The male looks me over dismissively, as if I am completely unremarkable. Nothing more than a simple blade of grass among a million of the same.
“I’m sure she’ll be the talk of the town tomorrow.” There is nothing genuine about the male’s tone when he says it, and the smug quirk at the corner of his lips tells me the comment isn’t meant to be kind.
“If you’ll excuse me, I simply must get back to my preparations and send my niece off to ready herself for her reveal. I do hope to see you in attendance this evening.”
The moment the general dips his head in dismissal, Felias is quick to lead me off toward the manor. He doesn’t explain himself as he walks me straight back to my room, obviously rattled, and apparently under the impression I need hours to prepare myself for the party. He looks as though he might chastise me for my run-in with the general, but instead, he simply puffs out an exasperated sigh, closing the door behind himself as he leaves.
The day drags on and my irritation with the general fades from my mind, lost to the low hum of preparations out in the yards. Even in my chair overlooking the garden, watching fire lights strung from tree to tree, as a small army of feyn coax every bush into an early bloom, I become restless.The day passes by at a painfully slow rate and despite my natural aversion to large crowds, I quickly become eager for a reprieve from my solitude and any engagement the evening will offer.
When guests finally begin to arrive, I slip on a pair of daintily embroidered silk slippers to match my gown and wait for my uncle to collect me. Despite Leanna’s demands, or perhaps in spite of the woman herself, I leave my hair down without any adornment.
The sun has fully set and most of the guests have already arrived by the time my uncle comes to my suite. While I may be annoyed that he left me alone to suffer in boredom all day, I quickly learn that the man is nothing if not a masterful tactician, at least where social events are concerned.
Feyn mingle with humans in the crowded halls. Tall golden trays of exotic fruits and bubbling refreshments are stacked on lavishly decorated tables lining the walls. Men and women, male and female, all in blue uniforms, weave about the throng with trays of delicious smelling foods, offering them to every guest they pass. Lace-clad dancers fall from the ceiling in a cascade of bright ribbons, twisting overhead among the tinkling din of the crystal chandeliers.
“What do you think?” Felias’s voice breaks me from my reverie.
One glance at the smug look on my uncle’s face is all the motivation I need to suppress the awe that must be visible on my own. He must know I’ve never seen anything so grand. Even my wildest imaginings couldn’t conjure a fraction of the spectacle surrounding me.
“It’s incredible,” I admit.
I’m not sure the word is enough to describe what the man accomplished. I’m not even sure there is a word that exists that could do it justice.
He smiles, obviously pleased with himself. He brings me to a halt in the middle of the large room where I’d watched the female grow the wall of crimson flowers the day I arrived.
“Wait here. I would like you to meet a few of our close neighbors.”
Felias makes a hasty retreat through a large set of ornate doors, vanishing into another room overflowing with laughter. One moment, I’m surprised he’s left me alone, the next I understand all too well what my uncleaccomplished. Every eye in the room sweeps over me. Eyes that hadn’t dared linger so long while my chaperone remained at my side.
The man truly is a genius.
I do my best to avert my eyes in an attempt to appear completely unaware of the display he’s made of me. The pink that blooms on the apples of my cheeks is entirely genuine and cannot be helped. I catch small glimpses of males baring their fangs with sly smiles as they look me over, the females by their sides appraising me for completely different reasons. It is no secret they are a wild race, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to find a set of fangs at my throat, should one of the females decide I am a threat to her position with her chosen partner.
It takes no time for the first male to approach me, offering to lead me in a dance. The subtle hue of red in his hair and flecks of green in his eyes declaring that there is human blood in his veins. The ancients of their kind are known for their striking blue eyes and full heads of either white or black hair. The very features that mark me as impure in La’tari.
I take his arm, and the music lulls, a long chord played on the violin transitioning the quartet into a slower and more intimate dance. He hooks my waist, pulling me closer than the steps require. It takes everything I have to glide across the floor with a smile, just as Leanna had instructed, and not throw a fist at his jaw when he spins me.
I can feel the flush of my cheeks as the panels of my dress part in time with the graceful movements. He smirks, his eyes following the line of my leg appreciatively until the dance comes to an end and I’m swept up by another eager male waiting on the sidelines.
I decide that, brilliant or not, I will end my uncle for forcing me to endure this. There is no doubt in my mind that his overly long absence is intentional, though what he expects me to accomplish with these males is entirely beyond me. While worthwhile connections are at the forefront of my mind, it is clear to me that the only thing they seek is a companion to warm their beds this evening.
Only after my fourth dance do I make my excuses and journey to the other end of the room to find a cool glass of water and a much needed breath of fresh air. The chilly spring breeze nips at my ear as it brushes a curlover my shoulder. The hair on my neck stands on end, a wave of ice rippling along my spine the next moment. My heart seizes and my lungs deflate when I lock eyes with a tall male standing by a large window covered in a plethora of vibrant blossoms.
His short white hair and light bronze skin are a stark contrast to the wall of red floral behind him. His icy blue eyes rest beneath a pinched, puzzled brow, and they are fixed on me. A painfully beautiful female stands beside him, her hand draped across his arm informally. She is his exact likeness in female form, with a long swath of silky hair falling below her waist.
She smiles, politely excusing herself from the midst of a conversation when her eyes fall on her companion. His brow furrows further as the chill in my spine grows, stretching around my rib cage. In the depths of me, the demon stirs, unfurling lazily as if to examine the male itself.
Foc.
His gaze breaks from mine, taking with it the icy veins spreading through my body, and I inhale a breath so deep it feels like the weight of the entire La’tari keep is taken off me. I whisper a silent prayer to the stars when the demon recedes, resuming its fitful slumber. I stifle my surprise at its response to the male.
The stranger leans down, whispering to his companion with a deliberate nod in my direction. Her eyebrows shoot up and she turns toward me, surveying me curiously.
She smiles when her eyes meet mine, and I try not to back away when she begins gliding toward me, pulling the perturbed looking male in her wake. My stomach pits.
She moves through the crowd as if there were not a single obstacle in her path, like silk floating on a gentle breeze, never hesitating in her stride. With every step she takes toward me, her bronze legs shimmer under the flickering light of the chandeliers as they breach the yellow panels of her gown.
Planting herself in front of me, she offers me a kind smile. Her pale blue eyes pin me in place, taking in every inch of me. The female doesn’t so much as dip her head as she makes her introductions and a hush sweeps over the room.
