Chapter 38
Keira
It had taken a few songs, but Keira found her footing in the dance.
All these court dances followed a repeating pattern, so after a clumsy first turn, she could usually make it through the rest rather fluidly.
It helped that Caspian made almost as many little blunders as she did, and that they’d had just enough mulled wine for them to be more humorous than embarrassing.
The song ended, and Keira bowed to Caspian, a wide smile on her lips.
It was still strange to see him all trussed up in his doublet.
The bear of his house was embroidered on the chest in gleaming silver thread.
She supposed she looked equally transformed in her golden gown.
The skirt was full, and the bodice was fitted tight.
The satin sleeves hung off her shoulders, leaving them bare.
It was an unusual sensation, feeling her hair tickling her skin.
She felt more exposed than would normally suit her, but the final effect was well worth it.
When the music resumed, Caspian leaned down to whisper in her ear. “This is a sampling dance. We’ll be trading partners.”
Well, maybe she wasn’t completely over her self consciousness. Keira took a calming breath. Everyone Caspian had introduced her to had been perfectly wonderful. As they took position in a hold, it was closer than the other courtly dances, which left a space between partners.
Her heart was fluttering against Caspian’s chest as he led her through the steps. It was a simple sequence, ever rotating around the dance hall.
“Here comes the change,” Caspian whispered.
Then he angled her into a spin. His hand withdrew from her waist. As she completed her turn, another’s hands replaced his.
It seemed the partner change was in the opposite direction of the dance’s rotation, disorienting her for only a moment.
Her new partner was a few inches shorter than Caspian.
His eyes were brown, as was his hair. His beard was cropped short.
She didn’t think they’d been introduced.
As they began the same steps, Keira put more of a distance between them.
That is until his hold on her waist tightened until she was flush against him.
Keira gasped, only to see him smiling at her with a chuckle in his throat.
She almost tripped over the next step, but he kept his tight hold until it was time for the change.
Keira was still flustered from her last partner’s forwardness when she came to the next.
A sense of relief washed over her as she saw Prince Gilbert’s face.
He smiled at her, and Keira did her best to return the gesture.
She had been wondering if her last partner had pulled her closer to correct her form, but the prince held her at a perfectly respectable distance.
“Don’t be nervous. You’re doing well,” Prince Gilbert whispered to her as he prepared for the turn.
In the next moment she was dancing with another. He was taller than most. His touch came to her ribs instead of her waist. “Lord Westbrook,” Keira recalled. Caspian had introduced them earlier at dinner. His eyes lit up at her recognition.
“You remember me.” His mouth curved into a smile.
His gaze fell from her face. She followed them to the exposed cleavage of her chest.
“I must say I would find you very difficult to forget.” As he spoke, his hand moved ever so slightly so that his thumb skimmed the side of her breast.
Keira stumbled, only settling more weight into Lord Westbrook’s wandering touch.
He laughed as he spun her.
She tripped through the next few steps as her heart pounded. A surreal, dreamlike quality fell over the ballroom, pushing against her senses. Her body continued, caught up in the inertia of the dance, even as her mind reeled.
Her new partner was young, perhaps twenty, with copper red hair. Even as she watched his face, his fingers trailed up the laces of her gown to the exposed skin of her back.
The music was becoming distant and distorted. She tried to follow the movements as the only thing she could think of was the crawling discomfort of his touch.
“You have very lovely skin,” he whispered into her ear.
Bile climbed in her throat as panic gripped her mind.
This time the spin caught her entirely off guard. Unable to catch her footing, she nearly fell into the arms of her next partner. It was Lord Redfield. She remained still as the dance continued around her, no longer able to remember the steps.
“Are you alright?” Lord Redfield asked her. His blue eyes were studying her face with concern.
“I- I have to go.”
Keira took her skirts in both hands and pushed her way through the watching crowd.
At first, she was unsure where she had emerged, but then she recognized the corridor that led to the East Wing.
The hall was lined on one side with a row of windows, which looked over the hedge gardens.
Faint moonlight spilled over the floor, creating patterned shadows.
She hadn’t explored this area of the castle much as it was in the opposite direction of her rooms, but she was not going to cross that party again to get to them.
She couldn’t. Her breaths were quick and panicked, a cool sweat covering her brow. At least it was quiet here.
Keira gripped her arms tightly, trying to bring herself some sense of calm. Her skin was still crawling with their touches.
Disbelief echoed through her mind. How had that just happened, and in front of everyone? Why would they? She didn’t understand. Was she overreacting?
No.
She shook the thought away. It felt wrong because it was wrong-
“There you are.” A man’s voice sounded from behind her.
Keira turned. She didn’t recognize him, but he was walking toward her purposefully.
She retreated a step.
“I didn’t get my turn for a dance.” His voice was dripping with predatory intent which made the hairs on her neck prickle.
Keira shook her head. “I-”
This couldn’t be happening.
It was though. His hands were on her shoulders, driving her back against the wall. His fingers were brushing over her skin. Laughter was playing on his lips as she pushed at his chest.
“You don’t have to fight, love. I can pay.”
What?
“My gold is just as good as Lord Northall’s and I bet that my cock is-” He pushed that very part of his anatomy against her leg. She could feel it even through the many layers of her dress, bringing the acidic taste of bile to her throat.
“Get off!” Keira finally found her voice.
“Come on, show me what you do to wrap a lord around your little fingers,” he teased. “It must be good.”
“No!” Keira beat at him with her hands in a frenzy of panic.
He grabbed her wrists, pinning them against their bodies as his lips crashed into hers. She hated his taste invading her as his tongue forced itself into her mouth. Keira caught it between her teeth and clamped down until she tasted blood instead.
He was screaming before she released him. Immediately he staggered back, putting a hand to the blood streaming from his lips. Rage flushed his expression, but Keira stared him down dauntlessly.
Long black talons unsheathed from her fingertips as behind him every one of the windows shattered. The shards glittered as an unnatural wind carried them through the hall, setting her skirts into motion around her as her hair danced wildly.
His eyes widened as he realized the gravity of his error. She didn’t understand what had happened tonight, but it no longer mattered. Fury had overcome her, instinct singing through her blood. Keira’s head cocked, a feral and predatory movement.
His cry of fright sang out to her.
He was right to be afraid.