too white shirt. One of his many tattoos. I’d never seen them, but you couldn’t be part of society and not hear the stories. Even dressed up in a suit, masked like one of us, he couldn’t hide who he was. His tattoos showed, a small hint of the monster beneath the expensive attire. I wondered how he looked without the suit. Heat shot into my cheeks at the ridiculous thought. I’d definitely drunk too much alcohol.

The hint of a scowl crossed his face before it disappeared and I realized how long I’d been staring at him again, judging him. I probably hadn’t managed to hide my thoughts about him very well. A mistake that could ruin everything in our world. My parents had taught me better.

The door behind him, however, looked faintly familiar. It led to the main lobby. I didn’t move. Making my way back to the party meant going closer to him.

It was ridiculous. I wasn’t just anyone. And we weren’t just anywhere. He wouldn’t do anything. Even he had rules he was bound to and one of them was that I was off limits, just like all the girls from families like mine. No matter how much nonsense Anastasia talked, that statement of hers held true.

I squared my shoulders and took a few determined steps toward Growl. Closer to the party, I reminded myself as my pulse quickened. For some reason this felt like a prowl to me. Growl was the hunter and I was the prey, which didn’t even make sense since he had hardly moved since my arrival in the corridor.

“I’m Cara,” I said in a rushed voice. Maybe if I could get him to talk, he wouldn’t seem so dangerous anymore, but he didn’t react, only watched me with an unreadable expression—and then the door behind him swung open, and my mother appeared.

Her eyes settled on me then moved on to Growl, and her expression grew rigid.

“Cara, your father and I are looking for you. Come back to the party,” she said, completely ignoring the man in the corridor with us.

I nodded and rushed past Growl. His eyes—amber, not dark as they’d seemed from afar—followed me but he remained silent. When I had my back to him, a thrill shot through my body, and I had to stop myself from looking over my shoulder.