Chapter Thirteen
KYRA
A m I really breathing loud? I try to calm myself and steady my breaths. It’s hard when I can’t see a thing. I trust Ares, but my pulse won’t settle. I think I can hear my heart as if it’s in my ears. The blindfold dulls my vision, but amps up every other sense. It’s throwing me off balance.
I didn’t know what to expect when he asked if I was up for an adventure. This isn’t even something that crossed my mind. I feel like I’ve been spun in circles and left disoriented.
This whole evening feels surreal, like I’ve slipped into a dream I can’t quite grasp. My fingers twist and fidget with the ruffles of my dress. As if the fabric can ground me. Even standing still, it’s as if the world is shifting beneath my feet.
“Alright, princess.” Ares’ voice slips through the dark. “Focus on my voice amongst the others.”
I roll my eyes at the nickname, but before I can respond, chaos erupts.
“Walk straight.”
“Turn around.”
“Run.”
“Take a step back.”
The voices talk all at once, overlapping and contradicting. Giving orders and directions. My breath catches and my heart rate picks up even more and I hesitate.
The directions continue, repeatedly. Then I hear his voice to turn and walk. It sounds like I’m surrounded and I’m terrified. What if I bump into someone? What if I get stuck?
And yet, it’s equally thrilling—the unknown.
I’ve had my life laid out for me since I was a little girl. My life was mapped out for me for as long as I could remember. Being part of the society, I fit right in. Not only that, but I loved it. It came easy. My teen years laid out my career path. My whole life, up until now, has felt effortless. It’s easy to smile and play the part when you enjoy it.
Then something happened in the last year, I realized I wanted more excitement. I needed a little mystery. I know I don’t need to be part of The Orphic Order.
I want it.
I want the connections it allows without having to use my family name, even if a connection to an existing member is what gives me this chance in the first place. I want to prove I belong here. Sure, things have been handed to me, but I still want to work hard.
“Turn to your right and keep walking.” I hear Ares’ voice amongst the continued chaos.
It’s possible Ares is the reason I’m a prospective member, or maybe it’s chance.
The voices continue, but I remain calm and focus. The voices continue all around me and I can’t tell if the people surround me or it’s an illusion with speakers.
“Freeze.”
“Turn around. Wrong way.”
“Keep going.”
The voices continue.
“Go left.” It’s Ares.
The voices continue to call out instructions, but they sound more distant. I’m zoned into Ares. I walk softer now, more confident with each step. My heels press into the grass I hadn’t noticed until now.
“Get ready,” he says suddenly. “Don’t scream.”
I keep moving, but brace myself. I don’t know what’s about to happen, but I assume I’m not meant to react.
It happens in a split second, my feet are off the ground and my world tipped over. The blood rushes to my head. Yet, as quick as it happened, I’m right back up to standing. I keep my arms down, but spread my fingers and slightly bend my knees. It keeps me steady.
Blinding light has me squinting my eyes when I notice the blindfold is off. My fingers move to my face, the mask is still in place. Ares stands in front of me with a smirk on his face.
“Good job, princess.” He passes me a champagne flute.
I smile and take it, but don’t drink. Not yet. I may trust him, but tonight, trust isn’t earned with words. It’s tested.
I hold his gaze, and for a moment, the world feels still. Like it’s just the two of us, suspended in a watercolor painting as everything blurs away.
The soft hum of strings float in the air. Music like before, but barely louder than a whisper. I take in my surroundings; I realize we’re standing in the heart of a maze. Cloaked in night and glowing with soft lanterns and fairy lights. A mix of tall hedges and ivy-covered stone walls surround us. Masked figures are all around, some I recognize from earlier.
Ares still hasn’t moved.
He watches me with coiled patience. Is he waiting for me to react?
“I didn’t scream,” I blurt out.
“You didn’t.” He chuckles. “Most do.”
“I listened.”
He smiles.
Another moment of silence stretches on between us. Not enough to become uncomfortable, but enough to notice the energy crackling between us. I should say something. Maybe even mingle with the others at this party, but I don’t.
Instead, he steps closer to me. Enough so I catch the scent of that secret library smell again. It’s addictive and makes me want to curl up next to him and read a romance novel.
“Do you want to dance?” He offers his hand, palm out and open.
I take it and something shifts.
An ethereal current. It’s a pull.
Ares leads me to the center, where several others are dancing. He pulls me in close. One hand at my waist, the other holding mine. His touch is gentle, yet firm. Confident in knowing exactly how close to get without crossing this invisible line.
An invisible line that feels shaky.
I’m trying and failing to focus on his eyes. Those baby blue orbs used to be so easy to hold my attention growing up. Now, I’m having trouble not looking at the rest of his face. The mischief in those blue eyes is like a whirlpool as one side of his mouth rises into a smirk.
As if this man can see right through me.
“You’re trembling,” he murmurs.
Am I? “No, I’m not.”
He leans in slowly, lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Liar.”
It’s not fair, this effect he has on me. How he can see past every wall. His face pulls back, but his eyes stay on mine as we continue to move across the dance floor. Moving as if we’ve been doing it our whole lives.
I suppose, in a way, we have.
Yet, I can’t bring myself to say anything. I don’t speak. The truth is tonight isn’t about the secret society anymore. Not really.
It’s about him .
The hand at my waist moves to wrap more around me, pulling me in flush against him in this dance that is feeling more forbidden by the second. His eyes narrow before dipping to my lips. When his eyes meet mine again, they’re dark and intense.
My breathing picks up before stopping altogether, caught somewhere between panic and anticipation. Is this how the world ends? He releases his grip on my hand, and I feel frozen, until his fingers slide up to cradle the back of my neck. Time picks back up and all I can do is look up at him as everything around us turns into a blur of colors.
“We shouldn’t.” His voice comes out low and raw, but his hands don’t move.
I nod in agreement. The words echo in my mind but are quickly thrown out with the feeling of his thumb tracing absent circles on my skin.
“I want to be selfish.” He holds me tighter with that little bit of truth.
Again, I nod. Every logical thought or argument escapes me.
“Fuck it,” he growls and lowers his face to mine.
It’s not soft or gentle. This wasn't like the rom-coms I enjoyed watching late at night. Ares lips are on mine and all I can do is gasp in reaction to the eruption that fills me up inside and threatens to bubble over.
He swallows up the sound and deepens the kiss. His hand tightens in my hair, angling my head to give him better access. His tongue licks inside my mouth. I grip his jacket, holding on so he doesn’t disappear.
This kiss is everything, yet nothing like I imagined. It’s desperate and intense. It’s consuming. His tongue sweeps against my lower lip. How can something so forbidden feel so right?
That’s what this is. Forbidden. We shouldn’t be doing this. There’s a small—minuscule—part of me that realizes we’ve crossed that invisible line.
Caught up in his arms, I don’t realize we’re moving until the surrounding sounds drift farther away. He’s pulling me back through the maze, stopping every few feet to capture my lips again.
I feel like we’re caught up in a frenzy. All I want to do is have his lips on me forever. I moan softly and he growls in response. His hands are around me then at the back of my neck, then down again. As if I can feel him everywhere. He presses me even closer to him until I feel the hard line of his desire pressing into my stomach.
His lips leave mine, only to trail along my jaw. I shudder as his teeth graze my skin. His hand slides lower, cupping my ass and pulling me closer. A low groan escapes him.
The sound of laughter coming closer breaks the moment and I push back.
“Wait.” It comes out breathless.
His hands move to my waist, holding me still. I can’t tell if he wants to keep me at a distance or keep me from moving farther away.
“The party is over.” He swallows and lowers his arms before taking a step back.
“Okay.”
His hands clench together in tight fists at his sides. “I’ll walk you back.”
“Oh, okay.”
He turns his back to me but waits for me to walk up next to him before stepping forward. I brush my fingers across my lips. I can’t believe we just did that.
We can’t do that again.
Absolutely not.