Her gloved finger brushes the surface and the crystal flares brighter, pulsing once before settling into a steady glow.
“Oh,” she breathes.
“Indeed.”
We stare at each other. The noise of the ball fades around us… the music, the chatter, the clink of glasses. In this moment, it’s just us.
And then I change the subject to show I can act normal. “I take it you are enjoying this costume party?”
“Yes,” she laughs. “I am. More than I thought I would. I did not want to arrive in costume. I mean, one thing you and I have in common is that neither of us are good at dressing up.”
My lips twitch. “I did notice that about you early on. I think we are the only two at the ball who aren’t in costume this evening.”
“Are you going to ask your one question to try and take my mask?” She looks around. “There were three of us still masked but now my competition has narrowed and it’s only you and I left wearing masks this evening.” She points at the official countdown clock. “There’s only ten minutes now until midnight and one of us will be the last mask of the evening. I heard lastyear no one won the grand prize because the final Xylan still wearing a mask, was unmasked just moments before midnight and then no one won. They are very serious about needing to keep this mask on exactly when the clock strikes midnight.”
A growl rumbles in my chest. “I don’t care about the game.”
She crosses her arms. “Well, I do care about this game and I plan on winning. One of us is going to win the grand prize and I want it to be me.”
I grin, enjoying her competitive nature. My own aggressive focus on the fever brothers being the highest producing crew in Mine Corp history is legendary. Competitiveness is a good quality. “I meant the grand prize is not important tome. I only wear this mask to gain anonymity. But if the prize is important to you, then it is important to me that you win. You deserve to win because you really are the last mask.”
“I don’t understand. You said you weren’t playing the game, but now you are? You’re the last Xylan questioning me tonight. Everyone who was interested has already questioned me. Bayzon, you’re the only one left.”
“Perfect. That means you’ve already won because you know my name, so we’re done.” I take off my mask and shove it in my pocket. “Yes, I am indeed Bayzon of Thirty-Six, the crew leader of the fever brothers.”
A lovely smile widens across her features. “It’s nice to meet you, Bayzon. My name is Naomi Sato. And you’re the most handsome male I’ve ever encountered.”
“We’ll get your vision checked later,” I chuckle.
Chapter Six
Bayzon
“My vision is perfect.” She tilts her chin up defiantly. “I know what I see.”
“And what do you see?”
She makes a show of examining me slowly, deliberately, from the top of my head to my boots and back up again. The appraisal is so thorough that heat spreads up the back of my neck.
“Tall,” she announces. “Ridiculously tall. Broad shoulders. Good posture. Hair that’s somehow both wild and intentional?” She gestures at my braids. “The fangs are a lot, but I’m adjusting. And you have kind eyes, which I wasn’t expecting.”
“Kind eyes?”
“Don’t let it go to your head. You also have ‘touch her and I’ll remove your hands’ energy, which is less kind.”
I bark out a laugh…a real one, surprising myself. “I’ve never been described that way before.”
“Really? Because your brothers certainly seem to think so. They kept dancing with me specifically to watch you get upset.”
“My brothers are menaces.”
“They’re delightful,” she counters. “Cannibal promised to cook for me. The one with the long fangs called me ‘a delightful human’ and thanked me for helping him torment you.”
“That was Maxon. The youngest. He’s the worst of all of them.”
“I liked him.”
“You would.”
