Page 65 of The Ordeals
Heat flares in my core, spreading out through every inch of me. My breath hitches as he leans on the wall beside me, eyeing the crowd. I turn back to the string quartet, flicking my hair. ‘Any more tips?’
‘Only a statement: you’re ravishing. Dance with me.’
‘No,’ I say, hiding my grin from him.
‘Your wallflower tactic is indeed a good one … but if you’re in the thick of the crowd, surely you know you’ll hear more? We need to discover our code words. And I don’t want anyone else claiming a dance with you.’
I round on him, pinning my gaze to his. Damn he looks good in black tie. All dark brown hair and melting brown eyes, jacket outlining the cut of his muscular arms, and that flicker of a wicked smile. I should stick to my plan of skirting the hall and staying invisible. But Alden does have a point: we may both hear more in the thick of the dancing and, despite myself, I rather like the thought of spinning in his arms.
‘How do I know you’re not a masquier, pretending to be Alden Locke?’ I say, tilting up my chin.
He bends low, brushing his mouth against my ear and whispers, ‘I know what you like, Sophia.’
At once, heat fills my body, every kiss, every moment between us flashing through my mind. And I burn. No one but the real him could make me feel this way.
‘Fine. One dance.’ I hold up a finger, hoping that I can make it seem perfectly innocent, just partners working together in theOrdeal, when Knox undoubtedly clocks us. I’ve already spotted him, talking to Frances as she twirls a pale blonde curl around her fingers. He knows too much about me, far too much, and with that threat looming like a thunder cloud, I don’t want to take any chances tonight. ‘No straying hands,’ I say softly, raising my eyebrows. ‘Strictly on my waist, eyes on mine. No distractions for either of us.’
‘DeWinter, you drive a hard bargain.’
I chuckle softly and take his arm as he propels me forward, into the middle of the hall. The music draws to an end on a warbling note, everyone turning to clap. My eyes snap to every hopeful as I pass them, their eyes beady and watchful, every one of them tuned in to the conversations surrounding them. I spot Elspeth, Betram, Charlotte, Fion … and it strikes me, what if the correct person to give the code word to isn’t in this hall just yet? What if I’m following the rules too closely? This is the Ordeal of Lies after all. So far, I’ve followed the rules to the letter, as have all the other hopefuls. As far as I can tell, none yet have ascertained their code word. I sweep my gaze over the gathered crowd, taking in the faces of strangers, a smattering of professors, including Professor Silver and Professor Lewellyn … but not the entire faculty. Maybe Alden and I need to work out who is absent?
A heeling starts up and I focus on Alden, noting the other couples gathering around us as they take to the dance floor. It’s a moment for hopefuls to snag a dance with someone who they can whisper to without being overheard, to seek clues as to how they can learn their code word. Dolly taught me every dance for situations like this, and the heeling was always my favourite. I smile despite myself, remembering her. Remembering how she held her cigarette holder aloft, calling,lovely, darling, simply lovely!as I giggled my way through the steps. The memory leaves me with a sting of bitterness, even laced with the sweetness of her.
Alden takes my waist, spinning me around, and I fall back into the present. ‘Who taught you to dance?’
‘A friend,’ I say, stepping back then clasping my hand to his before swinging around, then meeting him again. ‘You?’
‘My mother,’ he replies. ‘She loves to dance. We used to hold a ball every year in midsummer at Morlagh Manor and everyone would travel up in the season, before …’
‘Before?’
His eyes flicker away, then back to mine. ‘Before my father was murdered by one of those monsters that’s stalking you.’
He spins me around, catching me at the waist as he stands at my back and we sway left then right, arms clasped overhead. ‘How do you know about that?’
‘I got it out of Knox eventually. Suspicious, him showing up again halfway through the semester after he told me he wouldn’t be joining me here. And when you mentioned his name yesterday, I knew something was up.’
He spins me and we’re facing each other, his eyes catching on mine. ‘I thought he was your friend.’
‘He is. And that’s why I didn’t chuck him off a cliff.’
I sniff. ‘Maybe he’s trying to protect you.’
‘He keptkeyinformation from me that he should have shared.’
‘Can’t a girl have her secrets?’ I flick my eyes up to his.
‘Not when you’re my partner.’
‘For fuck’s sake, Locke, I had it handled. I’mverycapable—’
‘You are.’
‘Then why—’
‘For my own reasons, Sophia. For my own reasons. I take this threatextremelyseriously, especially when it comes to you. I want you alive. No, Ineedyou alive.’ He spins me again, breaking our eye contact, and when I turn to find him once more, his hands enclosemy lower back, the heat of his palms against my bare skin sending ripples of delicious heat all through me.
His head falls to my shoulder and his hands move north, his arms tightening around me and I realise he’s holding me. As the other couples swirl around us, we’ve stopped. ‘I was wrong. I’m sorry. Knox didn’t tell me everything, but I know enough. You’re not the murderer; nothing could be further from the truth. You need Killmarth to be safe. And I need you to know, you’re safe with me.’ My breath stutters and I dare to let my gaze travel up to meet his. His eyes are serious, piercing, his arms still holding me protectively. ‘Whatever you’ve been through, whatever you’ve suffered … I need you to know that those gates are not your only safety net. I am here, I’m your partner and if you’ll allow me, I will be your safety net too, Sophia. I will be your … everything.’
