“Fuck that.”
His hands dropped to my waist. The drums pounded as he pulled me into motion. He dragged me against his chest, and he led us into the dance.
Fae pivoted and spun. Some leapt over the giant bonfire, their laughter ringing through the night. Kairos twirled me, my dress whispering against his leather, and a wild rhythm floated in the air. I let it take me, sinking into his arms as we revolved through the chaos. I couldn’t stop smiling.
My head felt full of honey. Sweet and slow and heavy. Was it the starfire? The music? Why couldn’t I think properly? His thumb traced circles on my hip, and warmth spread through my chest. The pain from the deal had dulled to a distant ache.
Maybe this was what dying felt like. Not the sharp agony I’d expected, but this gentle fading. Dancing in someone’s arms while everything else fell away. If I was going to die, at least I got this one perfect moment.
The world blurred in a riot of gold and when the musicians began a slower beat, I clung to Kairos. My gown swept over the mossy ground as he guided me.
“You’re a good dancer,” I said.
He grunted. “Surprised?”
“A little.”
He pivoted me into a slow turn. “Who taught you to dance?”
“A barmaid when I was twelve. She took pity on me and showed me the basic steps, and I practiced with Rheya. She’d step on my feet and we’d laugh.”
His grip on my waist tightened.
“She would’ve loved this. She’d have eaten everything on that table, even that velthra.”
“How old is she?” he asked.
“Twenty-one.”
“Young.” His thumb traced circles on my hip. “You raised her, didn’t you?”
“We raised ourselves.” I shrugged. “Our mother died when Rheya was six. Wasting sickness. We ended up in the foundlings hall after that.”
Something shifted in his expression.
“Rheya was impossible. Always skinning her knees, racing through the streets.” I smiled. “I’d run after her, trying to drag her back before she got into real trouble.”
“Did it work?”
“Not really.” I laughed. “Once, we snuck into a merchant’s wedding. She stuffed so many pastries in her pockets that half of them fell out when the guards came.”
“Did they catch you?”
“Yes,” I sighed. “They dragged me to the Square for a whipping, but I cried so hard the guard took pity on me. Halfway through, he stopped and told me to leave.”
Kairos stared at me. “How old were you?”
“Twelve? Thirteen, maybe.”
He smiled sadly. “I wish I could’ve helped you.”
I blinked. “You were bound. You couldn’t.”
“I found ways. The king ordered me to crush rebellions, so I did. But he never specified how quickly. That I couldn’t warn them first. I defied him whenever I could.”
“I…I didn’t know that.”
“Most don’t.” He guided me through another turn. “They just see the monster who burned their cities.”
