Page 206 of Shadowblood Souls
There’s so much admiration in his voice, my nerves quiver with it.
He holds out his arm, and I take his elbow, pretending to be the people we look like now. As he leads me down the hall, I glance at the other bedroom doors, but they’re all closed.
Dominic rests his hand over mine. “Everyone else is already there.”
I open my mouth to ask where, but right then the first strains of music reach my ears. Not the thumping of club music that surrounded us in Miami, but lilting notes that suggest a more elegant sort of dance to fit our new getup.
Dominic directs me through the doorway of what Rollick called the party room. Which I guess makes sense, because Andreas called this a party.
But it’s nothing like I’d have expected.
The room has transformed. Jewel-like lights twinkle across the ceiling. Swaths of gauze in reds, purples, and pinks cover the walls.
In one corner, a mahogany table holds several champagne glasses and a selection of bottles. Another farther into the room offers trays of delicate hors d’oeuvres.
And in the middle of it all, under the shifting light that reflects off the central mirror ball, my other three guys are waiting.
Zian stands awkwardly in his suit like he isn’t quite sure how to wear it, but holy hell, does his brawny form fill it out well. Jacob looks coolly handsome as ever in his own.
And then there’s Andreas. Dressed to the nines and with his normally loose coils slicked close to his head, he’s outright devastating.
All three of them tense up at my first steps into the room.
Zian’s eyes widen.
Jacob’s expression goes totally rigid, his hands balling at his sides.
Andreas gazes at me so avidly I feel the tingle of his attention through our marks. His throat bobs as he swallows.
I can’t stop myself from folding my arms across my chest, self-conscious. “I—I don’t get it. You just wanted us to dress up?”
Andreas motions to the room around us. “I wanted to make it like something out of your favorite TV show. They were always going to fancy soirees and things. I thought you should get to have something like that in real life—as close as I can give you.”
That’swhy this scene feels so familiar—it’s like a moment out of the soap opera.
A nervous giggle bubbles at the base of my throat. “What do we do now?”
Andreas shrugs. “Eat. Drink. Dance. Whatever you want. Rollick said we can have the room for the whole evening.”
“Back to tests and practice tomorrow,” Zian puts in with a faint grimace.
My insides have gone all wobbly. I’m off-balance but thrilled at the same time.
For just this moment, we don’t have to be fugitives or monsters or anything other than people at a party. Like we don’t have any problems bigger than who’s been making eyes at whom.
I turn toward Dominic with a smile. “Let’s dance, then.”
I don’t actually know how to dance with a partner to this refined music, but it turns out that’s okay. Dom sets one hand on my waist and takes one of mine with the other, I rest my fingers on his shoulder, and we drift around the room under the lights, stepping in time with the melody in slow circles.
My grip on his hand tightens as one song fades into the next. “I can dance with just you the whole time, right?”
Dominic leans in to give me a quick peck on the lips. “Whatever you want.”
I steal glances at the other guys as we continue our swaying path around the room. They’re doing a good job of at least acting like they don’t mind being here.
Jacob has poured himself a glass of one of the champagnes, though I can’t tell if he’s actually drinking it. Zian plucks up the meatiest appetizers from the spread.
And Andreas leans against the wall in a casual pose, watching all of us like I used to watch the TV.
