Page 23 of Merciless Prince
Everything was fine.
7
Shay
“Maskson,bitches!”Cori slid an ornate black, red, and silver Venetian mask over her face and tied the ribbon at the back. Then she did a quick twirl. “How do I look?”
I grinned. “Amazing, as always.” I fixed my own mask to my face and tied it behind my hair. It was hand-painted with raised accent details in a light blue, cream, and gold color scheme to go with my white and gold dress. “How’s mine?”
“Total queen shit.” Cori turned to look at our other friends and affected a jokingly imperious tone. “Come on! Masks!”
Some students from Bellingham’s law school were throwing a rager tonight. It had been touted all over campus as an elegant, high-class masquerade ball, but everyone knew it wouldn’t actually be elegant or classy. The law students were known for throwing the wildest parties, so by eleven o’clock tonight, the masquerade was sure to rival some of New York’s darkest, dirtiest nightclubs.
Cori had managed to wrangle some extra invitations for our besties from the city—Ashleigh, Dionne, and Rumer—so we could have a good old-fashioned girls’ night out together. Leah and Faye were accompanying us too.
One of the law students hosting the event had offered up his family’s country home for the venue. It was one of many impressive mansions built in the Hudson Valley during the Gilded Age; four stories of elaborately-carved stone sitting atop a hill which overlooked the river. When my friends and I arrived at the estate and headed through the double-story portico entrance, I felt like I was stepping right back into the Roaring Twenties with all of its dazzling wealth and luxury.
“Oh my fucking god,” Faye said as we entered the ballroom.
My thoughts echoed her words. The party in front of us was epic. A temple devoted to the worship of indulgence.
The massive oval-shaped ballroom featured floating double staircases at either end and multiple levels along the sides, giving it the appearance of an amphitheater. Ornate crystal chandeliers hung from the coffered ceiling, and the windows and walls were decorated with teardrop-shaped crystals which reflected light onto every surface, making everything in the dark space shimmer like a moonlit lake.
On the largest mezzanine level, there was a DJ booth, crimson velvet lounges, and tables covered with champagne flutes, shot glasses, colorful bowls of pills, and silver plates with heaped piles of white powder. Below that, hundreds of people were on the main dancefloor, bumping and grinding to the pounding music. Bright white spotlights arced all over the crowd from somewhere near the DJ’s table, highlighting the writhing bodies and glittering masks.
“Let’s drink and dance!” Cori shouted, grabbing my hand.
Our group pushed our way through the throngs of partygoers until we reached the closest champagne tower. We grabbed one flute each, gulped the fizzy liquid down, and shimmied our way into the middle of the dancefloor.
The seven of us took turns dancing with each other for several songs. As I swung my arms around and swiveled my hips to the beat of the blasting music, a satisfying warmth spread through me. It wasn’t just from the champagne buzz hitting me. I was actually happy.
Last week’s nighttime terror was all but forgotten. After I left the dean’s office that Thursday morning, feeling like a total fool, I went to see my doctor in the city and told her that my old sleep paralysis issue had returned with horrible hallucinations. She’d prescribed me some sleeping pills, and I’d slept like a baby ever since. There was a spring in my step each morning when I got out of bed, my performance in my classes had improved, and the creeping feeling of paranoia that used to linger over me at Bellingham was long-gone.
It was amazing how fast things could turn around.
An hour on the dancefloor soon blurred into two, and the party grew even wilder and messier. Drunk people were taking off their masks and sloppily hooking up all over the place, and several couples looked like they were straight up fucking on the edges of the ballroom.
I was currently dancing alone with my mask dangling off my left arm, because it made my face and hairline perspire when it was on. Cori had wandered off to dance with a tall blond guy, and Faye, Rumer, and Leah had gone to score more drinks. Dionne and Ashleigh had slipped off to the bathroom a while ago, and they still hadn’t returned.
The strobe lights zoomed all over the crowd around me, moving from floor to ceiling. One of them focused right on me, pinning me with its bright light, and I froze, suddenly feeling exposed and isolated in the frenzy.
I put my mask back on, slipped over to the edge of the room, and scanned the space, looking for my friends. Dionne and Ashleigh were back from the bathroom now, but they were busy flirting with two guys next to a drinks table. Cori was still with her blond guy, and judging by the shameless way their hands and tongues were sliding all over each other, they didn’t want to be disturbed. I couldn’t see any of the other girls.
I turned to look in the opposite direction, and a tall man about twenty yards away immediately captured my attention. It looked like I’d captured his first, though, because he appeared to be staring right at me.
His muscular frame filled out his black suit perfectly, and his dark hair was slicked back in an old-fashioned style. I couldn’t see his face, because the whole thing was covered by an angry-looking black and silver Venetian mask with two striated devil horns jutting out from the sides. Still, something about him was magnetic. It was like my body could sense that he was handsome without needing to see him.
He tipped his head slightly to the side as he regarded me. Then he stretched a hand toward me, as if he were inviting me to dance.
I nodded and cut my way through the crowd, never taking my eyes off him. When I reached his side, he took my hand and led me onto the dancefloor, amidst a sea of writhing partygoers. Then he slid his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. He smelled of rich cologne with hints of woodsmoke, bergamot, and leather.
I began to sway to the music, which was far too loud for me and my mystery partner to talk over. He moved in sync with me, keeping his eyes on me. It was hard to see them properly with all the flashing lights around us—I couldn’t even tell if they were blue, gray, or green; only that they were light—but I felt the weight of his gaze on my face and body anyway. It made me feel naked and vulnerable in the best kind of way.
My heart accelerated as one of the mystery man’s hands slid lower, lingering on my tailbone before trailing down to my ass. He gripped me hard and pulled me even closer, like he wanted to devour me.
Desire began to percolate in my veins as the man’s free hand moved to my face. He lifted my mask and traced his thumb in a slow pattern on my left cheek before swiping it across my lower lip. Then he moved his hand back down and slid it up my dress, right in front of everyone on the dancefloor. I gulped, but I didn’t stop him. The way he was rubbing at the front of my panties felt too good.
This could be it,my hazy, lust-filled mind told me.This could be your magical guy.
