Page 171 of House of Lilith

It makes me finally start catching my breath, when he starts leading me away, pausing every two seconds to let people congratulate us.

“Didn’t we say we’d wait until after the school year was over?” I lean in to whisper, in a tense little voice, as soon as I get the chance.

“Well, itisover,” he snaps a little, throwing me another funny little look just as we get back to our table. “Isn’t it?” he asks as he takes his seat.

For a second, I struggle trying to recall our agreement. “It is,” I finally say, frowning as I slump into my chair, desperate for my mind to stop buzzing.

And it does, only to go completely fucking blank when I see who’s walking straight towards us.

Howe, one hand in his pocket, one on a gorgeous fae girl’s waist.

And it’s not me he comes to talk to. He doesn’t even look at me.

Instead, he comes to stand in front of my fiance and, to my surprise, throws him a wide, slightly menacing grin as he leans in to say, “Congrats, Aalders.” Without taking his hand off the girl, he gives Max’s shoulder a hard, hard squeeze, shaking his entire body as he does. “I just hope it sticks this time.”

Max pulls away with a frown. Then the frown turns into a smirk. “It will,” he finally drawls, “don’t you worry aboutthat.”

“Never say never, right?” Howe replies in a humming voice, his eyes darting to mine for a second, my throat instantly tightening.

“But won’t the happy couple have a dance to celebrate?” he asks, seemingly earnestly and with a little squint, as he takes a step back, pulling the girl more tightly to him.

“I think we should, yes,” I hear Max say as he gets up off his chair.

“That’s more like it,” Howe says with a little smile, looking only at my fiance, tips his head in a greeting and finally leaves us be, the girl holding onto his arm even more snugly.

When I turn my eyes back onto him, Max is holding his hand out for me.

Feeling this overwhelming numbness, I have to force myself to get up and let him lead me into the crowd, where he puts his hands on my waist and starts waltzing with me, slowly and in perfectly measured steps. “Isn’t this nice?” he leans to whisper in my ear.

I nod, but all I can think about is how I just sat there right now, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to do fuckinganything, making it perfectly clear exactly how uncomfortable I was, while he was being his most nonchalant self. As if nothing ever happened.

Of course, the very next second, I turn out to be wrong in thinking that was it for tonight. Because who do I see twirling that fae girl, practically right next to the two of us, but the asshole himself.

It makes all my muscles clench.

“Why so stiff?” Max leans to whisper in my ear.

I wrap my arms tighter around his shoulders. “I’m not,” I force myself to say, but I don’t pull away to look at him.

Because I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from Howe and his date, focusing on the way they’re barely dancing, more goofing around — him whispering stuff into her ear, making her burst into laughter and then dipping her, low, in this exaggerated but disarming move.

I grit my teeth, but I don’t look away.

“Come on, relax, cupcake,” I hear Max say as he pulls away, making me look at him as his thumbs stroke my lower back. “This time, we’re in it for good.”

Despite my mind buzzing like crazy, I smile as warmly as I can and I give him a kiss. But as soon as I go back to leaning my temple on his, my eyes land on the asshole again.

And it makes my stomach twist, what I see. He has her back pressed to his chest now, those big arms wrapped around her waist as he uses his teeth to slide the strap of her dress down her shoulder and then takes a bite out of her neck, making her squirm softly, with a breathless giggle I can’t bear to fully register.

I find myself prying Max’s hands off my waist, my mind buzzing uncontrollably.

“What is it?” he asks, but I can’t even look at him right now.

“Bathroom,” I just say.

And I rush out of the Main Hall and I stumble into the closest bathroom on the Ground Floor, finding myself alone, in silence, staring at my reflection in the mirror above the sink with my hands grabbing its sides, feeling as if I’m forever falling with a knife in my gut that just won’t stop twisting.

Chapter 30 - Dahrian

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