I feel like a Southern belle in my crystal-adorned lace bodice. Malcolm glances at my tightly cinched waist, his eyes running over me and down to my skirt cascading in waves of purple silk. We talk from sunrise to sunset, sharing our stories and our dreams, and it feels like I’ve been gazing into his hazel eyes for years.
My feelings for him get deeper with each breath. With every moment we share.
My dress shimmers in the moonlight. Diamond stars glitter against the blue velvet curtain of the sky. Malcolm and I walk until our toes are cradled by the soft grass where the water kisses the lakeshore. The scent of jasmine and the bright blue glow of fireflies surround us.
“It’s beautiful, huh?” Malcolm’s voice is soft and full of awe. As we stand by the lake, his fingers trace circles on my back, sending shivers up my spine. The buttons of his crisp white shirt are partly undone, showing the chiseled lines and hard curves of his chest.
I lick my dry lips and look away.
He’s dangerous…
The moonlight paints his smooth brown skin with a silvery glow, his eyes reflecting the stars. When he smiles, the world seems to fade away, leaving just the two of us in a cocoon of devotion and determination. If I’m not careful, those hazel eyes with those long lashes will grab mine and hold them for eternity. Malcolm promised to make me smile and forget my problems. So far, he’s delivered.
“Yeah,” I admit, my eyes on his chest. “It’s beautiful.”
My gown pools around my ankles, reflected in the glassy lake. My dark hair frames my brown face, sloping eyes, and full nose. I stand next to Malcolm’s proud form. He looks at his watch and then points to a gondola at the edge of the lake. “Let’s go,” he says. My heart pulses when his fingers intertwine with mine again. Fireflies dance in the air around us, blinking blue light.
Being far away from everyone and everything troubling me has set my spirit free. And being with Malcolm makes every moment feel right. It’s scary, thrilling, and perfect. We walk barefoot on a carpet of moss until we reach the boat. Malcolm helps me inside. He rows gently across the glassy lake. The water caresses the sides of the boat, creating ripples as we drift. When he smiles, I glow inside, like candles on a birthday cake.
“Can I tell you a secret?” I ask.
“Tell me everything.”
“I’ve always dreamed of nights like this—being away from the circus, free of my family’s demands and expectations. To just… be.”
“To be…” He stops rowing, his thumb stroking the back of my hand. “With me?”
Blue dots of light from the fireflies are reflected on the still lake.
“Yeah.”
He grips the oar and makes soft waves on the still surface of the water again.
I whisper the truth like it’s a crime. “Especially with you.” In the beginning, I had thought I could use Malcolm as a tool or a resource to help me escape the Tether. But he’s so much more to me now.
“Your letters,” I confess to him, my heart fluttering like laundry in the wind. “They carried me through the fear, the training, our search. Your letters kept me going,” I add, my voice trembling. “Through all the darkness, they were my light.” He smiles, his eyes shining with emotion.
“And you’re my strength,” he replies. “Together, we’re unstoppable.”
I smile. “Good. Because spending time with you in person… Well, it makes me feel closer to you than anyone. I want to be unstoppable with you.”
The gondola floats gracefully beneath us, as I add, “Malcolm, I want to hide with you forever. Forget that stupid Tether and the problems we have, for all time.”
A smile bends his lips. “Since I first saw you, I knew…” He pauses, as if he’s wrestling the words inside his heart. “I tried to fight it, tried to put my family before my desire for you and just be the protector they wanted. But your smile… It defeats me every time.”
“Doubtful,” I tease, sitting near the back of the boat with my fingertips trailing in the water and a smile on my lips. I splash him.
I grin as he laughs wildly. It sounds like music, soothing my soul yet igniting the fire within me. A fire that could burn him alive… if I ever lose the battle against the cursed monster inside and let my dark impulses roar freely.
“You soaked my shirt,” he says, undoing the rest of the buttons and peeling it off in a way that looks. Oh. So. Yummy. His chest is glistening, and his muscles curve so perfectly that part of me would love to kiss them. But I’ve never done anything like that with a boy… and I shouldn’t even think about it with a Davenport boy. Those kisses would be a promise and a threat to us both.
“Why’d you do that?” he asks. He’s wearing dark jeans that are cut just low enough to show the sexyVthat makes women imagine tracing it to where it leads. He pauses before asking, “Are you having any bad urges?”
“Not now,” I lie, not wanting to taint the moment. But I can tell by his sad expression that he’s been battling violent compulsions too. “That splash was a reminder”—I smirk, trying not to stare at his flawless abs—“that you’re lucky we’re ending this Tether.” I bat my eyes, adding, “Because I would have killed you.”
“Probably.” He smiles. “Because you already took my heart.”
I splash water at him again, laughing as he pretends to be outraged. “You’ll pay for that,” he teases, pulling me close. Our laughter echoes in the night, distracting us from our dark reality.
