Kole silenced me by urging me toward the dresses. “This is included with our entry token. Pick out anything you like, and she’ll hang on to our clothes until we’re ready to leave. There are more changing rooms like this one near the exit, where our things will be waiting.”
My fingers skimmed the soft fabrics in awe. “So these are costumes?”
“More or less. Serpentine follows a strict dress code, which includes an anonymity policy, requiring all patrons to conceal their identities. So I’ve been told,” he added quickly. “It’s a place to indulge in your deepest desires, with your identity protected even from the Astrals.” He picked up a bracelet from a tray studded with an odd white circle and a black dot in the center.
“Creepy,” I muttered as Kole slid the bracelets over both of our wrists. “Reminds me of an eyeball.”
“Precisely.” He chuckled. “It’s said to ward off the eyes of the Astrals so that nothing down here could ever truly be seen by them. Down here, there are no peccant thoughts or deeds—only desires turned into reality.”
Strangely, I didn’t find that entirely comforting.
The decadence of the clothes overwhelmed me. Still, I couldn’t look away from one dress in particular. I peeked over at Kole to find him already changing behind one of the screens. I plucked the dress, heavier than it appeared, and paired it with a glimmering pair of silver heels.
I undid Nahn’s scarf from my hair, my frizzy curls blossoming past my shoulders. I shimmied into the dress. None of the clothes displayed on the walls could be found anywhere in the city. Then again, I wasn’t exactly shopping in the Upper Peaks when my undergarments needed replacing.
“Ready?”
“Almost,” I murmured. “There’s a tie I’ll need your?—”
Cool hands brushed the bare skin of my back as he tied the fabric of the dress. His fingers lingered where the fabric dipped. “Gorgeous,” he said, breathing close to my ear. “Look at your hair.”
I stepped out and peered into a vanity mirror, shocked by the languid figure. The stretchy white fabric clung tightly to my body, starkly outlining my curves. The neckline dipped enough to highlight the swells of my breasts. Embedded into the fabric were tiny gemstones that sparkled whenever I so much as breathed. They shone convincingly enough to be real.
Kole returned, two silken masks in his hands with white roses pasted to each. As I tied the straps of mine behind my ears, I admired the loose pants he wore with an open button-down tunic, his lean chest on clear display.
“Nowwe’re ready.” He grinned at me in the mirror. My body thrummed with excitement and anticipation. He took my handin his and guided us through the doorway opposite the one we came in through. Murmurs behind us indicated more patrons required the dressing room. My clacking heels echoed off the tunnel’s walls. I knew we were approaching our destination as low drums and hushed voices met us in the dark.
We reached a curtain that parted for us by the workers stationed there. I wasn’t prepared for what awaited us.
Acrobats dangled from a dark, vaulted ceiling. Limbs twisted and backs arched amongst white curtains. A masked, inebriated crowd gazed upward in awe. The room was vast, endless, and dark save for the sprinkle of sconces and candles. Around the outskirts of the main room appeared to be various private alcoves with translucent curtains that did nothing to hide fornicating bodies.
In addition to jasmine, plumes of sweet and spicy smoke billowed from mouths through unfamiliar looking pipes. Men and women alike dressed in salacious white gowns and pants like ours. My head spun from the seductive music and headiness all around us. Kole dragged me further into the throng of writhing bodies.
“I’ve never seen so much skin before,” I murmured. Many donned loose, unbuttoned robes—or nothing at all.
“Intoxicating, isn’t it?” Kole beamed up at the acrobats. He picked up two minuscule glasses of clear liquid off a server’s tray passing by. We clinked and tossed our heads back. The liquid burned like an inferno down my throat and pooled deep in my belly.
“Where is the famous dancer everyone speaks of?”
He pointed to a low circular stage currently occupied by a group of practically naked men blowing fire from their mouths. Several snakes coiled around their gleaming chests. “No one knows when she’ll make an appearance. That is part of her mystery.”
Kole beckoned at a barely clothed server for another round. I listened to the sensual rhythm and found the music to be unfamiliar compared to the jovial tunes that filled Gemini. It took me a while to settle into the carnal beat of drums and tambourines. But when I did, Kole was right there with me.
His front pressed into my back as I lifted my arms overhead and let my fingers flutter to the beat through the dense air. Our hips dipped and swayed in unison.
“Show me,” Kole hissed hot against my neck. “Show me how your body can move.”
I gave into the music. Every song, wordless or not, told a story, and my body ached to hear it. Before long, sweat poured down my heaving chest. Slow, pounding beats pulsed in my veins. Everything here was primal and animalistic. The masks created a sense of reprieve from humanity’s judgmental constraints.
I wound my fingers through Kole’s soft strands as we moved against one another, feeling him hard and eager against me. His hands roamed up my sides before gripping my hips tightly and spinning me around. I let go of my worries that plagued me before coming here. My body followed his lead and twirled, losing myself even further. The room and my mind whirled in harmony.
“Look around you,” Kole said, stilling me. I panted as he peeled strands of hair from my gleaming chest. “Look at them watching you.”
Beneath my mask, I took in the throng of spectators. I was used to attention from an early age, but not from this many people at once. Dozens of eyes stared at us through black, gaping slits. Breathless and confused, I stared back.
“They’re envious of you,” Kole whispered. “And filled with want.”
I didn’t understand. I was only dancing like the rest of them here.
