Chapter 21 Rummy
Rummy
Okay, so maybe there was such a thing as too much fun.
But who could blame me? Cornelius knew how to throw a damn party. After the first few drinks, time began to blur. There was the massive dinner buffet, the addictive dance music, and the crowd of attendees who just wanted to have a good time. And I was here for all of it.
Comfortably numb from the alcohol, I let myself forget what I was supposed to be doing and started to actually have fun.
Every time Xavier and Jessiah crossed my mind, I pushed thoughts of them aside. The idea that they might be lingering in some corner, whispering about how much of a mess I was, watching my every damn move, put a damper on my mood.
So I refused to let them infiltrate the haze I’d found myself in.
They weren’t my concern.
My concern revolved solely around having fun. And I was doing a damn good job of enjoying myself.
After dinner and another few drinks, I gravitated to the dance floor. The polite ballroom dancers had long ago been replaced by a gathering of hectic, euphoric bodies.
I was one of them.
And I fucking loved it.
My dress clung to my sweat-soaked skin as the music coursed through me. Louder, louder, louder, the quartet overtook my thoughts until all that was left was the knowledge that this felt incredible.
Bodies brushed up against mine. I didn’t care. We were all chasing the same high, forgetting about our lives, even if only for tonight.
Maybe Xavier and Jes had left. Maybe they weren’t here at all.
Dammit, Rummy. You’re supposed to not be thinking about them right now.
Just as I’d pushed the banes of my existence from my mind for the dozenth time tonight, a large body slid up behind me, swaying along with me to the beat. When smooth hands fell onto my waist, I didn’t object. I didn’t even hesitate.
It felt nice to be lost in this moment, where nothing mattered but this.
“You are impossible,” the male voice whispered in my ear, close enough that his chest vibrated against my back with each word.
Jessiah.
I tensed, the haze around me dissipating.
But I didn’t stop dancing.
He remained behind me, pushed against my back as the bodies around us grew closer.
I craned my neck, scowling at him. “I figured you would’ve left by now.”
His laugh rumbled through me, lighting up my nerve endings. “And let you have all the fun?”
“Fun? I didn’t think you were capable of that type of thing.”
He had to have been drinking. That was the only explanation.
Because instead of pulling away, instead of lobbing another insult my way, his hands tightened against my waist, his fingers gripping me so tight they dug into my torso.
Pleasure radiated through me, the heat between my legs growing as he once again swayed along with me.
My body’s natural reaction was to grind against him. The tenseness that had hit me when he first spoke dissipated, the thought of him touching me filling me with a hungry euphoria.
This was Jessiah. Not a random drunk man in the crowd. Not a stranger. Not someone I could forget about tomorrow.
This was him. And the way we moved felt natural.
It felt right.
It was the high of the evening, I was sure of it. Come tomorrow he would regret this deeply.
For now, though, I didn’t care. I wouldn’t be the one to stop this. In fact, this was just the beginning of the fun I imagined Jessiah had planned.
As the music continued, he grew more confident. His movements became more and more natural as his body molded against mine. He was a head taller than anyone else on the dance floor, and even with his white wings tucked tightly behind his shoulder blades, he drew attention.
How could he not? The asshole was fucking gorgeous.
But despite how often he was gawked at and lusted over—by both males and females—his attention remained solely on me.
One song after another, we danced, our bodies never not touching, my head on his chest, his hands roaming the thin material of my dress.
More. More. More.
I pressed my ass against him, relishing the feel of just how much he enjoyed this.
He nuzzled my neck and growled in my ear, only proving his point further. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Rummy. I’m not the kind of man you can tease all evening.”
I had surely lost my mind, too.
Because for the first time since he’d appeared at my back, I spun to face him.
At the sight of him, the small amount of self-control I was still clinging to all but evaporated.
Jessiah wasn’t just acting differently tonight. He looked different, too. His typically perfectly groomed hair had been tousled as we danced. His skin was flushed and a wildness darkened his eyes.
The polished suit that had been in pristine condition just hours ago was askew, the shirt beneath tugged open at the neck, exposing most of his chest where the laces had come untied.
Goddess above.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and traced the skin along his collarbone, down his chest, down to the exposed ab muscles that made my stomach do very, very naughty things.
“Rummy,” he warned.
Like this, in the middle of the crowd, we were hidden from the outside world. In our own little bubble of lust and dancing and euphoria and escape.
So when he guided his hand down to my ass and pulled my body taut against his, I let him.
“What?” I teased. “You’re the one who said you wanted to have fun tonight.”
His perfect, plump lips twitched as he held me there, swaying with the crowd, practically undressing me with his eyes.
This was the Jessiah I liked to see. Undone. Loose.
This was the Jessiah who didn’t run away from me in disgust. Who didn’t look at me like a sad, broken object.
He looked at me like he actually wanted me.
And I couldn’t look away from him either. The glistening skin, the broad shoulders, the luscious lips…
I could kiss him. I could pop up onto my toes and close what little space remained between us. I could run my tongue against his bottom lip and finally know what it felt like to—
The music around us cut out.
People around us made sounds of confusion, even a few grunts of annoyance. That meant this wasn’t in my head. The music really had halted just as I was about to kiss the man who still gripped my ass.
It was real.
Jessiah tensed and quickly released me.
Straightening, I took a step back and scanned the room.
The lanterns around the ballroom grew brighter, illuminating the mess of sweaty bodies on the dance floor, making many dancers wince.
Not nice.
“Ladies and gentlemen of Pericius,” Cornelius said. He was standing on the stage with the musicians, looking just as put together as he had when I arrived. “I want to welcome you all personally. I hope you’ve been enjoying yourselves tonight. It certainly looks like you’re having a grand time!”
A handful of people in the crowd snickered at his comment. Me? My body heated uncomfortably, and I took another step away from Jessiah. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t face him.
Cornelius’s voice was loud and clear as he continued.
“I brought us all together tonight to celebrate one of my father’s favorite events.
The Autumn Victorial.” That garnered quiet applause.
“He insisted that we gather to reignite our passion for life. To come together and remember our greater purpose in this world!”
The crowd cheered louder this time. I clapped as well, blending in with the rest of the dancers.
“Many of you knew my father.”
That statement was followed by a long silence. The only sound my heart beating in my ears.
“He was never one to pass up a good party, I’ll say that much. He would have loved to see us all here tonight. Celebrating. Coming together to stand for what is important.”
A male in the back, surely drunk, yelled out, “Power to Pericius!”
A few others echoed the sentiment.
Cornelius smiled, waiting for the crowd to calm, then resumed his speech.
“For many, many years, this kingdom stood idly by while others rose. While leaders in neighboring empires took power. While others told us how we could and could not behave on our own soil. But now? I’m putting a stop to that. ”
As more cheers erupted, an eerie sensation slivered down my spine.
“I will not sit back and watch this kingdom be walked all over like we are NOTHING!” he boomed. “We WILL have power! Even if I must take it from those who stand against us with my own bare hands!”
Okay, this was new.
I finally risked a glance up at Jessiah, only to find he was already watching me, an eyebrow raised.
When I turned my attention back to Cornelius, his eyes were locked on mine.
Under his scrutiny, I fought the urge to take another step away from Jessiah.
“Today, people of Pericius, I bring you a gift.” Chin high, he waved an arm toward the ballroom doors, which were opened by two guards. “Bring them in,” he ordered.
I couldn’t have moved if I wanted to. Every inch of my body stood frozen as I watched a single-file line of fae be corralled into the ballroom. An iron chain bound each of their wrists, connecting each fae to the fae in front of them in the line.
“Hells,” Jes whispered.
I didn’t dare react.
“Each of these fae have a gift. A special gift that they will be offering today for the good of the kingdom.”
This was all so terribly wrong. These fae did not look like citizens. They looked like prisoners. Their clothes were tattered and filthy, and some did not even have shoes to cover their feet. Some looked around my age, while others had aged with white hair and fine lines etched into their skin.
I remembered what Cornelius had told me the other night. He was searching for chaos.
Had he found it? Did these people wield the gift of death and destruction?
My stomach dropped, but nobody else seemed to share my hesitation. The fae around us cheered again as the chain of gifted were forced to a halt just before the king.
“You.” Cornelius pointed to the first fae in the line, an older female with pale skin and sharp features.
Her hair was streaked with gray and braided over her shoulder.
I could only see the side of her face as she glared up at her king, but I saw enough to know she was not a fan of his.
“The gift of controlling air. Your sacrifice to the kingdom is welcomed, and all of Pericius will thank you for it.”
Cornelius began to chant, mumbling quickly in a language I didn’t recognize. He closed his eyes and held his hands out before him as if he were waiting for something to appear from thin air.
But then the fae screamed and clutched her chest.
He was doing something to her.
No—he was stealing something from her.
The chanting grew louder and just a few moments felt like hours. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath, as the rest of the fae in chains were forced to watch. I could hardly look, though I was just beginning to understand exactly what we were witnessing.
He was taking their magic. This was what he did to this kingdom, going town to town and ripping their magic away from them. This was his power. How he remained in control.
I couldn’t stand here and watch this happen, but I couldn’t move, either. Every piece of this felt wrong. Vile.
My senses tingled, my body on alert, just seconds before fire erupted in the back of the ballroom, lighting up the room with a bright blast.
Screams erupted, ricocheting off the high ceiling.
Jessiah immediately covered my body with his, sliding an arm around my waist and hauling me toward the back of the ballroom.
Chaos flooded the place.
“They’re here!!” a male nearby screamed. “The rebels are attacking!!”