“I’m just not used to being the center of attention,” I whispered in a hushed tone. I had spent my whole life trying my best to fly under the radar. I always kept my head down and worked hard to go unnoticed. To all of a sudden be treated like royalty was an adjustment. “I feel like everyone’s looking at me.”
“That’s because they are.” Jezebel beamed at me, something like pride shining in her eyes. “As they should, girl. You’re fucking stunning, and you’re our queen. We’ve been waiting for you for millennia. Everyone is super excited to have you back here where you belong.”
I wiped my sweating palms on the front of my dress, smiling at her nervously. “I don’t feel like a queen. I just feel like me.”
Shem threw his arm over my shoulders and waved his arm ahead of us, using his magic to open the large double doors that led to the dining hall. “You’ll always beyou, Lilith,” he purred, smirking at my expression as I took in the transformed dining room before us. “Youjust happen to also be the Queen of Hell.”
The three of us stepped over the threshold into the nearly unrecognizable space. All the tables had been cleared out to the perimeter of the massive room, revealing a large dance floor that was lit from beneath with a haunting violet light.
Couples waltzed across the floor in perfect synchronicity to the haunting notes of the bone organ that had been set up in the far corner. A beautiful female demon dressed in an ancient gothic gown played the instrument expertly, her entire body moving in pace with the music as she played.
The ceiling had been bewitched to show the endless night sky with a thousand jack-o’-lanterns floating over our heads, bobbing like apples in mid-air. Green flames flickered in the hollow shells of the cream, mauve, and licorice-colored pumpkins, adding an eerie ambiance to the already otherworldly violet glow that emanated from beneath the feet of the dancers. The long table that Ramel, Shem, and I typically ate was nowhere to be seen. Only the large black-lacquer thronethey normally sat me in remained. Standing next to the throne, looking fucking impeccable in an all-black suit, was my husband.
Ramel stood with a sort of otherworldly confidence that made me wonder how I had ever believed he was human when I had thought he was Reaver. His hands were in his pockets, and his hazel eyes snapped to meet mine the moment I entered the room, as if we were two magnets doomed to be drawn to one another for eternity.
Without taking his eyes off me, Ramel took a step forward. The dancers seemed to naturally part for him, clearing a path between us. My heart fluttered in my chest as he approached. He looked like he was in pain, and I frowned at the tightness in his jaw. The world fell away with each step he took, and the soul-stirring notes from the bone organ wrapped us up in a cocoon of stinging emotion.
Shem squeezed my fingers gently before sliding away, leaving me alone with Ramel, who was looking at me as if he were a dying man and I was the last earthly being he would ever see.
“Lilith,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. He swallowed and reached out with gentle fingers, tucking a strand of my hair back behind my ear. “You look beautiful.”
I gave him a shaky smile, unsure why I felt so nervous. I had spent every second of the last month in his presence. He had seen me at my worst, but this moment felt significant somehow. It felt monumental as if two worlds that had been on a collision course for so long were finally slamming into one another.
He held out a hand to me, bending at the waist as he did so. The movement felt like it belonged in another time, but he made it look effortless and suave.
“Dance with me?” he asked, watching my face so intently I felt he could read my thoughts.
“I don’t know how,” I whispered, and the corner of his mouth tilted up.
“I do. I won’t let you fall.”
I glanced down at his hand, and for some reason, I felt like he was talking about more than just dancing.
“You promise?” I asked, and his expression sobered.
“I promise, Lilith. Take my hand.”
I met his eyes for one final beat as he waited for me to accept his invitation. Finally, I slid my fingers into his waiting palm and was rewarded with the most tender look I had ever seen on his devilishly handsome face.
Without another word, he tugged me into his chest and swept me away onto the dancefloor, seamlessly merging us into the perfect choreography alongside the rest of the dancers.
At first, I felt stiff and awkward next to him. I didn’t know where to put my feet and was worried I would trample all over his toes. I glanced up at him with flushed cheeks, finding myself feeling unsure.
He smiled down at me with one hand nestled gently on my waist. “Don’t overthink it; just let me lead,” he murmured into my ear. Instead of trying to anticipate his next step, I relaxed into him and allowed my body to just react to the movement. The achingly familiar scent of frankincense flooded my senses, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of nostalgia.
“We’ve done this before, haven’t we?” I asked, my voice so quiet I wasn’t sure he would hear me over the painfully beautiful music.
His eyes shone, and he nodded.
“Many times.”
My heart squeezed, and for reasons I didn’t understand, I felt like I might cry.
“I… I have this feeling in my chest,” I admitted, and he cocked his head to the side, watching me carefully as he spun us expertly across the glowing violet floor. He didn’t speak. He just waited, giving me room to get there on my own.
“I feel like I’ve missed you.” My voice cracked, and a warm, shivering tear slid down my cheek as I looked up at him. “I’ve missed you so much—but that doesn’t make any sense. You’ve been here this whole time.”
Without letting go of me or even missing a step, he leaned forward and kissed away the tear that had fallen. I quivered in his arms and swallowed against the painful tightness that had grown in my throat.
