Mara POV
The bonfire crackles against the night sky, flames dancing higher as someone adds more driftwood. Couples huddle under blankets, roasting marshmallows and laughing at stories I'm not part of. I calculate how long I need to stay before I can fake a migraine and escape.
Thirty minutes. I can survive thirty minutes.
"That seat taken?"
I look up. Frederick Mason stands there with two wine glasses and an easy smile. I recognize him from yesterday's poolside lunch—Lucien's business rival, though you'd never know it from his relaxed demeanor.
"It's all yours."
He settles onto the driftwood log beside me, handing me a glass. "You looked like you needed a refill."
"That obvious?"
"Only to someone who's been to enough of these things to recognize a fellow survivor." He raises his gl
