Page 149 of Kingdoms of Night

This was ridiculous. He broke into a run.

“Idalno!” he shouted. “Idalno, where are you?”

The hall continued on and on, never ending. His breaths came faster, more ragged. He was well past twenty now. Probably past two hundred and fifty. But nothing was changing.

“Idalno? Come out! Idalno. Idalno!” His voice bounced off the walls, the echo mocking him.

Gasping for breath, he fought to suppress the chill that sliced through his veins. Where was she? Was she all right?

The crushing silence of this place was devastating. Resting his hands on the top of his head, he kept walking. And walking. And walking.

Was there no end to this place?

Regrets rose within him, heavier and crueler with each step. He was dangerous, maybe even cursed like Jacques had said, and he’d stayed away from anything or anyone that could bring new joy into his life, because of what he’d bring into theirs. He’d held fast for so long, no matter how quiet the nights got, how cold, how lonely, because it was right.

But Ida… He closed his eyes, savoring the mere thought of her.Ma vigne.Idalno had grown into his life, the strongest, most persistent vine, wringing out every last bit of restraint he had. Nearly.

If only he’d told her how he felt. How much he cared for her. It was selfish, it was reckless, and yet it would haunt him to his grave if he died without at least having tried. In all this time, he’d never once asked her if she wanted him. Never even asked if she’d be willing to help him suppress his wolf somehow. She was a poisoner and a healer, wasn’t she? Maybe she wouldn’t laugh him off. Maybe there was a chance, even a small one, that she’d want him, plain and burdensome as he was. And if she did, he would do whatever he wanted. Drink her tea. Drink her poisons. Whatever she asked. Whatever.

He leaned against the wall and covered his face. Idalno. Vibrant, resolute Idalno. It was fitting that there was no color in this place because she lit up his world.

And yes, he was going to rescue Annette. He’d get her home. But then he would find a way to be with Idalno, if she’d have him. Whatever it took.

He wasn’t safe. He was a failure. But he’d find a way to do better. To be safe for her. To protect her. And unlike so many others, she wasn’t afraid of him. His being a werewolf hadn’t deterred her.

“I miss you, ma vigne,” he whispered. “If you were here right now, I’d tell you everything. I’d choose a life with you over any other.”

A heavy clap sounded, as if from two giant stone hands.

He jerked away from the wall. The hall had changed in a blink. Now the hall had a turn. It looked almost identical to the portion he had run down except now...he strained his ears as he stepped forward. Was that music?

Both music and laughter floated on the heavy air. He started forward, slower now. It sounded like a party.

The hallway turned again some fifty feet later, this time opening out into a great hall. Multiple elegant doors appeared on either side now. But his focus kept returning to what lay at the end of the hall where the gray stones turned into creamy-white marble. Great wooden double doors had been flung open, allowing warm champagne-yellow light to spill through.

Then, although he hadn’t moved at all, he was at the threshold. Rich perfumes and intense colognes caressed his senses, each one somehow distinct and yet blending with the others without giving him a headache. Amber, honey, roses, jasmine, patchouli, tobacco, leather, coffee, cardamom, ginger, maple, and so many more. It was a feast for his senses.

So many beautiful people in the most elegant and luxurious of gowns and suits danced and laughed and feasted. Never in his life had he seen such finery as was now on display here.

Great strands of iridescent pearls hung from the ceiling, draped along the walls with clusters of pale musk roses and tall white candelabras. In some places, it was as if the candles, pearls, and roses floated. A chandelier bigger than the house he’d lived in floated above, an ornate construction of white gold and rose gold with diamonds and pearls hanging in delicate loops and hammered leaves, broad white candles tall and proud among it all. Nothing appeared to hold the chandelier to the massive arched ceiling, and it turned at a gentle pace as if singing its own song.

Tables of food lined one wall, a white tablecloth edged with delicate lace barely visible beneath the mountain of food. Roast pheasant with wild thyme, white rose and almond cakes with pink petals on top, mushroom bread pudding brushed with butter, colorful ceviche, pastel macarons stacked in the shape of a pegasus, blueberry tarts the size of his palm, and so much more. At the end of each table and before the next were smaller round tables filled with flutes of champagne, goblets of wine, and glasses of mead as well as smaller bowls of sugary confections.

Another area near that had been set up with pale-pink, light-peach, pale-periwinkle, and soft-lavender cushions. Some few guests sat and chatted, toasting slender flutes of bubbling champagne and nibbling on colorful petit fours.

But the marble dance floor was the busy center of this spectacle. The guests waltzed around the room in pale silk gowns and striking velvet jackets, moving more gracefully than swans at dusk on the lake. Dozens and dozens, some wearing hideous masks, some barefaced, all eye catching. Some had even added wings to their garments. Wings that remained tucked in and close as they stepped and slid and spun in perfect synchronization.

How could he dare to intrude upon such people?

He stopped, dropping his gaze to the floor. What choice did he have? If he was going to find Idalno, maybe someone here had seen her or knew someone who could help him.

He stepped over the threshold, a gleaming inlay of turquoise and peach enamel trimmed in gold, and into the room.

Something hummed in his ears, setting him off balance. Blinking, he covered his eyes. Something soft and smooth pressed against his face. He opened his eyes. What—

A white gloved hand was in front of his face. A white silk gloved hand. His white silk gloved hand.

He scowled. How…?

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