Page 43 of A Kiss From Death
In the corner, a group of instrumentalists play. Circus themed performers are sprinkled throughout the room. Women with painted faces and scanty outfits float inside giant clear bubbles, performing tricks and spins for the guests below. A long, thin wire connects the walls, where two children balance, holding a Stretch as a jump rope. A third kid stands between them, jumping over the man stretched thin like taffy.
A Scorch makes me trip over my feet when he dashes in front of me, hoisted on stilts while juggling three balls of fire. There’s magic manipulation infused in every performer, which makes my heart race. Danger lurks in every corner, but each performer is well practiced and in control. It’s chaos in the best way.
I snatch a bubbling drink off a passing tray and take a long swig, downing half the drink in one go. The bubbles down my throat like popping candy, catching me off guard. I should be used to being surrounded by magic by now, but it still surprises me each time. The bubbles immediately send a wave of temporary euphoria through my body, making me burst out in uncontrollable laughter. Nothing is even funny, but my body rocks with laughter, and tears prick the sides of my eyes.
Aeron has already ditched me, off mingling with citizens to help with his standing in the Crucible. That is probably something I should be doing too, but I would much rather spend my night enjoying myself, stuffing my face with any and all magical food I can find. If tonight shall be my last, I want to go out with a full belly and a satiated soul.
I slowly take sips of my drink while standing on the outer edge of the room, attempting to avoid being taken out by wild performersor drunken guests. I spot a few of my competitors among the giant sea of partygoers. A few are grouped together while others stand alone, like me, in awe of the chaos unfolding around them.
I’m searching the crowd for bright pink hair when my eyes connect with the last person I wish to be ensnared by. Hade’s eyes bore intensely into mine, even all the way across the room. The chaos melts away, and all the remains ishim.
He’s dressed up for the occasion, forgoing his usual guard uniform. Instead, he’s sporting a perfectly tailored suit. It’s plain black, paired with a white undershirt and black tie, and somehow, something so ordinary has never looked more enticing. It’s tight in all the right places, accentuating his thick arms and legs, but not to the point that it looks too small. On anyone else, this outfit would make them blend into the crowd, but on him, it looks like he is the inventor of plain black suits. It’s infuriating how good he looks.
His gray eye swirls with curiosity while his black eye whispers of death. I blatantly glare at him, promising death with my stare in return if he even tries to come near me. I’m still pissed at him for being such a controlling dick, acting as if I’m a child in need of guidance. To be fair, I’m sure he is pissed at me for blindly throwing my last blade at him and ruining his belt, but he can fuck right off for all I care. I won’t let him ruin my night.
The corner of his mouth kicks up a miniscule amount at my threatening glare, and my traitorous bitch of a heart thumps loudly in my chest. His lip ticks up another notch, and I swear, the fucker can hear my rapid heart beating from across the room. I can tell it’s amusing him. I wouldn’t put it past him to have ears lurking in every dark corner of this room. Magic is a limitless avenue for him I envy.
Stomping my foot, I throw back my remaining drink in one gulp, catching sight of Aeron a little to my right. If he wants to play whatever game this is, then I can too. My childish heart knows the perfect way to piss him off.
My feet move of their own accord before my mind has finished hatching my plan. I giggle the entire way from whatever magic swirled in my drink. They deliver me right next to Aeron, who happens to be holding two fresh drinks while he talks to an older gentleman. The drink I just downed has emboldened me, and I reach forward, slipping my arm through Aeron’s while grabbing one of the drinks from his hand.
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you. I see you found us some drinks.” I plaster on a smile that could win me an award and cozy up next to Aeron, making it seem like we are more than friendly.
The glowing orb in the center of the tent flickers off for just a fraction of a second before regaining its full brightness. I can feel Hade’s intense gaze burning a hole in the side of my face, but I pay him no heed.
Just to stir things up even more, I drag my thumb across the soft cushion of Aeron’s bottom lip while blushing up at him. “Sorry, you had a little drink left on your lip.” I suck my thumb into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it, and then slowly pull it out.
Sucking my bottom lip between my teeth, I give Aeron pleading eyes to go along with the little show I’m putting on. Aeron’s eyebrows knit in confusion until he catches the daggers Hade throws our way with his eyes, and then cruel understanding shines on his face.
“Always helping me out,beautiful.” Aeron smiles down at me and tucks a curl behind my ear. Leaning in, he presses his lips to the shell of my ear. “My little vagrant wants to put on a show tonight. Who am I to stand in her way? I love it when you use me,” he whispers against my skin.
Straightening, Aeron looks over to the old man and gives him a small smile. “If you’ll excuse us, I believe I promised my girl a dance. It looks like she’s come to collect.”
I nod goodbye to the gentleman, setting my drink on a nearby table as Aeron drags me to the dance floor, pulling our bodies flush. His hand wraps in mine while the other grips possessively low on my hip.
We get swept into the madness that is the dance floor, blending into the guests around us, who sway to the loud music. Aeron guides my wobbling, unsure legs, keeping us in time with the music.
He smirks down at me. “Have you never danced before?”
Heat rushes to my cheeks, and embarrassment floods me. I hate when people notice weakness within me, even if it is something as silly as proper dancing.
I give him a curious gaze. “And what makes you think that?”
Looking down at me, he mocks, “Hmm, let me think. Oh, maybe from the way my toes are throbbing from the six…”Crunch.He winces.“Make thatseventimes you’ve stomped on my feet already.”
Grimacing, I look down at our feet. Sure enough, little scuffs mar the toes of his shoes in every place I’ve accidentally stomped. “I won’t apologize foryourfeet getting in my way.”
“I would expect nothing less from you.” His wicked smile is illuminated by the glowing orb spinning above us, which makes me swallow the thumps of my heart slowly rising inside me. “Now, are you ready for the real show to begin?”
Before I can question him, Aeron abruptly pushes my body away then yanks me by my arm, spinning me all the way back to him. When my body is flush against him again, he grips the nape of my neck and plunges me in a deep dip. His face comes crashing down above me, closing in on his prey. Time stands still. I now understand exactly what show he intends to put on, and my body freezes in his hold.
Just when his lips are a hair’s breadth above mine, the entire ball is plunged in something even darker than the night sky. Small, scared cries ring out around us. My body is alert, ready to fight myway out of whatever threat lies ahead. The room is so dark, even Aeron’s face disappears. I straighten as he drops my hands for a moment while a scuffle erupts next to us. A second later, his hands find mine again.
The darkness retreats to wherever it came from, and I take a deep breath, looking around to find no danger lurking. We are safe. It was just a false alarm. Turning my head back to Aeron, I curse under my breath for thinking I was ever safe. It seems like the danger was lurking right in front of me all along.
“Nightmare,” Hade’s deep timbre travels all the way down my spine, turning my insides molten. His large hands engulf my small ones, his broad chest pressing dangerously close to mine. He appears calm and collected, but I catch the way his jaw grinds the smallest amount, giving away the anger brewing inside. He’s holding himself back like he always does, ever the tomb of caged emotions.
“What did you do with my date? If you wanted a dance, you could have just asked,” I say calmly. My legs are on the verge of giving out completely, and I know he can hear the volcano rumbling inside me, my heart bursting in places, unraveling me from within. Surprisingly, I hide all of that from my voice and face.
