We turn again, hands still parallel. With both of us now quiet, the music is easier to drink in. Its melody is calm water effortlessly sweeping over smooth rocks— delicate, soothing. I look into her eyes. The warm golden circles that rage in the lamplight of the square. The darker shades that surround them, as if protecting that inner pool. Her lashes grace them like the thick canopy of trees that hover above Baelliles’ castle.

Her eyes demand to be looked at. They demand to be adored.

Our bodies shift again. We’re face to face, and our arms are raised high above our heads. Her lids flutter as we’re forced to stare at each other. Slowly, we lower our arms to our waists.

I picture my arm sliding to the small of her back and pulling her into me. I imagine her chin resting in the crook of my shoulder. I can almost feel her body fusing into mine and can faintly feel her heartbeat reverberate off her palms.

Everything has gone silent. The chattering crowd, the music. All I hear is her breaths, a symphony of its own, in unison with mine.

We’re the only two people here. We’re the only two people who’ve ever lived.

Though she may be Verdanian, she is not made of ice. No, she is a fire. An unholy, consuming flame that is setting every inch of me ablaze.

How long can she look at me before I completely turn to ash?

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

Idalia

There’s something different in his cool stare tonight. His eyes glimmer under the stars in a violent hue. He’s not just looking at me; his gaze is palpable. Visceral. Terrifying.

We turn in slow circles, nearly reckless with our movements. I almost feel his arm around me for a moment, and a shiver scales up my back. I swallow hard. My body responds to the thought of his touch more strongly than it ever has, even in the thick of intimacy. Why?

Someone clears their throat next to us, and I take a giant step backward, blinking myself back into reality. The musicians are already halfway into another song, though no one else is dancing. Lachlan smiles nervously.

“I didn’t want to interrupt; however, I can’t keep the audience at bay for too long,” he says. “This next dance includes a lot of movement, and I fear you two touching. Would you both like to go inside?”

“Not at all! We were just…It was very hard to hear the music change over all the noise. Sorry about that.” I see Braizen’s face from the corner of my eye, and my gut turns in discomfort.

“Of course, all the noise. I’m sure—” Lachlan says.

“How about another dance?” I ask sharply, stepping on his words.