She slaps her palm onto his. “But that’s all you’re getting.”
He winks. “We’ll see about that.” To me he says, “If you’ll excuse us.”
As he steals her away, Blair looks back over her shoulder at me and mouths,Help.
I stifle a chuckle.
“Looks like Devlin finally got that dance,” Chelsea chirps, sliding up beside me. “Wonder if she’ll stick a dagger in his back once it’s over.”
I bark a laugh. “She doesn’t hate himthatmuch.”
My sister quirks a brow. “She’s hated him ever since eleventh grade, when they kissed behind the bleachers and the next day he was holding hands with Basheen Broadbent. I don’t think she’s about to forgive him now. That, and the fact that he was her magical rival in all of high school didn’t help.”
“No, I suppose it didn’t. They do look good together, though it’s the first time I’ve seen Devlin dance with only one woman.” Our gazes lock and we laugh.
After it settles, she says, “There’s a kid over there who looks like he might grow up to become another Devlin.”
She points and I spot Ryals, who’s found a witchling his own size to dance with. It’s adorable how he’s holding her hand and dancing with her awkwardly, as if he’s trying to find the rhythm.
I laugh and she grins. “That’s Feylin’s little cousin. And speaking of him, I promised that I’d mingle with more fae.”
Chelsea flourishes her hands dramatically and steps back. “Please, m’lady, don’t let me keep you.”
As I move into the crowd, my mind drifts back to the balls. For the first time since this all started, I don’t care that there hasn’t been one. I don’t care that Blair, or any of the others haven’t found anyone to marry. My heart’s so full of Feylin that nothing else matters. As if to accentuate the point, he’s suddenly in front of me, smiling down and threading his fingers through mine.
“I was beginning to wonder where my fiancée had gotten to,” he murmurs.
When he saysfiancée, a solar flare flashes through my body all the way to my toes. There’s a hum in his voice, a deeper care to the word than he’s used before.
“And is there a special reason why you’re looking for me?” I tease. “Looked like you were having a great time with the lords.”
“Please. I’d much rather your company than theirs. Come.”
He tugs me to the inner circle of the ballroom, where we stop.
“What are we doing?” I ask, realizing that the fae have turned their attention to the center of the room and all conversations have stopped. Only the barest whispers can beheard blending with the music, which is a haunting, lilting tune.
The music ends and all the dancers, including Blair and Devlin, step into the crowd. She goes one way, glaring over her shoulder at him when he tries to follow.
No surprise there.
Three more couples step onto the floor, and the music begins again, only this time it’s slower, more tender, full of a longing that rips at my heart.
Feylin positions himself behind me and places his hands on my hips, holding me close, possessively. He’s touching me, and I love it. Ever since yesterday when I hugged him at the tailor, I’ve pretty much given up on the no-touching rule. I don’t want it anymore, anyway.
“This is fae tradition,” he whispers. “Every solstice, young couples perform the Dance of the Rose.”
I tilt my chin toward him but keep my eyes on the dancers. “Dance of the Rose?”
“Watch,” he tells me, his fingers tightening on my waist.
I press my back into him and feel his chest constrict. His hold on me tightens as his fingers dig into my hips, sending a ripple of pleasure diving down between my legs.
It’s nearly impossible to focus on anything except Feylin and my quickening pulse.
But somehow I manage.
The couples perform a seductive dance as they circle one another, never letting their eyes stray from their partner. They come together, palms touching, before they retreat again. This happens over and over until they reach the finale—a dizzying spin with each partner holding the other as they twirl and twirl, coming to an abrupt, breathless halt.
