Page 41 of Captive
I couldn’t help but wonder what the guys would be wearing. They’d cleared out so we could have the block to get ready, and we were supposed to meet up outside it in a few minutes’ time.
“You look like a goddess,” said Maddie, grinning as she made a few more tweaks to my hair.
“So do you,” I said, smirking. “And I’m sure Silas will agree.”
Maddie’s cheeks turned a little rosy at my comment. “I sure hope so.”
“Come on. Your prince awaits,” I teased, taking her hand to pull her toward the door.
She followed me to the door and out into the hall, where Alistair, Dean and Silas were all waiting.
All three were dressed in sharp suits, but I couldn’t stop staring at Dean and Alistair. The former was dressed in a stark white suit that accentuated his muscular build, while the latter was wearing a suit of a silvery hue that made his blue gaze even more piercing.
They both studied me, an unmistakable look of hunger coming into their eyes that might once have made me nervous, but now had a far more troubling impact.
“Damn,” Dean muttered, the first to step toward me and take my hand to spin me around. “You look gorgeous.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as he put an arm around me, pulling me to his chest. “You clean up pretty well yourself.”
“You do look beautiful,” Alistair said in his usual quiet tone.
I glanced over to see Silas whispering something to Maddie as he placed a corsage on her wrist. Whatever it was had her giggling bashfully.
She looked back at me and waved. “See you at the formal,” she said in a singsong voice.
“Have fun, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” I called back.
“Shall we?” Alistair asked, offering his arm to me.
I smiled, linking my arms in both of theirs. I thought having to share me on our walk to the event would earn some grumbling from Dean, but to my surprise, he was quiet.
When we arrived at the gymnasium, I hardly recognized it. The council had done an incredible job of transforming it. The lights cast a pale white glow on every surface, and draped fabrics gave the impression of stepping into another world.
I looked around the room, realizing I barely recognized half of the people in attendance. Everyone had taken full advantage of the opportunity to dress up, and even the guards looked more formal than usual.
“Wow,” I murmured, taking everything in. “This is amazing.”
“Not nearly as amazing as you,” Dean said with a little grin. He was more subdued than usual. Less cocky. In a weird way, he was almost pensive, like he was troubled by something--probably because I was going with both of them and not just him.
“You’re sweet,” I mumbled.
“He’s right,” said Alistair, letting go of my arm once we reached the dance floor. “I’ll go get us something to drink.”
“Get me one, too,” Dean said with a laugh.
Alistair gave him an eye roll, but he didn’t argue.
The moment he left, Dean turned his full attention back to me, offering his hand. “Can I have this dance?” he asked, adoration in his usually piercing green eyes. For once, they were soft.
I couldn’t help but smile, placing my hand in his. It was impossible not to think about how warm it was, and how it completely enveloped mine. “So you can be a gentleman when you want to,” I teased, letting him lead me out onto the dance floor.
“Of course,” he replied, taking my other hand and pulling me up against his chest so he could lean down and brush his lips against my forehead.
Heat crept into my cheeks as I draped my arms over his broad shoulders. “You really do look handsome,” I said, glancing up at him. His eyes seemed even greener tonight than usual.
“And you really are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” he said softly as we swayed back and forth to the gentle music.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” I scoffed, looking away. It was so easy to lose track of time in his arms. To forget it wasn’t just him and me in a sea of people.
