Page 27 of Stray
Then again, her encounter in the woods with Bishop had probably set things off if that was the case.
“Is something wrong?” Mr. Bryant asked, gazing down at her with a hint of concern in his stony expression.
“N-no,” she answered. It wasn’t a complete lie. It was incredibly difficult to feel that anything was amiss when she was locked in the safety of his embrace. He moved so swiftly and gracefully that it scarcely mattered she had no idea what she was doing. Under his guidance, her body seemed to know the steps much better than her conscious mind did, as if it was all just the rhythm of a song she had heard a thousand times before.
“You’re doing well,” he said, assuming that was the reason for her nervousness. “Have you really never danced before?”
“The opportunity never presented itself,” she confessed.
He frowned intently, though he never once lost his concentration. “The Unveiling was the first time I’ve seen you at a colony event. Why?”
It was a simple question, but it flustered her all the same. So did the idea that he had seen her without her realizing it.
What was she thinking? Of course he had. The whole colony had been there, and she’d been the talk of the evening, despite her wishes.
“I’m a stray,” she finally answered. That was the simplest answer to most questions posed of her.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
His question took her by surprise. Everything about him was unpredictable. “I don’t belong. You’ve seen for yourself how unequipped I am for all this,” she said, nodding at their surroundings.
“You lack training and refinement, but those are vastly different from being unfit,” he corrected. His tone left no room for question, and the most remarkable part was that he didn’t seem entirely aware of just how commanding his very presence was.
Or intoxicating.
The heat that had pooled in her core from the moment Bishop had kissed her had become a burning ember and the more they danced, the further down her back his hand slipped, the more in danger it was of being stoked into a burning flame.
“Maybe.” There didn’t seem a point in arguing. He’d already made his opinions on strays clear, and while he didn’t seem like the type to say one thing and think another, she hadn’t forgotten his comment in class.
She could feel his eyes on her, looking sharply, even though she was making every attempt to look elsewhere. “What I said yesterday in class,” he began, his tone softening more than it ever had.
Ella looked up in surprise that he was even addressing it. “It’s fine,” she said quickly. “You’re right. I’m even more out of place here than I am in the colony.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said firmly. He sighed the next moment, a whisper of defeat. “But it was still a careless thing to say. I apologize.”
Ella stared at him in disbelief. He didn’t seem like the kind of man to apologize either, not because he lacked humility but rather because she had a hard time believing he ever made a mistake.
“There’s no need,” she insisted. She realized she could feel his heart beating beneath her palm, since he was too tall for her hand to properly rest on his shoulder while dancing. Such a strong, steady rhythm, timed perfectly to that familiar melody. “It’s much kinder than the way most people feel.”
“This institution is as rife with prejudice as any other,” he murmured. “I expect more will be routed out before your coronation.”
“I’m not so sure it’s as inevitable as everything thinks.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You were at the ceremony. You saw what happened,” she answered. “The moon may have marked me, but she also tried to drown me.”
“It was certainly one for the record books,” he mused.
“I take it Natalia’s ceremony was far more typical.”
He chuckled. It was a surprisingly pleasant sound. Lower than she’d expected, but softer. “Be that as it may, I wouldn’t take a deviation from the norm as an omen of your reign.”
“You have to admit, it wasn’t a very promising start.”
He gave her a knowing smile that made her heart flutter in yet another way. “It just takes time. Time and instruction.” He spun her swiftly, and before she had time to lose her footing, he pulled her back to his chest, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. All the breath rushed from her lungs, and time itself stood still.
For a brief eternity, Ella was locked in his gaze and had no wish to ever escape. Her first thought, other than the fact that he was breathtakingly beautiful, was that he was shockingly cold to the touch.
