The seconds marched to a crawl, matched by Lucius’s deafening heartbeats. Movement seemed in slow motion as well. And every face blurred except for one. He labored to take in every breath as panic, confusion, and anger set in. He couldn’t make the connection between what he was seeing and what his brain was telling—screaming—at him.
There stood, to the left of Dee, Karina in a cream-colored, sequined gown that was modest in front but bare in the back. It showed off the elegant curve of her spine. She had her hair in an elaborate braid with tendrils framing her face like golden flames. Her cheeks pink, her skin like milk, and her lips glossed. A faint shimmer on her eyelids brought out the blue of her eyes. And the teardrop diamond earrings emphasized the length of her neck.
In other wor
