Chapter 46 #2
But Graylen is so…happy. So free of that haunted glaze in his eyes that I don’t want this moment to end. Instead of pulling him into our room, I stick to teasing him instead.
“So, since we’re in Crea again, does that mean we’re back to pretending we’re engaged?” I send into his mind, my skin on fire in each place he touches.
I peek at him out of the corner of my eye, catching the way his shoulders shake slightly with silent laughter.
“Lunaria, there is no pretending this time,” he murmurs. The way he says my name…even in my mind, it sends a rush of heat through my entire body.
A blush spreads across my cheeks at the same time he chooses to turn his head and look at me.
His gaze zeros in on the pinkness tinting my face, his eyes darkening and nostrils flaring.
He leans toward me, his hand creeping higher on my thigh until my legs melt open for him.
He smirks, and I know that little shit knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
Well, two can play that game.
I turn my attention back to the dancing crowd, mimicking a bored expression as I slide my hand onto his chest, pressing it where his shirt gaps open. My fingers brush against his bare skin, finding the new scars peppered across his flesh.
Graylen sucks in a sharp breath, and I withdraw my hand. The spell of ease between us breaks. Did I hurt him? Or bring up the reminder of the things that happened to him in the Vale?
I sit back in my seat, kicking myself for ruining the moment.
Suddenly, Graylen grabs my hand and tugs it toward him as he whispers, “Dance with me.”
I blink, the words taking a minute to fully process.
“You want to…” I turn to him, our noses almost touching. I didn’t realize how close he had gotten. “Dance with me?”
A prickle of frustration bites at my chest. I want nothing more than to pretend I’m not losing my magic and I’m still the girl he fell in love with.
But as his gaze meets mine, I can see that wariness in his eyes.
There’s a pain that wasn’t there before, one I want to know more about.
He seems content to ignore his problems, just as I do, and I’m starting to think that isn’t the right way to do it.
“If I didn’t know any better,” he mumbles, his eyes filled with mischief as he pushes himself up and offers me his hand, “I would say you’re scared of a little dance.”
I shake my head and send into his mind, “I’m scared of losing you.”
The admission slips through the cracks in my heart, pouring out from the darkest corners of fear I keep locked away. If we keep ignoring our problems, what will that mean for us long-term? Will we ever get to the place we used to be?
The light in his eyes dims, and I immediately want to bring it back.
I plaster on a smile and get to my feet. “Well, I suppose I’ll need to prove you wrong, little soldier,” I sass half-heartedly.
In front of us, Adrian grunts, slapping his empty cup onto the tabletop. “On that note, I will see you both in the morning.”
Graylen doesn’t question the obviously fake grin on my face, and that stings. He’s always called me out for not being real with him.
But he needs this.
He pulls me onto the dance floor, which is now filled with patrons swinging and twirling. Adrian dips through the crowd, staggering toward the stairs.
Graylen wraps his hands around my waist, gripping me tightly. The music is fast-paced, but he dances with me as if it’s a slow and melodic lovers’ tune.
“I forgot Adrian was with us.” I cringe, slipping my arms around his neck.
It wasn’t on purpose—even if there’s still unresolved anger between Adrian and me, I wouldn’t want to shove my relationship with Graylen in his face. Even if that relationship is…strained at the moment. I won’t hide it, but I don’t want to purposefully hurt him.
The thoughts cause me to pause. In Penyth, I was so angry at him that I didn’t blink twice about lashing out at him with my shadows. Maybe friendships that are broken can sometimes find a way to be mended.
“I don’t want to talk about Adrian right now,” Graylen says with a shrug.
His fingers dig into my flesh, one hand resting just above the soft dip along my side, and the other pressed low against my spine. He rests his forehead against mine, the world around us melting away for a moment.
His scent envelops me, the fresh smell of rain about to fall filling my nose and clearing my mind. He begins rubbing lazy circles against my lower back, and my clear mind quickly turns into a frazzled mess.
Everything about this moment—the feel of Graylen’s rough, large palms impressing a line of warmth across my waist and back, the smell of his fresh and calming scent surrounding me…
It’s almost perfect.
But there’s still the nagging reminder of all we’ve yet to face. And at some point, we have to.
“Stay in this moment with me, Lu,” he begs lightly in my thoughts. “Our problems will still be here tomorrow.”
People spin and jump around us, but we sway to our own unhurried song.
Graylen leans back, his eyes hooded as a lazy smile tugs at his lips.
Before I can answer, his hands reach for mine, removing them from his neck. The banjo player starts a new song, the tune light and quick as his fingers pluck at the strings.
The crowd begins to stomp in rhythm, and people partner up across the room.
Graylen flashes me a smile that matches the mischief in his eyes, and I try to pull away, knowing he’s up to something. His grip tightens on my hands, and he yells over the music and laughter, “Trust me?”
I stop pulling away, my body shifting back toward him.
Realization clicks into place. There’s no one else in this realm I trust more than Graylen. He’s been with me every step of the way.
“Of course I do,” I rasp. “Always.”
His eyes crinkle at the corners, his gaze shining with so much joy that it nearly sends me to my knees. But the happiness is quickly replaced with a wicked playfulness that has me shaking my head, laughing as I back away.
I let myself forget the problems of tomorrow, relishing in the buzz from the ale and the pounding of the music.
He clutches my hand, and before I can back away entirely, he spins me in a series of twirls. Not one, not two, but three twirls, my vision spinning with an array of smiling faces and dancing, moving bodies.
I don’t realize he’s rotating me toward him until my back bumps against his chest and his arms wrap around my body. His chest rumbles as he laughs into my ear, the shape of his smile pressed against my neck as he holds me close.
Though my head sways, my face splits into a grin so wide that my cheeks begin to ache.
I can’t tell if it’s the ale still warming my chest or the way Graylen is looking at me, but what I do know is that I don’t want this night to end.