Page 12 of Cursed Dreams
Thalia, however, was too overwhelmed to enjoy the victory.
She was now inVaelith’sgrasp, being led into a dance that, despite her lack of preparation, felt almost effortless under his lead. His movements were fluid, precise, unnervingly graceful.
She swallowed hard, nerves prickling up her spine.
What is happening?
"Congratulations," Vaelith murmured, his voice deep yet smooth, as if he found amusement in something only he could understand. "You performed well today."
Thalia wasn’t sure what unnerved her more, the unexpected praise or the fact that he had interruptedMarcusof all people to say it.
"T..thank you," she managed, her voice only slightly shaky.
Vaelith’s lips twitched at the edges. Not quite a smile, but something that suggested he hadnoticedher unease.
Her heart was still hammering in her chest, not from attraction, certainlynot,but from sheer bewilderment.
Her mother had always told her to be polite, so she forced herself to continue. "I… didn’t expect you to be here," she admitted cautiously.
"I was invited," Vaelith replied simply, of course he was all the examiners were . Her cheeks heated.
They moved together through the steps, his hold on her firm but not restrictive. His gaze flickered over her face, assessing.
Why does he look at me like that?
As they turned, she caught sight of her mother across the dance floor. Goldora was watching, a glass of wine in her hand, her usual proud expression now replaced with… something else.
Nervousness.
Thalia blinked.
Her mother quickly covered it up, laughing at something one of her friends had said, but Thaliasawit.
Something aboutthis,aboutVaelith,had put her on edge.
Why? What about this male made her usually self-controlled mother so nervous.
As quickly as the thought crossed her mind, the music ceased. The spell of the dance was broken, and Vaelith released her hand, stepping back with his usual composed grace.
“I will see you tomorrow,” he said, his voice polite, distant once more. With a slight incline of his head, he turned and disappeared into the crowd, swallowed by the swirling festival-goers as if he had never been there at all.
Thalia let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
She was left standing in the wake of his absence, slightly embarrassed and more than a little confused.What is it about him that takes me so off guard?she wondered, folding her arms over her chest as if to physically shake off the strange energy he left behind.
Before she could spiral further into her own thoughts, a warm, familiar presence appeared at her side.
“There’s my girl,” Rodric said, his voice rich with affection. “Would you do your old father the honour of a dance?”
Her emotions swelled unexpectedly, caught between the weight of the evening and the thought of leaving tomorrow.
She turned to face him and gave a mock curtsy. “It would be my greatest honour.”
Rodric grinned and pulled her easily into the steps of the dance, the familiar rhythm soothing in a way that nothing else had been tonight. Unlike her dance with Marcus, which had been exhausting, or Vaelith, which had been unsettling, this felt easy, comfortable.
The village music swelled around them, lively and joyous, the kind of tune meant for laughing and twirling beneath the golden lantern light. The scent of honey cakes and spiced cider mixed with the crispness of the evening air, making everything feel warm despite the night’s chill.
Rodric spun her, making an exaggerated show of his footwork, and Thalia laughed.
