Page 73 of Immortal Sins
A shroud obscures Cole’s face when a new waiter presents me—and only me—with a tray of bite-size delicacies. Crystallized flakes glaze the breaded treats.
“Salt?” I ask.
“They pass these around to mortals to ensure their consent, though it’s useless for you now.”
“I wouldn’t say that. It’s tasty.” I steal a few more before letting the waiter go, and quickly, my tongue itches with thirst.
A second waiter offers me a rainbow-colored cocktail. The glass is similar to a champagne flute, but without a stem or base, which is totally impractical if you want to set your glass down.
“What is that?”
Cole snatches the glass and holds it away from me. “Fae fine wine. You shouldn’t drink it.”
I huff. “Why not?”
He gives me a wolfish grin that’s 99% condescension. “It’s pretty strong.”
It boils my blood, and I wrestle the weirdly-shaped glass from his hands and sniff the contents. The sweet scent of roses and chamomile washes through me as I take a sip.
I wince at the strong metallic bite, the wine full of blood and…tears.
Cole wiggles his eyebrows. “I knew you couldn’t handle it.”
An aftertaste of joy replaces the sting, and I drink another swig, careful not to choke on the thick liquid not to give Cole the satisfaction.
Once I’ve gulped it all down, I make an exaggeratedahsound and head to the dance floor, alone.
Cole is quick on my heels. “Gods, I love you.”
A nervous hiccup interrupts my hip roll. “Oh?”
He whisks me up in his arms. “Forever.”
My heels squeak on the ballroom’s shiny marble floor as he deposits me back on my feet. He opens his mouth to speak, but grabs a more classic wine glass from an offered tray instead. His Adam’s apple bobs as he tilts his head back and swallows the entire thing.
“Are you okay?”
Lines appeared at the corner of his eyes, and his breaths are slightly uneven—I might be crazy, but my instincts scream that something is amiss.
Cole holds out both hands. “Let’s enjoy ourselves now before too much debauchery happens. We wouldn’t want our solstice customs to hurt your witch sensibilities.”
I snatch a fresh cup from the tray, too. Maybe I’m just Faerie drunk. Who knows what that might entail.
This red wine is more…straightforward. Booze and honey and sin.
“It’s different. Tastes more like Faerie,” I say.
He grabs a fresh glass from the server and raises it in cheer. “It’s my favorite.”
It’s not at all like human alcohol. Music dances in my bones, and I’m light as a feather. The weird vibe I detected earlier melts, and Cole relaxes, too.
When a languid ballad starts, I hide my face in the crook of his neck. “I love you, too.”
He caresses my shoulder blades, and we sway to the music.
The gazes glued to my back don’t bother me until a familiar face appears next to us.
I haven’t caught a glimpse of Jessa since the showdown with Oz, and yet, her ire is directed at me. Her red dress is almost see-through, her dark nipples visible through the thin fabric, her perfect curves on full display.
