“I forgot to say something earlier,” Eyden said, breaking his stare.
Lora looked to her left but Ilario was already walking away. “What is it?” she asked, unsure of what he was about to say but craving the answer.
“Thank you for what you did on the cliff,” he said in a quiet voice.
Lora smiled at his words. “And what did I do exactly?” she teased, not letting him off that easy. Not when it was such delightful fun to watch him squirm.
“You’re really making me say it?”
“I think you already know the answer to that one.”
A slow grin stretched across his face. “Okay, only because it’s Falea Night.” He took a deep breath. “Thanks for not untying your end of the rope right away so you could stop my fall without putting yourself at risk.”
She laughed and it ignited her heart as much as the flames ignited the pyre behind them. “That’s the worst thank you I’ve ever heard.” Her mind jumped to a new question as if on autopilot, to demand where he’d disappeared to. But when she looked into his eyes again, the question evaporated. The way he looked at her, with that teasing fire swirling in his light eyes, Lora didn’t need anything else right now.
“But I’ll take it,” she said. This wasn’t a night for questions. She suddenly didn’t feel like talking at all anymore.
Eyden seemed to have the same understanding. Instead of speaking, he held out his hand. Lora hesitated only for mere seconds. The feeling of his hand in hers was different than before. They weren’t on a mission, this wasn’t pretence.
Eyden led her to the makeshift dance floor until the euphoric music surrounded them, veiling them into their own world even as other fae danced around them. His hands drifted to her waist, fingers grazing bare skin and satin. Lora hooked her arms behind his head and stopped thinking, focusing on feeling this flicker in time that would only be theirs for today.
She’d blame it on the wine later. The heating of her skin. The way his touch burnt her in the best way. Her insanity for embracing this moment when she should turn away.
Eyden’s carefully styled hair came undone as they danced slowly, loose curls falling into his face. Lora didn’t stop herself and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back to reveal his blazing eyes, a thousand questions swirling in a pale blue sea. Her breath caught slightly as the movement brought them even closer. She could’ve sworn she saw Eyden’s eyes drift to her lips before finding her eyes again.
Without warning, the music sped up and became wilder. Fae started bumping into them and they were forced to drop their arms as the song turned into a group dance. Everyone around them was dancing freely, unbothered.
Lora was out of her element but when Eyden grabbed her hand and spun her around, her worries vanished again and soon they were lost in the mass of people. Two insane souls, dancing their hearts out under the stars, illuminated by flames that signalled luck would come their way.
* * *
Lora almost stumbled over her dress as she opened the door to the guest room. She turned from Eyden’s amused, crooked smile and let herself fall onto the bed. The wine was still coursing through her system, turning her mind fuzzy. It might also be the dancing that had messed with her head. Or rather, her dance partner.
Shifting on the mattress, her eyes searched for Eyden. He’d taken off his jacket and when he untucked his shirt, her eyes got caught on the sliver of bare skin above his trousers. The wine was definitely at fault for her flushed skin. Nothing more.
She forced her gaze up until she met sparkling blue illuminated by a layer of starlight streaming in through the window. The smile playing on Eyden’s lips did interesting things to her. Tearing her eyes away, Lora stared at the light patterns on the ceiling instead. She needed the feeling to vanish, to be washed away with this day. Tomorrow would catch up with her soon enough.
Even though she didn’t see him, she could hear Eyden settling down on his makeshift bed on the floor. Lora should sleep, she knew that much. Exhaustion should override the low electricity rushing through her. Still, she found herself saying, “The stars are incredibly bright tonight.”
She almost thought he’d already fallen asleep, but then his quiet voice filled the room. “It’s a good sign. The story goes, the brighter the stars shine, the more present the Gods are. You see the big one next to the diamond?”
“Diamond?” Lora lifted herself up on her elbows, squinting as she took in the patterns in the night sky through the window. “I don’t see anything like that.”
“You’re too high up.”
Before she could rethink her insanity, Lora rolled off the bed and joined Eyden on the floor. She must have left her head on the dance floor. The look he gave her was a mix of surprise and excitement. Lora swallowed before she said, “Show me.”
His eyes sparked with intrigue before his gaze left hers as he pointed out a structure of stars, creating a shimmering diamond in the dark. And there, to the right, a noticeably bigger star burned at the forefront.
The corners of her mouth pulled upwards. “I see it.”
“The God of the Sky keeping watch,” Eyden mumbled. His voice felt closer than expected. Their nearness made a shiver dance across her skin.
“Caelo. Of course.” The religion of the fae left gaps in their human research, but for once, she wasn’t focused on fae history.
“Some fae like to wish upon the stars. Especially on nights this clear.”
Another superstition, but this one felt closer to home. The sky might be embracing the beauty of the night, but her mind was anything but clear. “Did you ever make a wish?” She regretted the question as soon as she said it. This wasn’t the time for it. “Forget it. Never mind.”
