Gabriel Jakes was standing at the center of the high council platform, surrounded by executive faculty. He had been looking down at his terminal, his posture rigid and detached, entirely bored by the social system of the evening. But as the silence rippled through the room, his icy amber eyes snapped up.
He froze.
The absolute, unyielding stone of his aristocratic features cracked for a fraction of a second. His gaze swept down the sleek, severe column of my midnight-blue dress, tracking the flawless tailoring, the absolute composure of my posture, and the pristine, dangerous elegance that radiated from me. He had never seen me like this. His jaw tightened, a dark, intense focus flaring in his eyes as he stared at the valley rat who had suddenly transformed into the most captivating anom
