Page 74 of Immortal Sins
She twists my wrist around and sinks her black nails into the faint, discrete mark that’s already half-faded. “Celeste made me swear not to tell anyone you eloped. If you’re so in love, why does no one here know you guys are married?”
“It’s private.” I yank my arm free. “Let go of me.”
Cole stalks closer to her, his spine straight as an arrow. “I was never going to marry you, Jess,” he chimes casually, as though we’re talking about the colors of the decor or the quality of the buffet.
Jessa releases my arm and inches back. “I didn’t—”
A cruel smile stretches his lips. “My mother dangled me as an option for you to get you to spy on me in Dark Falls. Every single piece of information I floated your way, you relayed toher. Because of you, I had to watch over my shoulders every second of every day, all the while pretending to like you to appease my mother’s suspicions.”
Jessa’s mouth parts in a silent, outraged cry. Her movie-star chin trembles with barely-contained rage. “We’ll see if you still feel the same way when yourmortalbride is old and wrinkly—or better yet, when her corpse rots in the ground.”
With that, she spins on her heels and elbows her way through the crowd toward the exit.
Many members of Cole’s entourage have their calendars marked for my future death. Too much champagne will flow at my funeral. Whatever happens, Cole will live most of his life without me, and my blood boils at the reminder.
I’m a mortal playing an immortal’s game, and whatever I do, I’m going to lose.
27
ETERNAL FEVER
The Faerie wine has mostly left my body, but I feel restless. It’s not like regular alcohol. It doesn’t fog my brain, and there’s no hangover in sight. Music seeps into the small alcove we took refuge in, reigned in by a spell.
I feel alive. Untouchable. Energy streams through my veins, my muscles coiled in anticipation, my senses crisp. The colors, scents, and tastes of the Seelie court dispense an equal dose of fear and excitement in my blood.
Jessa’s jab festers at the back of my mind, but I’ll prove to myself—and everyone—that I’m not dead yet. I don’t need centuries to make my mark, and Cole and I might not last through the month, let alone the decade, so I don’t have to worry about the fallout of a long-lasting, mortal-immortal relationship.
Fuck it, I’m going to have fun tonight and worry about my inevitable doom tomorrow.
“You’re sure there was only alcohol in that cup?” I grin. “Do you add strength potions to your wines or—”
Cole presses his index finger to my lips. “Verinos is back. Wave him over.”
Flynn passes in front of our hideout, and I stick a hand out to snatch his wrist, yanking him in behind the privacy curtains.
The dance rages on beyond the slivers of fabric. Bodies flash in black and red rainbows, and I comb my fingers through my hair while Cole catches Flynn up on the latest developments with Darkwood.
The blond Fae left after our meeting with Trent with a mysterious errand to run, which I’m sure relates to all the one-on-one, discrete exchanges Cole and Erron tried to hide from me. I’m a sucker for secrets, and I intend to crack my two Fae eggs open tonight.
Flynn paces the small space back and forth. “Darkwood has an angle. I can’t believe you agreed to this.”
“Hey, it was all her. I wanted to chain her to my bed for a few months.” Cole’s heated gaze glides along the grooves of my body.
I wrinkle my nose, and he smiles back with a sizzle that flips my stomach.
“We can’t just trust Darkwood and hope for the best. We need to think three steps ahead. How are you so calm?” Flynn points an accusing finger at his friend. “We need to—”
I grasp his hand and squeeze it. “Calm down.” My belly aches from the way he keeps saying “we.”
A slow melody echoes through the ballroom. “Dance with me.” I tug on his arm and drag him to the center of the secluded alcove. The Fae’s hands are stiff on my hips, the distance between us awkward and uncomfortable.
I pause. “Don’t you want to dance with me?”
“Yes.” He finally relaxes and embraces me properly. His hands travel from my sides to the small of my back and brush the exposed skin.
A tight breath blows out of his mouth.
I peer over Flynn’s shoulder to Cole, and my Fae prince is entranced by the sight in front of him. I raise my brows, arms laced around his ex-lover’s neck, and his amber eyes darken.
