Page 5 of Bite of Midnight
She hesitates, then nods. “Sure.”
I extend my arm, old habits surfacing before I can stop them. A gesture from another time. “Then allow me.”
Her lips curve, amused but charmed. When she slips her arm through the crook of my elbow, the bond flares bright again, heat rolling through me like a storm breaking open.
She fits there so easily, like she was made to stand beside me.
I guide her through the crowd. People move aside without knowing why. They sense something, power, maybe. Or danger.
But she doesn’t notice any of it. She looks up at the chandeliers, the carved ceilings, the golden light catching the glitter on her fairy wings. “This place is incredible,” she murmurs.
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Do you know the owner?” she asks.
A faint smile touches my lips. “Intimately.”
She laughs, unaware of how close to the truth she is. The sound sends a ripple of warmth through my chest, a feeling I haven’t known in centuries.
We reach the bar at the far end of the ballroom. She releases my arm reluctantly, her fingers brushing my sleeve. I miss the contact instantly.
“What’ll you have?” I ask.
“Something sweet,” she says, looking up at the glowing bottles like she’s in a candy shop. “Surprise me.”
I signal to the bartender, who nods immediately. Even humans sense what I am on some level, the kind of danger that doesn’t need to speak to be obeyed.
When I turn back to her, she’s studying me again. There’s curiosity there, but no fear. Not yet.
I tilt my head. “What?”
She smiles. “You just… don’t seem like the Halloween party type.”
“Maybe I’ve been waiting for the right reason to enjoy it.”
Her lips part slightly, and a faint blush rises in her cheeks. Her pulse skips, a flutter that echoes through me like an echo of my own lost heartbeat.
She has no idea what she’s doing to me.
The bartender sets the glass in front of her, a pale-gold drink rimmed with sugar, faint curls of citrus fogging off the top.
Calla lifts it, curiosity flickering across her face. “What is it?”
“Something sweet,” I say. “You told me to surprise you.”
She hesitates, then takes a sip. Her eyes flutter shut, and the softest sound leaves her throat, a quiet, involuntary moan.
My body goes still.
That single, unguarded noise detonates something feral inside me. I feel my fangs ache behind my teeth, the beast in me pressing against the bars I’ve kept locked for centuries.
She opens her eyes again, embarrassed, a flush warming her cheeks. “That’s… really good.”
I force a smile that feels too sharp. “I’m glad you approve.”
Before she can retreat back into the tide of people, I nod toward a shadowed alcove near the edge of the ballroom. “Come on. It’s loud in here.”
She hesitates, then nods. I hold out my arm again, an old-world gesture that always makes humans pause. She studies it for half a heartbeat before sliding her hand through the crook of my elbow.
