Chapter 201: Enchantment and Shadows

Jacob turned his head slowly toward Dedari, offering a predatory smile. His teeth gleamed like polished ivory in the dim light of the dome. With a fluid grace, he straightened, his movements betraying a languid confidence. He raised two fingers to his forehead in a mocking salute, muscles rippling beneath the thin fabric of his T-shirt with every subtle shift. His stride was deliberate, each step imbued with an air of haughty arrogance as he made his way toward the exit. His amber eyes, sharp with a glint of menace, flickered back to Zande. They burned with an intensity that seemed to set the very air around him aflame, a molten gold that poured heat into her veins and turned her to liquid fire. “For you, cara mia,” his voice whispered through her, searing her with the same heat as his gaze. It was a caress wrapped in menace, a promise wrapped in danger. Zande’s heart pounded as she stood on the stage, her voice a delicate thread tethering her to reality. She was performing for tho