Page 110 of The Immortal's One
“You’re doing great.”Lome guides me into a quick spin. The fabric of my gown billows, then he pulls me back into his arms, steady and strong. “Ignore everyone else.”
I scoff under my breath, “Easier said than done.”
The room is too big, brimming with too many pairs of eyes that watch my every move. I knew there were more than just the Original Nine, but the sheer number of people here, finely dressed and elegant, with every movement polished to perfection, stuns me.
They crowd the edges of the ballroom, every one of them trying to steal a glimpse of me as Lome leads me across the dance floor.
They’re intrigued by the news that Des found hisOne, I remind myself.Remember to prove them wrong.
“Just keep smiling.” Lome keeps his voice light, tilting his head respectfully to a man and woman waltzing next to us.
“I’ve been smiling so much my cheeks are about to cramp,” I grit out, following his lead as we dance. “I look like a spaz.”
The woman twirling in the pair beside us glances over, her eyes flicking between me and Lome.
“You look marvelous,” Lome says, winking at me. “I’m the envy of every man here.”
“Ahem.” I tilt my head toward Thane and Bella.
The husband and wife were the first to take the floor after dinner, and they haven’t left since. The two glide across the floor now, lost in their own world, gazing at each other with so much adoration it should be sickening. But instead, my heart swells.
“Thane?” Lome chuckles, shaking his head. “He doesn’t count. My brother’s been a hopeless sap since he met that woman.”
Thane sweeps Bella into a smooth spin, their bodies moving in perfect rhythm, as if there’s no one else in the room.
They really are cute.
“But as I was saying…” Lome’s voice breaks through my thoughts. He leads me into a quick step change, a seamless move. “You’re the star of this show.”
His eyes flick to the right.
I follow his gaze and make eye contact with each Immortal I see. Most glance away when they notice my attention, but one’s stare noticeably remains.
Charmian.
The Original Immortal stands with effortless grace, wearing a lovely tan gown made of fabric that shimmers with nature itself, delicate pastel flowers creeping up the bodice like vines. She looks like a garden nymph, so serene, and she’s staring at me. Not with malice but with something more inscrutable.
Her expression is warm but… calculating, too. A quiet kind of contemplation that sends a shiver up my spine.
Lome continues to guide me across the floor, sidestepping a pair of dancers when I nearly stumble. But my mind doesn’t leave Charmian. I lose her in the crowd, but not before remembering herotherability.
Charmian is psychic. Bella called herclairvoyant. A knot coils in my stomach. There’s something in the way Charmian watched me, something in her stillness that makes me uneasy. I don’t want to know what she’s thinking. I don’t want to know what shesees. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not something I’m ready for. I have enough problems to deal with.
My gaze slides back to Lome, zeroing in on the base of his throat. My mind runs through all that’s transpired this evening, and what I have left to do.
Dinner went off without a hitch.
Despite the pressure of the countless eyes staring at me, I somehow managed to remember all my etiquette training. I ate the pot roast and various multicultural side dishes—each representing the regions where lesser Immortals live—without embarrassing myself. If I weren’t so jittery, I might have even enjoyed it.
When dinner came to an end, the party shifted to the ballroom. A new round of revelry began, the music swelling and the laughter rising in tune.
There will be dancing and drinks for at least another couple of hours. And then everyone will go to the gardens for a closing concert under the bright night sky.
That’s when Adir and I are supposed to enact our…plan.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Lome’s soft murmur pulls my eyes up. His expression holds a hint of regret.
“You didn’t.” I was uncomfortable the moment Des and I appeared outside the dining room, decorated with twinkling fairy lights, sweet-smelling pine trees adorned with garland and ornaments decorating each corner. “I’m just not a fan of this much attention.”
