Chapter XIV
XIV
We spun in each other’s arms for what must have been ten songs in a row.
Shai didn’t seem to want to let me go as if he were possessed by the music, or maybe by me.
To be honest, I didn’t mind. I hadn’t felt this much attention, this much hunger from a man in so long that it made my head spin in the most delicious way.
Then, all at once, the music cut off. The hall fell silent except for a few surprised murmurs, and then came a ripple of hisses and laughter from the crowd. Up on the stage, behind the DJ booth, someone appeared and spread his arms wide. I couldn’t see much through the sea of costumes and masks.
“The competition for the best costume begins, my dears!” the man shouted gleefully, and the room erupted in cheers and whistles.
“Tonight I’ve seen it all! From the modest to the downright scandalous!” he continued, his tone teasing. “At some point, I started wondering if I’d accidentally wandered into a secret BDSM party, right?”
The crowd burst into laughter, and I couldn’t help but grin.
Shai and I stopped dancing, but he didn’t release me.
He pulled me close instead, and I leaned back against his chest. His chin came to rest gently on top of my head, and even as we stood still, he swayed a little like his body refused to stop dancing with mine.
“Okay, okay,” the host went on, his voice booming through the speakers. “Let’s admit it, costumes with horns and glowing eyes? That’s something else. Who summoned the demons tonight? Witches, run while you can before they catch you! Uuuu, spooky!”
More laughter followed, light and teasing, but his words made me smile for another reason entirely.
There were dozens of girls in witch costumes scattered across the crowd, but I knew better than anyone — witches, demons, all of it…
they were real. I had no doubt anymore. Everything was real! It was just hidden until I met Shai.
It was still incredible to me how one accidental encounter or maybe not so accidental could change everything.
And then, suddenly, Shai wasn’t behind me anymore.
“Where are you going?” I turned quickly, searching the crowd, but he was already gone. Panic fluttered in my chest. I squeezed between people in colorful costumes, murmuring “sorry, sorry…” as I pushed through. “Shai! Wait!”
Meanwhile, Shai had disappeared back to the bar.
A second later, the bartender handed him a bouquet with orange roses and delicate pumpkin patterns printed on their petals.
My jaw dropped when he turned around, grinning, and offered them to me.
The bouquet was wrapped in glossy black paper, and across it, in blood-red letters, it said:
“From Hell, with Love.”
He bent down and brushed a kiss against my cheek as I buried my face in the roses, inhaling their unexpectedly sweet scent. “They’re beautiful, Shai! But you could’ve told me where you went so suddenly…” I pouted, pretending to scold him.
He kissed my lips softly or maybe just the edge of my pout. “Then there wouldn’t have been a surprise, kitten.”
I huffed, but my heart melted all the same.
The bouquet was pressed between us as I wrapped my arms around him.
His hands slid naturally down to my ass, pulling me closer with his possessive grip.
That devilish smile of his returned, dimples and all, and I just shook my head, helpless against his charm.
Any irritation I might have had about chasing him through the crowd evaporated instantly, like smoke in candlelight.
Shai took my hand and led me out of the crowded hall, where the Halloween music had started playing again after the host’s announcement. The contest must not have ended yet, the cheers were still sporadic and light.
We slipped into one of the back corridors and soon entered a quiet, dimly lit room filled with mirrors and trick illusions. The air shimmered with reflections, endless copies of ourselves bending and twisting in strange directions. It was spacious and nearly empty, like the entrance to a maze.
And I hated mazes.
My stomach twisted with unease as I clenched Shai’s hand tighter. “Why are we here…” I muttered, uneasily scanning the mirrored walls.
He didn’t answer, he just walked forward with that confident, unbothered gait of his.
After a few more minutes of silence, my nerves began to fray. “Shai, seriously, why are we here?! I want to leave! I hate mirror mazes, they never end, and how the hell are we supposed to get out of here now?”
Panic crept into my voice. My reflection was everywhere — hundreds of me — and it felt like the walls were closing in.
And then he turned.
Without a word, he pressed his body against mine, pinning me softly but firmly against one of the mirrors. Our reflections multiplied instantly, a thousand versions of the same moment, all shimmering with heat and tension.
The bouquet slipped from my hands and hit the ground with a muted thud.
Shai leaned closer, his breath hot against my neck. He grabbed my wrists with one of his massive hands, pinning them above my head. His other hand braced against the glass beside me. His chest rose and fell sharply, his control thinning, his eyes burning like embers through the dim light.
I forgot to breathe.