There was nothing traditionally charming about her. She didn't possess the delicate, inviting warmth of the women who used to flock to his side. She didn't play the subtle, flirtatious games of the nobility. Her face was a constant, frustrating display of absolute detachment. She looked at him as if he were a particularly complex mathematical equation that she had already solved and filed away. It was maddening. It was entirely frustrating.
Julian stopped pacing, his gaze landing on the ornate window that looked out toward the dark, central palace courtyard.
