Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Music is already playing by the time I enter the ballroom, and everywhere I look, people are making merry. Several couples are even already on the dance floor.
Someone clears their throat beside me, and my heart skips a beat hoping that it's Linc. I try to school my disappointment when I realise it's Marcus instead.
"Dance with me?" he asks, holding out his hand.
I nod and put my hand in his, letting him draw me onto the dance floor.
"I wanted to talk to you, and this seemed like the safest place," he says as we take our place.
"The dance floor is a safe place to talk?"
He shrugs. "Have you ever overheard a conversation on the dance floor?"
I frown, realising he's right. I sink into a curtsy while he bows to me, and then pulls me into hold. It's different from dancing with Linc, but I don't mind it.
"You're much better than when we first danced," Marcus says.
I laugh. "I don't think that's the compliment you think it is."
He smiles. "I just mean that you've learned well."
"I'm glad you think so."
"And I wanted to thank you for keeping my secret," Marcus says as he guides me around the room.
"There's nothing to thank me for," I assure him, only stumbling slightly as we change direction. "Whatever it is you and Lord Luca share, no one will hear about it from me."
He lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. If my father found out..."
"I imagine he'd do something terrible," I say. "Not that I know the King, I'm just guessing based on what everyone keeps telling me about how being at court works."
Marcus chuckles. "You're a quick study."
"My goal is to survive, and that means learning how to play the game," I say. "You made that clear at the Golden Moon when you told me to have a goblet of blood in my hand." I dread to think what I'd have been forced to do if I hadn't.
"And you're learning from Linc?" he asks.
I shrug. "Should I not be?"
"He can be a bit of a recluse," Marcus says. "Though he's been at more events in the past couple of weeks than I think I've seen him at in the past six months. Perhaps you're a good influence on him."
"I don't know if I'd go that far."
"I would. I saw him turn down wine earlier."
I start to ask how they know one another when I spot Linc huddled in a corner with a pained expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Marcus, I need to go."
He twists so he can see where I'm looking and immediately lets go of my hands. "Do what you need to."
"I'm sorry, I know it's rude..."
"If it helps Linc, then who am I to complain?
" he says, dipping his head and seeming genuine.
But I don't have time to consider what that might mean.
Considering I know about his secret affair, I doubt Marcus is going to be telling anyone that I'm friends with Linc.
Though I'm not foolish enough to think that friends is all we are.
I offer him a smile and hurry over to where the other man is muttering to himself. It's only as I draw closer that I notice he's knotting the ribbon I gave him over and over.
"Linc," I say softly, reaching out and putting my hand over his.
He looks up, relief written all over his face. "Bea."
"Are you all right?"
"I want to drink," he says bluntly.
I nod in understanding. "Is the ribbon helping?"
"A bit. But I think I need a bigger distraction." He sticks it in his pocket.
"Dance with me," I say. "I know I'm not supposed to be the one to ask, but I think we can make an exception."
He nods and holds out his hand to me. I take it, enjoying how right it feels to be touching him like this. And how different it is to what it's like to touch Marcus, or any of the other gentlemen I've danced with while at court.
Linc leads me onto the floor just as a song ends and the next starts. He bows deeply, and I dip into the curtsy, rising in time to see Lord Fallmartin watching me.
For one awful moment, I think I might be doing something wrong, but he simply smiles and lifts his goblet in my direction. I don't know who Linc is, but clearly he's enough of someone for my father to be pleased for me to be seen publicly dancing with him.
Maybe there's a small chance that I could end up betrothed to him after all.
The moment Linc's hand touches my waist, and he entwines the fingers of his other with mine, I forget all about what Lord Fallmartin may or may not think. I don't care about anyone's opinion but the man in front of me.
"Better?" I ask as we start to spin around the floor.
"A little. It's still tempting."
I nod. "After we're done dancing, we could get some blood and head to the library?" I suggest. I don't know whether blood will be enough to help him, but it's worth suggesting.
"I think that sounds like a good idea."
"My cousin said there's a Feast at midnight, so it will be better for us to be long gone by then anyway."
He grimaces. "I should have expected that."
"Mmm. The couple aren't expected to watch, are they?" I ask.
"Thinking about your own wedding?"
"Pretty much."
"The groom is normally expected to take part," he responds as he spins me.
"Well that just makes me want to get married even less," I murmur. How am I supposed to even try to forge a relationship with someone after I've seen them take part in a Feast?
"I can't say I'm thrilled at the idea, I'm hoping Father will let me forgo the Feast at my wedding in exchange for me being a willing participant."
"Do you think he'll say yes to that?"
"I guess we'll find out." He takes a deep breath.
The song comes to an end and we break apart, bowing to one another again.
"Should we dance again, or do you think we've done enough to sneak away?" I ask.
His lips quirk up into a smile. "I think we've done enough." He reaches out to take my hand and pulls me towards one of the tables.
"Someone's going to notice if you act like that," I say, not really caring.
"No one's going to be paying us much attention right now, all eyes are on the happy couple." He nods towards where a large group of people are crowding around Eliza and Lord Tyberan.
"Is she Lady Eliza Tyberan now?" I muse.
"No. Still Lady Eliza Fallmartin," he responds. "It saves any confusion when vampires remarry, everyone keeps their original names."
"Well, that's good for me to remember what to call everyone, not so good for remembering who is aligned with who."
"Mmm, true." He hands me a goblet of blood. "Drink up."
I tap my goblet against his and drink the blood, enjoying the sweet, rich taste.
I never thought I'd like this, but there's no doubt that I do.
I set my goblet down and check around us to make sure no one is actually paying us any attention.
I know he's confident that no one is going to care that we're sneaking off, I want to make sure people aren't paying too much attention.
"Meet me in the corridor at the back in two minutes," Linc says.
I nod and watch him disappear, knowing it's better if we split up even if I don't want that.
I avoid making eye contact with anyone so I don't get sucked into a conversation with anyone, while checking the room for my family.
Bella and Thomas already seem to be missing, just like she promised, while Eliza is busy being fawned over by several adoring women who I assume must be her friends.
It takes me longer to find Lord Fallmartin, and when I do, I'm marginally surprised to find him talking to the King and Marcus, all three of them with serious expressions on their faces. At least that takes care of any of them paying attention to where I'm going.
Which means it's just Bastian I need to be careful of. I don't know where my brother is, but I don't want to get caught by him right now.
Slowly, I make my way through the crowd until I'm by the back exit to the ballroom. I take one last look around me and step backwards into the shadows.
Someone grabs my arm and I let out a small shriek of surprise until I recognise the amused face looking at me. "Sorry," Linc says.
"You took me by surprise, I was trying to be sneaky."
"And you're terrible at it," he teases, pulling me further into the alcove.
"I thought we were going to the library?"
"We are, but I want to do something risky first."
I raise an eyebrow, only realising what he means when he pulls me closer. My eyes flutter closed and I lean in. I know this is a risk we shouldn't be taking, but there's a part of me that doesn't want to wait until we're in the library to kiss him again, and that part of me is winning right now.
His fingers thread through my hair, and I'm sure it's going to look a mess once we're done, but I don't even care.
Footsteps sound in the hall and we jump apart, both of us laughing and trying to cover it at the same time.
"Maybe not the best place to kiss," I say.
"Probably not," Linc responds, a smile in his eyes that wasn't there when I left Marcus on the dance floor to go see him.
"Is there going to be anyone outside?" I ask Linc.
"I don't think so, why?"
"Meet me in the entrance hall in ten minutes?" I ask.
"All right, but what do you have in mind?"
"I'm going to go get Pip," I answer. "Then we can go on that walk we said we would."
He nods and leans in to give me a fleeting kiss, before leaving me so I can go get my dog.