Free The Stone Demon by Karen Mahoney Page A

his silver goat-mask and slid from the dais with inhuman speed, disappearing through a doorway that appeared out of nowhere.
    “May I have this dance?” a low voice said in her ear.
    Donna turned, and found herself looking into familiar green eyes. Everything around her seemed to stop, caught in a spell that could almost have frozen time. She knew she was being way over-the-top corny, but, in that disorienting moment—while her brain tried to catch up with what her eyes were seeing—the disconnect between dream and reality felt exactly like that. There was no way that the person asking her to dance could possibly be there.
    And yet … here he was.
    “Xan,” she whispered, suddenly feeling light-headed. But not in the silly, giddy-girly way that she used to feel around him—she was just so surprised he was there, and so happy to see him, that the emotions all sort of crashed together like a wave that left her breathless.
    She’d never imagined he would travel all the way here. For her.
    “Donna,” he said, his eyes burning viridian bright in the atmospheric lighting. “You look beautiful.”
    Then Xan stepped back, holding her gloved hands in his, examining her as if she was something precious. With the way he was looking at her, Donna actually did feel beautiful—for the first time in her life. She didn’t think about the iron tattoos that covered her arms, or about all the things that made her feel different and like she didn’t belong; she just soaked up his attention like a plant starved of sunlight. One happy moment amid all the craziness was allowed—right?
    “Seriously,” he said, grinning at her. “You look amazing.”
    His appreciative expression told Donna that he truly meant every word, and despite how much his quiet sincerity made her squirm, she was pleased he’d said it. Warmth spread through her body, chasing away some of the night’s tension and fear.
    She smiled, trying to own the belief that she might actually look halfway cute. In Xan’s eyes, at the very least.
    “You look pretty amazing, yourself,” she said.
    And that, too, was true. Xan was wearing a simple, charcoal-gray suit that fitted him to perfection. His hair was slicked back from his face, showing off his beautiful cheekbones and flashing eyes even more than usual. The forest-green shirt added to the effect, and, honestly, Donna couldn’t imagine that he didn’t know how stunning he looked. But then, she thought, maybe he really didn’t. Xan had faults, sure, but vanity wasn’t one of them.
    When she glanced down at his feet, she couldn’t help smiling. He was wearing his regular black boots beneath the sharply tailored pants, which should have spoiled the effect but actually made him look even hotter.
    Xan raised an eyebrow. “What are you smiling at?”
    “Oh, nothing.” She bit her lip in an effort to stop grinning. A lot of the past month had been spent wondering how things stood between them, and yet all it took was for Alexander Grayson to get on a plane and turn up at a party looking dashing to sweep all that from her mind.
    Well, maybe not entirely, but it was a start.
    “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” she finally asked.
    He smiled. “Honestly, I didn’t know if I could make it in time. Not with how packed the flights were.”
    “But you found a way,” she said, gazing at him wonderingly. How had he managed to gain entry? Surely Demian would have a problem with gate-crashers.
    “There’s always a way,” he said, and then crooked his arm, indicating that she should take it. “Shall we, mademoiselle ?”
    “Why thank you, kind sir.” Donna hooked her arm through his and let him help her down an awkwardly placed marble step. She was glad of the support, considering the stupid heels she was wearing.
    “Where did all these people come from?” Xan whispered, bending so that his mouth was by her ear. His breath tickled the sensitive flesh there, making her shiver.
    “I have no idea. I