She continued to dance between laughter and sobbing, alternating giggles with deep breaths.
“I’ll just borrow some of your perfume and slip into his bed while he’s sleeping. ‘Hey,’” Seth’s voice rose to a very poor imitation of hers, “’I’m fucking freezing, but Seth thinks its insane that I’m madly in love with you after only a kiss. I think I need another just to be sure.’ And then I’ll freeze to death never knowing the power of Kieran North’s magic mouth.”
They were both laughing now, doubled over and falling onto the beds. They spent the day laughing, gossiping, and playing games—the normal kind with cards and laughter. She told him about her promotion and the prospect of a real salary. Her excitement about going to her first ball and being fitted for a tailor-made dress. It was like those first weeks when Sera had been trying to cheer him up and hadn’t stopped making jokes until she earned a laugh. For the first time in… ever, Sera’s future didn’t appear so daunting.
—
In the middle of the night, Sera woke to the distant roar of thunder. Tossing and turning she got up and went to the door. She had no real plan, no goal, but she knew that she was drawn to be anywhere but here.
To be with him.
She set out for Kieran’s bedchamber, attempting to remember the way in the dark. When she found the right hallway, she stopped.
What if he doesn’t want you there? The guy hardly gets any rest as it is.
You could jeopardize this whole thing if you act impulsively.
Last time you were in his room uninvited you were arrested.
Sera bit her lip and turned around, heading back to her room. She threw herself under the covers and tried to think about literally anything else.
Kieran stared at his ceiling. He lay on top of the blankets, never fully settling into bed. He turned and thought of Sera. He turned the other way and thought of Sera. He got up and paced, thinking of Sera.
The distant peels of thunder started to retreat and Kieran redressed and threw open his door.
He strode down the hall, the familiar path to Sera’s room, and then stopped.
Once again, he could not bring himself to knock.
So much for control and integrity. At the moment, he’d trade all the control in the world just to hold Sera while he slept.
He set his forehead on the door, cursing his weakness. Then he left so he could once again fail to get any real sleep.
Chapter Twelve
Theweekendpassedalltoo quickly. Kieran frequently assured that Sera was free of any death mark, but he still doubted. Sera seemed to believe all was well, embracing the excitement of Levity’s ball. Wraith hadn’t sent word or made an attempt to retrieve the Charm, which was disconcerting, though not entirely surprising. Kieran didn’t imagine a man like Wraith operated in what Kieran would consider a normal schedule. Whatever caused Wraith to delay, Kieran wasn’t likely to find out.
There was still every reason to believe they neared the end of the threat.
He had given Sera space these past couple days, but not to avoid her. He intended to let her control the pace going forward and she seemed intent to focus on her relationship with Seth. So he had stepped aside to allow them more time together. Seth accompanied her to the modiste for her fitting.
Kieran had focused instead on gathering sources and information from Demon Row. With no concrete news ofCole’s fate, the caution in the back of his mind persisted. He didn’t share his concerns with Sera, hoping not to dampen her excitement, but he was determined to keep his eyes open and vigilant.
When the night of the ball arrived, it felt like an ending.
As the carriage neared the Upper Ring, the homes outside the window became palatial in stature. The estates here were meant for the aldermen and other important figures, but Kieran preferred his home in Winter. Mostly because the weather was tolerable.
This ball was thrown to welcome the newly elected alderman of the Night Court, Arabelle Hargrove. Her predecessor, Graves, had fooled the entire city into believing he was the epitome of Unity’s core virtues. Tolerance and peace. No one had guessed his real intentions until he was found dead in the estate of newly titled Lord Devin Drake.
Levity Fairchild represented humans in Parliament. A personable woman with easy grace and manners, who knew exactly what to say and how to win an argument. She had thrown the party as a political move, trying to get into Hargrove’s good graces and gain her support with Levity’s more stringent city proposals. Of all the opponents to Kieran’s ideas, Levity campaigned the hardest. It was usually her insight that kept him from achieving the majority he needed. Not that they were enemies, exactly, but often resided at opposite ends of any given issue.
Kieran exited the carriage, resolved to ensure this evening was everything Sera wanted. This included extending his hand to help the lady from her carriage. Her fingers slipped into his, the sensation no less potent despite exposure, and the overwhelming bliss took a moment to suppress.
She stepped down, still wrapped in her coat so that only fragments of whatever she had ordered from the modiste wasvisible, though he thought he recalled the color from the shop front window.
He offered his arm as he led her up the front steps. She was too engrossed to provide any sort of comment on the gesture, her eyes bounded over the glittery splendor of Levity’s home.
It was a bit much, honestly. Purple and gold with jeweled accents, priceless art scattered throughout like beacons screaming ‘look at me, I am important.’ There was way too much light for this time of evening, so many flickering lamps and candles positioned so that the halls were illuminated as if by sunlight. Kieran was used to the softer, more subtle glow of lumenore. Combined with the heat he could feel in his bones and he’d already reached his fill of the evening. Every subsequent hour would be an ordeal.
