Every guard in the ballroom was on alert the moment she stepped from the stairwell alone. Obviously she was the only one getting the memo a day late. At any rate, she was ready for whatever was going down in the next moments. Inhaling deeply, she searched for whatever had warned Eli. Her body trembled as the scent filtered through her. It was strikingly familiar, so much so she’d placed a hand to her heart to still its rapid beating. Swallowing deeply, she looked around again to make sure she’d seen the other guards on alert as well. X and Ezra were on their feet at the back of the room near the table where Rome, Kalina, Caprise, Nick, and Ary were still seated. Jax, Leo, Zach, and Tobias flanked that table. There was an identical EXIT door across the room and Nivea noticed the guard standing there was poised for battle as well. Then her neck snapped to the left, her nose twitching as that familiar scent grew stronger. For one heart-stopping second she thought she’d see him standing there, dressed in that perfect suit, fitting him as if it had been made just for his expertly cut body.
