Chapter 15 #2
Overall the room is huge. Much, much larger than what the building shown on our maps would be able to hold. I wonder if this building is like Ms. Elaycia’s. The outside looking a certain way but inside it’s much larger than it seems.
“Mavyn,” Jullia snaps and I give her an exasperated look. She only clucks her tongue at me. “Your eyes are still red too.”
I twist that fourth key within me so fast it would have given anyone whiplash before waving my hand at her again. “Just an old. . . memory.” She gives me a look and I roll my eyes. “I think I was seeing a memory from that. . . vampyr.”
Her eyes widen as her brows shoot up. She pushes her glasses up on her nose before linking arms with me and walking us further into the space. Away from the edges of the room and from open ears listening. So far it looks beautiful, like a dark winter wood. White and black with hints of blue.
“What was the memory?” she whispers as we slowly stroll through the room.
Stepping onto the actual dance floor with its intricate design.
It’s the only part of the room in warm colors, with the circular space a sort of golden-brown with hints of bronze and brass.
The edges wisping into black like smoke and red lines in a specific design go through it.
I shrug as I stop us so I can tip my head back and look at the chandelier above.
“It was nearly ten years after the Willow of Lore was first created,” I whisper back.
“The winter solstice was tomorrow and they were having a masquerade ball, the ceremony would have been tomorrow, and two people were whispering about what sounded like the War of Gods.”
Jullia hums as I bend my head down to look at the floor. The very center free of those red ornamental lines because of whatever design they make up. My throat constricts for a moment as I imagine this place full like I had seen it in that memory.
People dancing, music playing, costumes and outfits and masks.
Jullia had shown me her dress. An all-white gown.
Her skirt with fabric mimicking fur because she’s disguising herself as a snow selkie.
It basically looks like a white otter. Her white hair she’ll straighten and her mask is something that covers the entirety of her face.
There’s a tradition a lot of the couples do. A sort of hide and seek. Hunter and prey. Whoever is prey and can make it all the way to midnight before getting caught is rumored to get a wish. Whether the wish is answered is never disclosed, but every year couples still like to play.
Of course it’s between couples because the prize for the hunter is their prey. The night ending in clothing ripped and heated sex.
Spinning Jullia around, I pull her arm up so her hand can rest of my shoulder and grab her free hand. She giggles through her surprise and confusion before she realizes what I’m doing and giggles again.
“No more talk about things out of our control,” I state with a dramatic nod. “Can I have this dance?”
Jullia slightly curtsies before announcing, “Why of course, my lovely lady.”
Beginning a low hum, I lead and sweep her across the floor. Both of us ignoring the many people still in here setting up – including Hanna and Asher who I’m pretty sure roll their eyes at us.
I continue lowly humming some random melody as we fall into a rhythm. Spinning across the floor with simple, practiced steps that almost pull me into a trance. My eyes drifting shut as I imagine I’m in a flowing gown and music that is more than just my making.
I used to dream about this. Dancing with a masked stranger in a ballroom with music and magic and a past that can’t touch me.
A presence enters the room and my body stiffens at it. Jullia and I stop at the same time and when I open my eyes the grin on her face is bright. When she sees me – and him past me – it dims.
“I wish you were coming with us tomorrow,” she says solemnly. “You don’t have to come with anyone, you could just come yourself. We can dance again so you get the chance.”
I lightly scoff and swallow every irrelevant emotion down as I smile at her and shake my head. “No need. I don’t care for fancy stuff like this. I’ll be ordering in a boat load of food and then having an early night. I already have planned what I’m going to be eating.”
Her eyes glance past me again before sighing. Softly, under her breath, she says, “You’re a horrible liar, Mavyn Tsuki.”
And I laugh. A true laugh because she couldn’t be more wrong, and yet she is correct that all that was a lie. At least the first part of it was.
She shakes her head at me before linking our arms and pulling me around and towards where Hanna and Asher still are.
I purposefully look anywhere other than at the brooding devil with red eyes who entered the ballroom.
I’ll have to start making my way over to Darian’s soon and I don’t want to fuel the fire anymore than I already have.
After all, this is all my fault. They have no control over fate and I have yet to find a way to rip my soul out. The longer this goes on the worse it’ll be. They deserve a fated who’s better. A fated who isn’t broken or littered with trauma or cursed.
I’ll find a way to fix it all.