THE HIGH KING waved a hand, and the center of the ballroom cleared. The human "vessels," still dazed and glassy-eyed, were ushered to the edges of the room by silent servants. The marble floor in the center began to glow with a faint, sickly light, forming a ring about thirty feet wide.
"Lord Vane," the King called. "Defend your seat, or forfeit your life."
Vane stepped into the circle, his silk suit shimmering. He looked nervous, but a cornered predator is often the most dangerous. He hissed, a sound that started in his chest and ended in a display of elongated fangs. "You think you can just walk back in here after years of playing human and take what is mine, Ashford? I will consume what's left of you."
Grayson finally let go of Mailah. He didn't look at her with love; he looked at her with the possessive focus of a King checking his borders.
"Stay with my brothers," he commanded.
