The second her fingers clamped over his pulse, the world vanished.
Her mystic abilities, honed to absolute perfection in her past life, triggered on pure instinct. The physical hallway of the Ritz-Carlton dissolved into a void of nothingness. Eloise's vision was instantly hijacked by the life force radiating from the man standing in front of her.
She expected to see the murky, gray-green aura of a man hollowed out by alcohol and meaningless sex. That was the public narrative of Arch Callahan.
Instead, a blinding, violent explosion of gold and purple light slammed into her retinas.
The energy was so massive, so ancient, it felt like a physical blow to her skull. Her brain throbbed with a sudden, agonizing pressure. This wasn't just a strong life force. This was a Sovereign Aura. It was the mark of an ancient covenant, a soul chosen by fate to rule. It was an energy signature so rare and terrifyingly powerful that it threatened to crush her own mental barriers just by looking at it.
Eloise gasped, her lungs seizing. She ripped her hand away from his wrist as if his skin were made of boiling iron. She stumbled backward, her injured ankle giving out, and her spine hit the cold, silk-lined wall of the alcove.
Arch's smirk vanished. His muscles visibly tensed. He stepped forward, his massive frame blocking out the ambient light.
"Hey," he said, his voice dropping an octave, losing all its lazy amusement. "Are you going to pass out?"
Eloise threw her head down, letting her messy hair fall over her face to hide her eyes. Her retinas were still burning with the phantom image of that golden-purple fire. Her chest heaved.
He's faking. The realization hit her bloodstream like ice water. The playboy persona, the scandals, the wasted nights-it was all a mask. Arch Callahan was a predator hiding in a petting zoo. This aura... the power game in Washington was far more complex than it appeared on the surface. And Arch, he was clearly not an insignificant player. He might even be a hidden trump card, waiting to reshape the board entirely.
"Do I need to call the hotel doctor?" Arch asked, his hand hovering inches from her shoulder.
Eloise dug her nails into her palms. She forced the mystic energy back down into the core of her chest, locking it away. She took a sharp breath, pasting on the fragile, terrified mask of a traumatized socialite.
She lifted her head. Her eyes were wide, shining with unshed tears. "No," she whispered, letting her voice tremble perfectly. "No doctors. I just... I had too much champagne. I tripped."
Before Arch could respond, the heavy thud of footsteps echoed from the opposite end of the corridor.
"Eloise!"
Bradyn Chandler's voice cut through the air. He was marching down the hall, flanked by two massive private security contractors.
Eloise's entire body locked up. Her breathing turned shallow. The physical revulsion was so strong she tasted bile.
Arch's eyes darted from her pale face to the approaching men. He didn't ask questions. He simply stepped sideways.
His broad shoulders and tall frame completely eclipsed Eloise, hiding her in the shadow of his body. He slipped his hands into his tailored pockets, leaning back on his heels.
Bradyn stopped a few feet away, his eyes trying to peer around Arch's chest. "Callahan. Excuse me. That woman is Eloise Ferguson. Senator Ferguson's daughter. She's my date."
Arch tilted his head. The lazy, arrogant playboy mask slammed back into place so flawlessly it made Eloise's head spin.
"Your date?" Arch drawled, his tone dripping with aristocratic boredom. "Funny. She didn't mention you while she was throwing herself into my arms."
Bradyn's face flushed a dark, ugly red. He adjusted his cuffs, his knuckles turning white. "She's not well. I need to take her home."
Arch let out a slow, mocking laugh. It was a sound designed to humiliate. "You tech boys are all the same. Can't even keep a woman entertained for one evening without her running off to find better company." Arch looked Bradyn up and down, dismissing him entirely. "Run along, Chandler. The adults are busy."
Bradyn's jaw locked. The tech billionaire was used to buying whatever he wanted, but he didn't have the generational political armor to start a fistfight with a Callahan in the middle of the Ritz. He glared at Arch, then turned and stormed back the way he came, his guards trailing behind.
Eloise didn't wait for Arch to turn around. She used the wall for support, ignoring the stabbing pain in her ankle, and limped rapidly toward the heavy metal fire door marked 'Employee Exit'.
She pushed it open. The freezing night air hit her face, shocking her system back to full reality.
She hobbled down the concrete stairs into the dark alley behind the hotel. A black SUV was idling by the dumpsters. The driver's side door flew open.
Siobhan, her fiercely loyal assistant, sprinted out. "Miss Eloise!" Siobhan gasped, taking in the torn dress and bare feet. She ripped off her own cashmere coat and wrapped it tightly around Eloise's shivering shoulders.
Eloise practically fell into the backseat of the SUV. Siobhan slammed the door, sealing them inside the soundproof cabin.
"Drive," Eloise rasped.
Siobhan jumped into the driver's seat and threw the car into gear. "Are we going back to the Ferguson estate?"
Eloise stared out the tinted window. The golden-purple aura of Arch Callahan was still burned into her mind. The Washington elite were playing a deadly game, and if she went back to her family's house tonight, she would be locked in a psychiatric ward by morning. She needed a shield. The biggest shield in the world.
"No," Eloise said, her voice turning to absolute ice. "Take me to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
