‘I wish they’d turn up the AC,’ he yelled. ‘It’s hot as blue blazes in here. Probably cooler outside than inside right about now.’
‘You want to go see?’
I gestured toward the sliding glass doors at the end of the ballroom and he held out his arm, grinning like he’d won the lottery. I hooked my arm through the crook of his elbow and we slipped around the edge of the room, fresh air dead ahead. Everything was normal, everything was nice.
Until it wasn’t.
It happened so suddenly, I wasn’t prepared. Only Jackson’s firm grip kept me upright when the shockwaves hit and I stumbled forward, reaching out for the wall. My footsteps faltered as the room shuddered, quaking so violently that pictures leapt from walls and the chandeliers fell from the ceiling, a cascade of crystal crushing the people below. I looked on helpless as a chorus of a hundred screams pierced my soul.
‘Em?’ I heard Jackson say. ‘You good?’
The quaking stopped and I leaned into his body, panting and shaking.
The ballroom was perfectly fine.
My fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt as I scoured my surroundings, searching for the injured people and broken glass, but there was nothing. No one screaming in fear, no one running for the exits. Everything was exactly as it had been two seconds earlier.
‘You didn’t feel it?’ I said, still clinging tightly to his side. ‘The earthquake?’
Jackson wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders and held me close, resting his chin on top of my head.
‘Em, there was nothing to feel, there was no earthquake.’ His voice dropped an octave when I started to shake. ‘What happened? Do we need to leave?’
‘No,’ I said, still not quite ready to believe him or my own eyes. ‘It was nothing. I must’ve tripped or something.’
He looked about as convinced as I sounded.
‘If you’re worried, we can leave. Say the word and I’ll hit the fire alarm, we’ll have this whole place evacuated in five minutes flat.’
‘Honestly, everything is fine,’ I insisted, looking back at all the happy faces, searching for some clue as to what had just happened. ‘I need fresh air, that’s all. You’re right, it’s super hot in here. No need to ruin everyone’s night because I’m a klutz.’
‘But I’m not worried about everyone,’ Jackson said. ‘I’m worried about you.’
Locked onto his huge brown eyes, I felt my bottom lip begin to tremble. The slight pursing of his lips, the frown that pulled his eyebrows together, it was enough to tip two fat tears over my lashes and down my cheeks.
‘I don’t know what it was but it’s gone now.’
He took a deep breath in through his nose then exhaled steadily.
‘This way,’ he said, steering me towards the glass doors.
His arm was still around my shoulders, holding me close enough to feel his heart pounding against his ribs. Without resisting, I let him lead me out to the terrace, only looking back once. Until I had a clearer idea of what just happened, there was no reason to alarm anyone else, but there was no denying that something was wrong. It wasn’t a vision or a nightmare, and as far as I knew a ghost couldn’t cause that kind of illusion.
Someone at this party was capable of wielding powerful, brutal magic.
Someone other than me.
Chapter Seven
As soon as we stepped outside, I felt the humidity on my skin, tendrils of my hair curling up at the nape of my neck like a fortune-telling fish. All around us, people were leaning against the hotel walls, lounging on metal chairs, or resting on the railings that guarded the edge of the terrace. The change in energy was tangible. Inside was loud, music, happiness and excitement. Outside was soft, tentative voices and gentle touches. The sun had already disappeared, leaving the party unchaperoned. Only the moon watched over the city now, bathing us in tender twilight and looking the other way as couples made the most of the moment.
I rested my forearms on the railings and looked down onto the street. The oak trees nodded their acknowledgement, swathes of Spanish moss drifting towards me on a non-existent wind. We’re here, they seemed to say, nothing will harm you, remember who you are. Rolling my shoulders as if to push the weight of the unfamiliar magic away, I closed my eyes and let the heavy evening air cover me, clearing my head and my heart. The eddies of unwelcome energy ebbed away, the tide washing in and out again until the natural flow of things was restored.
‘You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,’ I heard Jackson say softly. ‘Just tell me, are we safe?’
‘I think so,’ I said, grateful for his calm presence.
He clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and took his position, standing sentry beside me, not quite touching. In one fluid move, he snaked the bow tie from around his neck and stuffed it in the pocket of his pants, jacket long since abandoned.
