Chapter 22
Hannah
Iwhirled, heart leaping into my throat, half expecting some Night Court assassin or a servant who had taken a wrong turn, and then my breath caught as though it had snagged on my ribs.
Kai stood a single pace behind me, tall and devastating in a suit of blue so deep it bordered on black.
The fabric swallowed the light instead of reflecting it, like it had been cut from the space between stars.
A dark cape draped his shoulders, the lining catching the faintest trace of moonlight against his back.
His indigo hair had been swept away from his face, revealing the sharp angles of his cheekbones and the clean line of his jaw.
And I was totally not thinking about that mouth right now.
A delicate ring of silver rested at his throat, etched with frost-like patterns that shimmered softly in the ambient light, and at its center sat a pale adornment shaped like a rising moon cresting through dusk.
His lavender eyes met mine, and then they darkened.
Every clever, cutting remark I’d been saving for him disappeared in an instant, wiped clean as if they had never existed in the first place.
His gaze took in everything, from the tiara in my hair to the bare line of my shoulders, the shimmer of the bodice, and the fall of the fabric as it shifted with every breath I took.
By the time his attention returned to my face, the violet had taken over completely, swallowing the softer color whole. “Hannah of Tennessee.”
My name didn’t sound spoken so much as pulled out of him. His throat moved as he swallowed, and for a moment, he just looked at me. There was something in that look that felt too heavy, too intense, before he finally said, “You look like the queen you are.”
The word settled somewhere deep, warmer than it should have, and before I could decide what to do with it, he offered me his arm.
I hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second, then placed my fingers against his forearm, feeling the heat of him through the fabric and the subtle flex of muscle beneath my touch, as if the contact affected him more than he wanted it to.
“You clean up all right yourself, Your Majesty,” I managed, though my voice came out softer and breathier than I intended. “Midnight blue suits you.”
Something flickered across his expression and vanished. “Walk with me.”
It wasn’t quite a command or a request, but something inevitable that made my pulse kick harder. Before I could overthink it, he turned us toward the staircase.
The breath I took then felt like stepping off a ledge, knowing there was no going back. Below us, the ballroom shimmered with motion and light, silks and jewels and soft laughter drifting upward while the music rose as if the entire room felt him entering the ball.
A slim fae dressed in deep gray stepped forward and bowed his head before lifting a silver rod and striking it once against the marble.
The deep sound rang out, carrying down the staircase and across the ballroom, and everyone stilled.
Conversations cut off mid-word, movement slowed, and dozens of heads tipped up toward us.
Fae in every shade of twilight filled the space below. Women in gowns of midnight, violet, and deep blue with men in tailored coats threaded with faint constellations and furred collars, every one of them poised and watching. Waiting.
I had never liked being the center of attention. It usually ended badly, but for some reason, next to Kai, it felt…right.
He let the silence stretch and settle until the entire room seemed to breathe in unison, then he lifted his chin and spoke.
“It is my great honor to welcome you to the Dusk Court.” His voice threaded through the space and bound his people’s attention.
“It has been some time since we have gathered in such numbers. Tonight, we do so not only in celebration, but in recognition of our strength and our refusal to bow to the cruelty of our enemies.”
The words filtered through the crowd, the power of them moving me even as I stood beside him.
“And to honor a guest of particular importance. Hannah of Tennessee.” He inclined his head toward me, subtly but unmistakably.
The room’s attention locked onto me with a force that made my stomach flip.
“Forgive her if her customs or choices seem unconventional. I assure you she is a most delightful companion.”
Oh, I was whacking him later.
Applause broke over the room, and laughter spread through it as the music swelled back to life and the tension dissolved into motion. Kai’s arm shifted beneath my fingers, grounding me in a way I was not about to acknowledge out loud.
Then we stepped forward together and began our descent into the waiting crowd.
Kai moved like he owned every inch of this space. I kept my focus on the sweep of the staircase and the sea of faces below because looking at him right now seemed like a terrible idea, especially with the buzzing between us continuing to intensify.
“Companion, hm?” I forced my breathing to stay steady.
“It seemed the most appropriate descriptor.” His gaze slid down to me. “Until a better one presents itself.”
Oh, that shouldn’t have done what it did to my pulse.
“You mean ‘pain in the ass’ wasn’t available?
” I waggled my brows, aiming for dry and unimpressed even as heat curled low in my stomach.
The layers of my skirt whispered around my ankles with each step.
I kept my eyes forward, refusing to risk a misstep in front of half the court.
Magic shoes or not, I wasn’t giving anyone that show.
“For you?” His voice dropped low and seemed to caress my ear instead of carrying outward. “I suspect it’s a permanent title.”
We reached the floor, and the crowd parted around us like water around a stone.
Attention pressed in from all sides—curious, assessing, some looks warm, some brutal enough to cut.
A few of the women offered polite smiles that looked like they would slice through bone if given the chance.
I fixed one of my own in place and kept breathing as Kai had instructed, steady and measured, even as every instinct in me wanted to either bolt or bare my teeth.
He didn’t hesitate. He led us straight to the center of the ballroom, into the heart of the polished floor where the chandeliers scattered fractured light and the enchanted stars turned in slow, deliberate arcs overhead.
Then he stopped and turned toward me, something expectant settling into his expression.
My eyes narrowed. “You’d better not be about to ask me to dance.”
“Was I asking?” His hand extended, one brow lifting as that familiar edge of amusement touched his mouth. “I already told them you have your own customs. You cannot fail.”
“That is wildly optimistic.” I eyed his hand like it might betray me. “I can absolutely step on your feet. Repeatedly. Possibly with enthusiasm.”
He didn’t give me the chance to argue further.
His hand slid around my waist, firm and certain through the soft layers of the gown, and my breath caught in a way that had nothing to do with nerves.
His other hand found mine, lifting it into place with effortless precision, like he had done this a thousand times before and expected me to fall into step with him every time.
“Kai—” I slid my clutch discreetly into the pocket in my gown where the astrolabe rested, because if I dropped that thing mid-dance, I might actually die.
“Follow my lead.” His breath brushed my temple.
“Well, don’t go leading me astray, Mister Fancy Pants Dusk King.” I tipped my head back just enough to meet his eyes, ignoring the way my pulse jumped.
His smirk deepened.
The music shifted around us, strings rising into a measured waltz that curled through the space like silk wrapping around skin. Before I could second-guess anything, he moved, and my body followed.
The ballroom softened at the edges until it felt like there was only him. The line of his jaw, the steady intensity of his gaze, and the unyielding strength of his hold. My steps fell into place without thought, guided by the subtle pressure of his hand and the rhythm of the music around us.
It should’ve been awkward and a disaster.
But it wasn’t.
Somewhere between one step and the next, my feet found the pattern. Whether it was the magic woven into the shoes or the quiet certainty in the way he moved, I couldn’t tell, but I wasn’t thinking about falling. I was just… moving with him.
“See?” he murmured as he led me through a slow turn, my skirts flaring around me in a wash of lavender and light. “You’ve not fallen, and you’ve not even humiliated yourself.”
“Give it time.” I aimed for dry and unaffected, but my voice betrayed me, coming out thinner than I liked.
His hand pressed more firmly at my back, drawing me a fraction closer, and my pulse lost all sense of rhythm.
“I suppose the real question is whether my…dancing meets your very high standards.” I arched a brow, adding a small, deliberate waggle.
“Close enough.” His whisper-laugh could be felt but not heard, and it sent a ripple through me that had nothing to do with the music.
He turned me again, and my body followed the pull of his arm as the room spun in streaks of lilac and silver.
He drew me back in, closer than before, the space between us felt almost nonexistent. “Anticipation is—”
“Overrated.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “Especially after you spent days avoiding me, then showed up and kissed me like the world was ending, and still haven’t actually said anything that matters. So, whatever this perfect moment is supposed to be? It better be worth it.”
His grip tightened, not enough to hurt, but enough to make me more aware of it. “Or else?” His tone was threaded with that dangerous edge that made my stomach flip.
“Or else I’ll steal something you’ll actually miss.” I held his gaze, not backing down.