Emmet trails behind us sipping a flute of champagne while surveying the room. Garrison takes off to join a group of friends from his chess club. The rest of our crew heads onto the dance floor, playing rock, paper, scissors over who gets to dance with Skye first.
Sloan wins by picking rock, while the other two lose with scissors.
“Oh shit. Lukas’s dad is here.” Salem says.
“Why the fuck would he be here?” I ask, looking over to where Mister Ledger is talking to my father.
“Well, that can’t be good. They look like they’re up to something. Emmet, why don’t you go play with your friends? Then maybe you can fill us in on what’s going on.”
Emmet downs the rest of his drink, walking over to join the two men.
“Do you really think we can trust him?” I ask, popping a crab cake into my mouth.
“Not a chance. We should see if we can get close enough to eavesdrop.”
We make our way through the crowd, pretending that we’re waiting for the next dance. The orchestra is loud, and the conversations around us try to compensate for the noise. Unfortunately, the one conversation we want to hear seems to be intentionally keeping their voices quiet.
I catch Emmet’s eyes on us as the song comes to an end.
“Come dance with us!” Skye calls, yanking Salem onto the floor. I follow reluctantly.
Javelynn and Jackson beam at each other, looking fully engrossed in their own little love bubble.
“They’re so fucking cute.” Salem says, noting where my eyes have drifted. I give her a smile, agreeing wholeheartedly. I marvel at how content I feel with her here by my side. I’ve never felt this happy, smiling easily despite my circumstances. She’s a fucking miracle breathing life back into me, and I plan to do the same for her if she’ll let me.
We take our places and wait for the music to start. As we begin to move, I clock my father and Mister Ledger as they head into a different room. Emmet follows closely behind them closing the door.
I give Salem a worried look as we spin together, keeping up with the choreographed dance.
Being here reminds me of all the functions I was required to attend with my family growing up. How my dad would make our lives hell if we didn’t paint our family in the best possible light. The times I did manage to gain his approval, I was always aware of how fleeting that would be. More often than I could remember, there were the times where I’d disappointed him in some irreparable way. It feels unnatural to not have him scrutinizing my every move. It’s almost as if he’s washed his hands of me and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I think on some level, no matter how old a child becomes, there’s always an innate desire to gain that approval from their parents, especially when they’re conditioned to believe that their worth comes from that approval.
I shake off those thoughts, focusing on my beautiful girl in front of me.
I lift Salem into the air, holding onto her waist as the music swells. We take a bow and applaud the orchestra before heading off the dance floor. Salem’s face is flushed, and her eyes are bright.
“That was actually kind of fun this time. It’s better when you know the steps.” I pull her with me, heading over to the room they ducked into.
The orchestra takes a break and the volume in the room softens to a light clamor.
“How much longer will my son be expected to stay there?” Mister Ledger’s voice comes through the door.
“She should be opening the veil soon. The Winter Equinox is tonight.”
Salem squeezes my hand, looking pale.
“They’re talking about Pierce.” She says, eyes wide as she covers her mouth with her hands. “We need to go. If he’s alive we need to leave right now.” She says, running to grab her coat.
I’m right behind her, following her back to the house.
ChapterSixty-Eight
GRAHAM
SONG: LOVE IS A BITCH BY TWO FEET
Ihave no interest in hanging out at the after party that Garrison has planned for tonight. I’d rather spend my time holed up with Skye and Lukas. I don’t miss the way she looks at Sloan as they dance together.
I nudge Lukas in the arm pointing at Skye and Sloan. “You think he’s okay with sharing our girl?”
