Page 157 of The Addict

A faint chuckle ghosted by my earlobe, and in that instant, I knew the presence behind me was anything but conceived.

“Hey babe,” the voice behind me whispered. “Miss me?”

I tensed. Silas.

I turned, expecting to see the pallid skull disguise from before, but instead was greeted with a mask that blended in with the shadows, gloomy and sinister. Silas’s grey eyes were searing, perfectly encased in a thick, black mask adorned with dragon scales.

Then who had been in the white mask?

The lights rose in the center of the ballroom and revealed yet another potentially problematic situation.

Delane.

The crowds parted and there she was, standing in the open, searching for me. Her red hair was easy to notice now, and I feared that if I didn’t do something quickly, I wouldn’t be the only one who spotted her. She was standing out like a sore thumb.

Thinking fast, I grabbed Silas’s arm. “Come with me,” I urged, hoping that Silas would trail behind me without question.

Silas smirked, doing exactly that. “Sure thing.”

I ambled us off into a quieter area down the hall. From this vantage point, the dance floor was still visible, so I guided him into a large coat closet on our right.

I shut the door behind us, watching the light diminish to a small sliver, and stood there in the silence.

What now?

I was trying to think of a method to keep Silas in the closet for the remainder of the night when he suddenly broke the silence.

“Thanks for inviting me to your family get together,” he growled.

Called it. I could’ve won a bet with that one. He was definitely pissed.

“Hmm? Was I supposed to invite you?”

Play it cool, you knew this was going to pop up sooner or later. As long as he hasn’t seen Delane, all will be fine.

“You could have given me a notice or something like that,” he complained.

“Well, you’re here now, aren’t you?” I could feel my tone growing increasingly strained the more frustrated I became. I had no solution to this. Having both Silas and Delane here at the same time was my literal nightmare. I was beginning to think I’d have to stay hidden the whole party.

“Mind telling me what we are doing in the closet, Noah?” Silas asked cutely, hand gliding up the small of my back to rest on my neckline.

Ah, shit. I really didn’t think this one through.

Silas inched closer—I could feel him. “Noah?”

I eyed the thin light illuminating from the bottom of the door with anxiety. Delane was somewhere out there, waiting for me. I couldn’t focus. “Hmm?”

“Why are we here?” Silas stressed.

I chuckled nervously, hoping to ease Silas’s growing curiosity. “I just wanted to talk to you alone.”

“Did you, now? I’m listening.”

I gasped softly at the feel of Silas’s hands sliding down my sides. He tugged me farther into the back closet, rotating me around so we were facing.

“It’s dark in here,” he stated with a wicked laugh. “I can hardly see you.”

Fuck…