Chapter 30 #2
“I watch,” I say, my gaze catching on the line of his jaw as I glance up, then to the flicker of soft light catching on his dark lashes that frame such dazzling eyes. “And I learn fast.”
“Of course you do,” he answers quietly, and for a fleeting second it looks like true pride in his eyes staring back at me.
For the rest of the dance, the tension in my chest eases. The room feels less like a battlefield amid the flurry of the music reaching its crescendo and more like we’re sinking further and further into our facade that is beginning to blur in our intent.
It’s a dangerous illusion, but my heart leans into it anyway.
The music carries us through the rest of the dance, our bodies moving in sync while my mind churns. Each step feels like walking a thread I can’t see the end of yet, but believing fiercely that it will end with clarity and peace.
When the song ends, the couples around us slow and separate. For a moment, neither of us lets go. His hand remains warm at the small of my back, my palm still resting on his shoulder where I can feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing.
“Do you need a break?” he asks breathlessly as he takes a step back, though he still keeps his hand on the small of my back as he moves to my side. “Food? Drink? Air?”
I watch out of the corner of my eyes as his throat bobs with a hard swallow, followed by a tightening of his jaw.
“Just a moment to stand and watch, maybe,” I answer honestly, a bit confused at how fast my heart is racing from being in his arms so intimately for just one dance.
This isn’t real, Wren.
He nods and steers us quickly toward the edge of the floor, and I spot Eli weaving out from a nearby column to rejoin us almost automatically. We end up in a shadowed corner, and from here, with so many bodies on the dance floor, movement from the entryway is easy to spot.
Instantly my eyes are on the General as people flock to him.
He laughs at something an officer says, his hand landing on the younger man’s shoulder with a show of camaraderie.
He looks, at a glance, exactly like the kind of leader humans would rally behind—confident and charismatic—but his laugh doesn’t match the warmth he projects outward with it.
Beside him, a new man with just as many decorative pins and medals on his uniform takes over my focus.
He’s taller and thinner than the General, with prominent cheekbones, a narrow nose, and a cold disposition radiating from him that I can feel even from here.
He appears slightly younger, with only the beginning of his hair whitening near his temples, but the frown lines etched in his face look like they’ve had quite some time to settle.
“That’s the Admiral,” Eli whispers from my side and my eyes widen a fraction. “He’s rumored to be even more cutthroat than the General.”
I watch as his eyes move restlessly over the room, cataloguing faces, and sliding dismissively over wives like they’re furniture.
“Do we need to go greet them?” I ask nervously.
“Not yet,” Ryoden replies, his tone tightening. “We will wait until the majority of the crowd is done clambering for their attention.”
On cue, as if to prove his point, the General lifts his glass and gestures for the musicians to fall quiet.
The music fades, conversations dim, and all eyes turn toward him.
The sudden silence is deafening and he seems to bask in the full weight of the room’s focus on him, lifting his head and grinning as he glances around.
“I have a bad feeling, Ryoden,” I murmur, stepping closer to his side. “Is this normal?”
“I’ve never been to a ball before,” he reminds me softly. “But it’s been clear these past few days that the General never passes up an opportunity to be fawned over, so I’m going to assume it is.”
“Friends,” the General finally booms, voice rolling powerfully through the room. “Officers. Wives. Tonight, we celebrate another year of human resilience. Another year of holding the line, and being another year closer to a world where our children will never fear becoming sacrifices to monsters.”
A rumble of agreement moves through the crowd and a few people clap. The words sound noble and righteous, sharp with conviction. He continues, lamenting about loyalty and sacrifice, and the honor he feels every day defending humanity.
At his side, the Admiral stays quiet, eyes drifting lazily over the room as if carefully watching faces for reactions. More than ever, I wish Azyric’s shadows extended to this corner so they could wrap me in their embrace and hide me as the Admiral’s attention lands on us.
I quickly avert my attention to the side of the General’s face as he continues his speech, smiling softly as if I wholeheartedly support his every word.
“Everyone we’ve invited here tonight is someone we consider having gone above and beyond the call of duty. You are all excellent role models and examples for the coming generation of what can be accomplished with a unified goal in mind.”
The Admiral steps in closer at the end of his statement and whispers something into his ear before stepping back and clasping his hands at his front.
The speech ends with a toast, glasses raised as the General lets out a chuckle. “Here’s to our future, my friends. It’s looking brighter than ever tonight.”
All around glasses surge and people yell, “Cheers!”
The music starts up again, louder this time as the General and Admiral talk with a group of high-ranking officers, occasionally leaning in to speak directly to someone.
“Am I the only one that got creeped out by that?” Eli whispers tersely.
Right as I’m about to open my mouth to agree with him, the circle of officers around them shifts. Men step aside and their wives drift away. The General and Admiral begin to move through the ballroom, with their sights set firmly on our small group.
There’s no one else near us to converse with or shield ourselves with.
“Oh, god,” Eli mutters behind us, voice pitched too low for anyone but us to hear. “Here we go.”
My pulse kicks up, each beat a little too hard and a little too fast. The bodice of the dress feels like it’s closing in, every breath pressing against the unforgiving boning.
Ryoden’s hand presses firmly against my back, fingers spreading and anchoring me. “Listen to me,” he says, his voice the calm in the center of the storm that’s coming directly for us. “Both of you stay polite and as quiet as you can. I’ll handle the talking.”
“And if this is the moment that feels too overwhelming for me to handle?” I ask quietly through a tight smile as I risk glancing up at him.
Everything in my body is suddenly buzzing with the need to flee as they close in on us, but I don’t have enough time to figure out why that is before having to face them.
Ryoden’s gaze drops to mine, and for a second everything narrows to the determination blazing in his eyes.
“Then you trust me to get us through this conversation and then find a reason to excuse ourselves immediately after,” he whispers before leaning to brush his lips against my forehead. “I will get you out of here.”
The feel of his lips on my skin and the conviction in his words stirs an ache within my chest. I find myself leaning into the kiss for a moment, desperate to stay in it for as long as I can to center my raging fear.
I know it’s for show with their footsteps drawing near, but I don’t care at that moment, selfishly just needing his touch.
Before I can respond, the General and Admiral are there and he pulls back to greet them. I turn my attention with him and focus on steady, even breaths as my heart threatens to leap into my throat.
“Colonel Kane,” General Thorn says, spreading his arms in a gesture that suggests old friendship where none exists. “There you are. I was beginning to think you were both going to avoid the ball tonight.”
A chill crawls along my spine, the General sounding eerily like Lila’s husband earlier before he practically bolted away from us.
“Never, sir,” Ryoden replies, dipping his head with just the right measure of deference. “It’s an honor to be here.”
The Admiral stands half a step behind and to the side, hands clasped loosely behind his back now. His dull gray eyes slide over Eli, over me, and to Ryoden at last. I watch as disgust flares to life with his furrowed brow and flared nostrils.
“I received an interesting call just before arriving myself,” the General continues, his tone pleasant and conversational, “from one of your lieutenants back in Charlotte.”