Page 66 of The House of Whispers

I blinked, realizing it had been missing. “I—” My hand grabbed at the crystalized ruby choker in its place. My sight returned to his chest, noticing that he only had a single beaded necklace around his neck that hung to his abdomen. The other, missing.

“Do you even remember me giving you the necklace?”

“Yes.” I whispered, tears forming as I clawed at my memory, straining to retrace the days.

“See,thatworries me. Your mind has obviously been hexed. He’s playing you, and you can’t even see it.” Chesmu glanced at the growing crowd of masked occupants.

“Chesmu,” I called his name softly, directing his eyes back to me, “do you think I’m mad?”

“No,” his free hand also gripped my arm, “I think you’re tired. You’ve been fighting your whole life to be free. But this,” he pointed to my mask, “you’re wearinghismask, Casper. Why?” His deep eyes were filled with worry and concern, causing something restrained inside me to peek through. He loosened his hold on me, and his warm hand rose to my cheek as he gently ran his fingers along my skin.

“I—” My eyes closed, absorbing his affection, fighting my internal demon.

“Casper, we don’t need to do this.Youdon’t need to go through with this.” My eyes peeled open, staring up at him. “We can leave this place, run away together—just you and me. Leave this whole world behind us.”

As much as I craved the life he offered me, I knew it couldn’t be. Jakkal’s fate was tied into mine, leaving us looped together for eternity. There was no escaping his ever-looming shadow. He would haunt me in my nightmares and find me. The desire to accept Chesmu’s offer and leave everything behind was staggering, increasing with every second I stared into his chestnut irises. My heart longed to be with him, but my mind had disconnected, leaving me focused on one thing. Until things with Jakkal came to an end, leaving was impossible.

“Chesmu,” my hand rested atop his, “if I don’t do this, this madness will never end.” My eyes began to water beneath the rough mask. The internal struggle within me ached as he sighed, dropping his head, knowing I was right. “I have to end this.”

Chesmu’s hand fell from my face. We remained frozen in an emotional silence, aching for the things we could not have. The future was uncertain, relying heavily on the night that lay before us. All our futures—our lives—hung in the grasp of my actions. It was eating me alive, consuming what little faith I had in myself.

Chesmu’s demeanor melted into his usual, playful self. “Well then,” he smirked, pulling me close, “I guess I’ll just have to steal you away for a dance while I can.” He winked, pulling me toward the swaying crowd of dancing couples. My feet shuffled, hesitant to be seen with him, worried of the potential outcome as I stopped, holding back. He turned, staring at me with pleading eyes.

“Please, Casper,” the care in his voice was desperate, “just one dance. I may not know the future, but let me be with you while I still can.”

My heart melted. I nodded, allowing him to guide me to the center of the ballroom as the music faded. Couples stopped dancing, clapping as we moved directly beneath the haunting chandelier. He moved his arm around my waist, lifting the other with my hand, our fingers looped together. Music drifted to my ears as the droning intro to a gothic song began to play. My body stiffened at the pressure of dancing, Chesmu taking notice.

“Don’t worry,” he pulled me close as the couples around us prepared themselves to dance, “I won’t let anything happen to you.” His forehead leaned into mine as we absorbed the moment together, waiting for the dance to begin. “I love you, Casper.”

My head rose, catching the gleam in his eyes. He looked beautiful and powerful, fully aware of what he just confessed to me. My heart raced, fluttering as it tried to burst from my chest and melt away the shadows of my soul. This is what I wanted. My mouth dropped slowly as the words fell from my sparkling ruby lips, “And I love you.”

Chesmu smiled as the music began. “Now let’s see how well you can move that body, hexer.”

The music had erupted in the ballroom, filling everyone’s ears as it flowed through the air. We could feel the beat of the song in our bones, wrapping through our soul as it played. My eyes searched, hoping to spy Casper, scanning each and every face as they passed by. Casper’s entire presence was alarming, causing me to question her decision. For the first time in our lives, I was unsure if I could trust my sister. Nathair held my hand, leading me further into the ballroom. We scanned the rotating crowd of dancing couples, hoping to spy a glimpse of the eerie fox mask.

“Do you see her?” he shouted over the crescendoing string music.

“No.” I yelled back, still focused on the dancing duos. As a couple of fairfolk fluttered by, I caught a brief glimpse of the painted skull Chesmu had been wearing. Without a warning, I pushed through the crowd to get a closer look.

“Min, wait!” Nathair rushed behind me, trying to stay close. At the center of the ballroom, Chesmu and Casper danced beneath the burning chandelier as it cast dark shadows outward along the other moving couples, leaving only them in the light.

They moved effortlessly together, flowing like liquid with each motion, melting into one another. The two couldn’t take their focus off one another, as if they were the only two in the ballroom. My heart ached seeing them together, their emotions clear to all who dared to look. They were perfectly matched. My eyes were dazzled by their presence, almost unaware of the other occupants of the room. Movement just beyond the two caught my attention as I realized who else was watching. Her face was filled with rage.

Oh, no.

Just past Chesmu and Casper was Madame Chepi. She was hidden between numerous onlookers, equally dazzled by the sight of the two of them, her emotions obvious—her face was drenched in fury. Her hand gripped the scarf around her neck, squeezing it as her face twisted in anger.

“Nathair,” I whispered back, “we need to find a way to get to Casper.” My hand reached back, gripping his firmly, looking back at him. “We need to stop this.”

Nathair nodded, pushing through the crowd, leading me into the moving wave of dancers. He twirled my body, my skirt spinning along the floor as his hand slithered along my waist, his other holding my arm high, guiding me smoothly into the dance. I blinked at him, my eyes wide with confusion. “We can dance our way to her. Besides, I’ve been wanting to share a moment like this with you for some time, my love.” His warm smile produced one of my own. Together, we swayed, moving through the motions of the dance as our bodies rotated around the room. For a moment, we seemed to lose ourselves, embracing the energy that buzzed around the room, enchanting our minds like a spell.

My worry and fear had dissolved, and I was focused only on him. His jade eyes remained on me, watching as my wings fluttered, glistening beneath the moving shadows of the chandelier. As the music grew, he spun me out, my hand intertwined with his. Gasping, I soaked in the moment, my eyes landing on Casper in the center of the ballroom.

My face dropped, anxiety returning as I spun back to Nathair, my focus glued to my sister. I watched as Chesmu dipped her, his lips running along her sternum, trailing past her brands and to her neck. She raised her hand against his cheek as their faces almost collided, their masks scraping along one another. She had lost all control of the situation. My gaze drifted past her to Madame Chepi. She seemed to yell, the music drowning out the sound of her cry as she pushed through the crowd and rushed from the ballroom.

“Nathair,” I breathed, “take me to her.” He nodded, spinning me around as we swayed in their direction, dancing to avoid drawing additional attention to ourselves. “Casper,” I whispered harshly, moving past her as we continued. She seemed to not hear me. My worried face met Nathair’s as he nodded, circling us back around.

My eyes remained on Chesmu, burning with a fiery passion. His hands took hold of me, holding me close as the music moved us, telling us what to do. We had fallen under a spell, bewitched by the strings as they played. Something about this particular piece, the atmosphere, the energy—it fueled me. My magik began to faintly burn in my palms. Chesmu grinned, watching as the violet flame wrapped around his hand in mine, the other looping my magik along his neck. We were so focused on one another, unable to notice anything or anyone around us.

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