Page 134 of Riftborne
“Fia, it’s perfect!” I whipped around to find Osta a few paces behind me, wearing a deep green, silk gown that mirrored the haunting beauty of Emeraal. My heartbeat softened as I made my way over to her. The eyes that bore into me before had returned to their socializing.
She took my hands in hers. “I know it’s notmydesign, but it’s stunning nonetheless,” she whispered, spinning me around. “The General has great taste.”
“I’d rather you not mention that to him. His ego couldn’t possibly get any bigger.” I grinned, finally noticing the couple standing behind her.
I cleared my throat, motioning for Osta to make introductions.
Her eyes went wide. “Oh, forgive my bad manners!” She shot around, dragging my arm with her. “Fia, meet Lord and Lady Soleil.”
“Fia Riftborne, we’ve heard so much about you from Osta. It’s lovely to finally meet you,” Lady Soleil said with a grace that seemed foreign to me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both, truly. Osta has told me how wonderful it is to work for you.” I smiled politely, attempting a curtsey.
“We will have to catch up later in the evening, after dinnerperhaps,” Lady Soleil said. “Right now, I’d better find our seats. Osta, darling, would you accompany me? I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine.”
“Of course! I’ll see you later, Fia.” She smiled brightly at me. Lady Soleil shot a glance toward her husband that I couldn’t quite read before she and Osta sauntered off into the crowd of bodies beyond.
My gaze wandered up to meet Lord Soleil’s.His attention moved to my left hand, where my Riftborne branding sprawled out beyond the sleeve of my gown. The Lord paused, raising an eyebrow slightly before something flickered across his eyes.
“Pleasure to meet you, Fia. Forgive me. It’s a lovely dress you have there.” He shook his head as if returning from a trance, smiling before moving to pass me. Before he got too far, I felt his hand on my arm.
He leaned in, whispering, “it’s great to have you on our side.” And soon enough, he was disappearing into the bodies as well. I looked at my marking and tugged the fabric down around my wrist.
Alone again, I swiped a shimmery cocktail from the refreshment table and looked around.
Still no sign of Laryk. I sighed, turning towards the outskirts of the party. I sipped the drink, and flowery bubbles spread across my tongue.
Narissa’s words found their way back into my mind as I watched the couples dancing gracefully ahead. Had he changed his mind? I shifted in my seat and looked down at my dress nervously. Suddenly, the bodice felt too tight... the skirt verging on ostentatious.
An uneasiness crept over me as I downed the rest of my drink. I set the glass on the table and slowly pushed it away.
“Shall I get you another?” I heard a whisper as Laryk’s lips brushed against my ear.
A calming haze rushed through me, enveloping me in a delicious heat.
The spark turned into a full blaze as I locked eyes with him. Any previous worry I had burned to ashes. His hair was free tonight, cascading down his shoulders in mesmerizing waves of copper—the way I loved it most. He wore a dress suit, tailored to perfection, in all shades and textures of black. Golden accents sparkled atop the velvet that stretched over his broad frame. The wickedest smile formed on his lips as he looked me up and down.
He approached me slowly, narrowing his eyes. “If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll abandon this dinner altogether and take you to bed.” His voice was low, predatory. The embers within me lit once again, and I bit back a smile. It was nearly intoxicating to be around him in this state.
And in an instant, he was pulling me against him. “You know how I love you in black,” he whispered, tugging at my body through the dress.
A distant fragment of my mind considered the eyes that were undoubtedly watching, but this raging wildfire of a moment we found ourselves in was slowly incinerating my ability to care.
I longed for his mouth on me. I inhaled deeply, trying to absorb every single fiber of his being. The dizzying aroma of vetiver and burnt amber filled my nose. The man himself was the living embodiment of ecstasy.
“Dance with me,” he murmured.
It wasn’t a request.
Before I knew it, he was pulling me into the sea of bodies moving methodically through the room.
He laced his fingers through mine, wrapping his other arm possessively around my waist. Our bodies met in a fiery collision as he pulled me against him.
And then we were moving, spinning, twirling. My mind couldn’t keep up. All I could do was stare into his eyes andcontinue to lose myself. I wanted to live in this searing moment forever.
The song came to an end, and reality began to creep back in from my peripherals. A sinking feeling devoured my heart as he pulled away, my body cold in the places we had touched. Like coming down from an incredible high, the sound of the Aossí around us broke through my trance, and just like that, the wild blaze smoldered out, and reality snapped into focus.
“Let’s find our seats, Fia.” Laryk pulled me through the crowd, our fingers still intertwined. I wondered if we were going to be sitting together, given our considerable difference in rank.
