Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Paedyn
The world spins around me, green and black blurring together. I gasp, caught off guard by the spin before I’m suddenly pulled back into strong arms, the faint smell of spices and deep laughter washing over me.
“Sorry, I thought you were ready for it,” Kitt chuckles, green eyes daring me to look into them.
“A better dancer would have been,” I say with a small smile, my eyes roaming around the room instead of meeting his. The ballroom is like nothing I’ve ever seen before with its windows, pillars, and beautiful molding. I’m stunned by the sheer size and elegance surrounding me.
The people filling the space fit in perfectly with the surroundings, all of them groomed and graceful. The men garbed in deep black while the women are draped in every shade of green.
Well, every woman but me.
Adena was stunned into the silence for the very first time when I told her I wanted a silver dress.
I needed to stand out. Needed to remind the people of their Silver Savior .
And since there is no rule declaring that women must wear green, the only risk in showing up in silver was drawing more attention to myself if I trip all over the dance floor.
So many eyes, so many people watching as I descended the stairs.
So many gazes sweeping over my body, skimming over the slitted dress and dagger beneath.
Even now, I’m being watched. They all look at me with varying levels of intrigue, some with curiosity and others with scrutiny.
I’m not sure I’ll be winning these peoples’ votes tonight, but I am certainly making myself hard to forget.
I look up at Kitt, his blond hair appearing even lighter against the dark suit cut close to his figure. He looks...handsome. Charming.
Like his father. He looks like his father.
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” he asks softly, still spinning me slowly.
My eyes snap to his of their own accord. “Am I supposed to be?”
He almost laughs, but instead says, “No. You’re not.”
“And does that seem fair to you?” I blurt before I can stop myself. “These Trials?”
The song comes to an end, our dancing doing the same. I feel his gaze wandering over my face even after I look away, as if he is searching for the answer there. Then he sighs. “Why don’t I get us something to drink?”
I blink. Despite him evading my question, I nod in answer to his.
He looks around at the men crowding the dance floor, several suddenly staring in our direction.
“And I suppose I’ll share you with everyone else, if only for a few dances.
” He smiles before giving me a slight bow of his head and striding away.
As soon as the future king turns his back, a tall young man meets me on the dance floor and sweeps into a bow.
I politely accept his offer to dance and don’t have time to be nervous before his arms are encircling me.
I can’t help but feel a pinch of pride at how well I keep up with his long strides, and we talk idly while spinning across the floor.
When a new waltz strums to life, a new partner steals me away. I’m suddenly folded between the arms of a young man, seemingly my age, with pale blue hair meticulously styled atop his head.
“I would have never guessed you were a Mundane from the slums by the looks of you,” he says, his gaze roaming greedily up and down my body.
I shift uncomfortably in his tight grasp clamped around my waist, feeling the reassuring weight of my dagger strapped to my thigh.
If it weren’t for the favor of the people I’m trying to earn, that little comment would have earned him a fist to the face.
His voice is lower than before when he says, “You’re a vision. ”
“She is, isn’t she?”
My heart skips a beat. The voice coming from over my shoulder is so cold I nearly shiver. Kai brushes my arm as he steps around me, facing the stunned boy still clutching me to him.
“I’ll be stealing her now,” Kai says simply, completely aware of how inappropriate it is to cut in during the middle of a dance. But, then again, he is the prince, the next Enforcer, a cocky bastard .
The man’s hand drops slowly from my waist, his eyes flicking over me one last time before he offers Kai a quick bow and steps away. The prince doesn’t miss a beat. I’m in his arms before the musicians’ finish drawing out their note.
He feels too familiar.
We fit together perfectly, pieces of a puzzle snapping into place. I shouldn’t let myself relax into his touch. Shouldn’t let the tension ease from my body when he holds me. But I can do nothing to stop it. Utterly and completely powerless.
His palm is flat and firm against my exposed back, callouses brushing my flushed skin. “You looked like you needed saving,” Kai says, and I catch a glimpse of his smirk before he spins me.
“For once,” I sigh, “I’m going to have to agree with you.”
“I’m sure I could think of other things we agree on.”
“Oh really? And what would those things be?”
“That he was right,” Kai says softly. “You are a vision. I’m sure we can both agree on that.”
I swallow, my heart beginning to pound a rapid beat I choose to ignore. Unsure of what to say to him, I instead ask, “And what other things do we agree on?”
“Hmm,” he hums distractedly as his eyes sweep over my face. “Are you having a good time tonight?”
I blink at him. “Well...”
“Spit it out, Gray.”
“Fine,” I huff. “Not particularly, no.”
He cracks a smile. “Then we both agree that these balls are incredibly boring.”
I can’t help but laugh. “And what if you’re the reason I’m not having a good time?”
“If that were the case,” he says with a grin, “you likely would have stomped on my toes or pulled a dagger on me to get away by now.”
“Don’t give me any ideas, prince.”
He chuckles softly. “You’re right. I’d hate to bloody my suit.”
We continue spinning around the dancefloor while I ignore how close his body is to mine and look around the crowded room filled with chatter, laughter, and music.
I spot Andy laughing with Jax as they stumble around the dance floor, and it doesn’t take long to find the other contestants in the crowd.
When my gaze lands on Kitt, I’m surprised to find him already watching me.
He’s surrounded by a group of fawning girls, but his eyes are trained on Kai and me as we dance, doing nothing to interrupt his brother and steal back his date.
And there, clasped in his hands are two drinks, one full while the other is nearly empty.
I’m about to look back at my partner when my eyes snag on a servant. The boy’s dark, curly hair bounces atop his head with each stride as he carries a tray of bubbling beverages through the crowd. His brown eyes sweep across the room as if searching for something or someone.
The boy from Loot. The boy with the leather. The boy I stole from. The boy with the note addressed to my house.
A tidal wave of questions floods my mind. Why is he here? I thought he was an apprentice, not a servant. Is he looking for me, looking for the paper I stole from him?
I’m swept from my thoughts when Kai spins me and my eyes dart to his without my permission.
Mistake.
His midnight hair falls over his forehead in messy, silky waves. Smoky gray eyes meet mine, captivating, chilling. His set jaw loosens, pulling his lips into a cocky grin as he watches me take him in.
Dimples. Both of them mocking me.
“Like what you see, Gray?” he croons, knowing that will get a rise out of me.
I huff, looking away from him to fight the flush that’s finding its way to my cheeks.
Rough fingers glide from my back to catch my chin, gently guiding my face back to his as he mutters, “By all means, carry on. I’ll never deny myself the chance of watching you watch me. ”
“And why is that?” I ask with a nonchalance I don’t feel.
His smile is wicked. “Because it is far more fun to admire you when the action is mutual.”
I nearly choke on my laugh. “Don’t flatter yourself, prince. I am not admiring you or your stupid dimples,” I sputter, trying to act as though I wasn’t, in fact, doing just that. His smile only grows, causing those dimples in his cheeks to deepen distractingly.
“ Liar .”
A frustrated sound escapes me as I glare up at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of avoiding his piercing gaze. We continue dancing to the slow tune, our movements slowing in turn as Kai asks, “So, what’s the score now?”
“What?” My brows scrunch in question at the sudden change of topics, though I’m relieved, nonetheless.
“I’ve helped you, what, three times? Possibly four, now?” His eyes study my face intently. “So that makes it four to one, then.”
I huff out a laugh. “First of all, I didn’t help you. I saved you, remember?” I raise my eyebrows at him. “Surely that has to count for more than just one point. Besides, I didn’t realize we were keeping track.”
“Fair enough.” He shrugs slightly. “How about we say the score is two to four then? That’s generous.”
My eyes light up. “Look at that. The prince finally admitted I save him.”
He laughs, the sound rumbling through his chest, crinkling the corners of his eyes. “I never said—”
Splitting screams drown out his words.
I’m momentarily stunned, only snapped out of my daze when pain tears through my left forearm. The shooting jolt has my eyes falling to the torn, bloody flesh there.
Throwing knife.
Suddenly, I’m crashing to the floor with a strong, solid body landing on top of me. No, a strong, solid body covering me. Explosives erupt around the room, and my ears ring from the impact. I feel a wave of heat accompanied by smoke and hunks of stone sailing towards us.