I huffed a laugh. “For what, exactly?”
Her brow arched. “Do you practice looking this ruthless, or does it come naturally?”
I angled my head, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “Only for you.”
The music swept up around us, a hum of strings and the light tap of drums. I drew her into the first turn. Her magic brushed against mine again, and the sensation was lethal, foreplay disguised as a dance.
“You’re lighter on your feet than I expected,” she said, adjusting her hand at my nape, the flower I’d given her tickling my skin.
“And you’re even more exquisite than I remembered.” I tightened my arm around her waist, pulling her closer during a spin. The movement broke every standard of propriety in this room, and I didn’t care.
“Thank you again.” Her eyes lifted, catching mine, this time defiant and aware. She knew what I was doing, and I loved that she wasn’t going to back down. “You’re staring.”
“I cannot look away.” I leaned closer, brushing her ear with my lips. “Careful. If I keep looking, I might forget how to stop.”
She shivered. “Then perhaps youshouldlook. I don’t mind a little danger tonight.”
Every part of me wanted to keep her this close, to keep testing how far she’d let me go before pushing back. But I also knew how quickly she’d retreat if I overstepped.
So I danced with that thin edge between us, my hand firm at her waist, my magic brushing hers in lazy, deliberate arcs, until the rest of the world ceased to exist.
The music slid into something slower. We stepped into the rhythm, me spinning her around and around until she tipped her head back and laughed.
Someone passed too close on a turn. I shifted, sweeping her to the side, not breaking the pattern of the steps.
“You’re doing that protective thingagain,” she said.
I let my mouth tilt into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Maybe I like keeping you close.”
She didn’t answer, but the corner of her mouth curled up before she glanced away, pretending to be fascinated by the glittering torches.
Gavelle watched from his perch with Pherin beside him, her as tiny as an ornament, him inclining his head toward her like they were exchanging secrets.
Isi saw it the same moment I did. Our eyes caught, and her mouth twitched, like she was about to laugh but didn’t want to give me the satisfaction of hearing it.
We moved through another turn. The world could’ve burned down around us, and I wouldn’t have cared. I couldn’t stop watching the way her gaze darted between my eyes and my mouth, the way her fingers flexed against my palm when I pulled her even closer.
The music wound toward its last notes. I should let her go. Others would want to dance with her as well. Instead, I kept her hand in mine, running my thumb over her knuckles.
She could’ve pulled away. I would’ve let her. But neither of us made a move to end contact.
We drifted to the edge of the room, where the torches burned lower and the shadows pooled deeper. Gavelle ruffled his feathers in greeting when we came close. Pherin gave a flick of her wings before hopping to Isi’s shoulder, chittering something that made Isi laugh under her breath.
It was ridiculous how much I wanted to be the one who earned that sound.
The ball continued on without us, but here, with Isi leaning against the stone column nearby, it felt like a different world.
I braced one hand against the pillar beside her head, close enough that my palm touched her hair.
“I’m staring again,” I growled. “Who needs the stars when they can look at you instead?”
Her lashes swept up, and the smile she gave me made everything inside me still.
This quiet back-and-forth and the constant, wordless pull was going to be my undoing. And judging by the way she didn’t step away from me, it might be hers too.
I’d been trained to stay calm, to mask any reaction, but this woman was a rebellion all on her own. She was a bolt of lightning wrapped in silk, and I wanted to let it sink through me.
“You seem tense,” she said. “Or is that just for show? Trying to impress your lords and ladies?”
