Page 52 of Riftborne
Osta shot me a sympathetic look before disappearing.
“Is he always so charming?” I asked sarcastically.
The guard chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, he certainly has a way about him.”
I shook my head. “I was headed in the direction of the bar when he called you over.” I arched my brow.
“I’ll join you. I’m probably going to need a drink before the night’s over.”
We walked side by side and waited in line before finally procuring our cocktails. I downed mine immediately.
“Laryk’s told me a lot about you.”
The use of his first name so casually… felt intimate. It made him seem more like an acquaintance and less like my personal tormenter.
“I can’t imagine the things you've heard,” I murmured, heat flushing my face. “He seems like quite the embellisher.” Something about Callum’s presence was oddly comforting. Perhaps it was how normal he seemed in contrast to Laryk–the General.
“Are you based here?” I asked.
“I’ve been stationed out West, but I’ll be in Luminaria for the next few months training the new additions to his faction. Including you.” He furrowed his brow. “I guess after tonight, you’ll have to refer to me as Lieutenant Mercer.” He smiled, taking the first sip of his drink.
We made small talk near the bar for over half an hour before the General and Osta returned. I couldn’t believe someone as laid back and nice as Mercer was the General's second-in-command.
Osta was beaming as she skipped over to me. “I think that went really well!” she squealed.
“Let me get you a drink to celebrate and you can tell me all about it.” I turned to the bar, taking a few steps before I felt the heat of a hand on my arm.
“Fia, may I steal you away for a dance?” The General’s breath tickled my ear. I swiveled to meet his gaze.
Horror rushed over me as Osta answered in my stead.
“Yes! Go, Fia!”
I hadn’t even formed a reply before he was pulling me towards the center of the room, towards the swirling colors.
This seems highly inappropriate.
My eyes flickered about the room, noticing the perfectly synced movements of the couples twirling around us, creating a blur of satin gowns and black dress robes.
A lump formed in my throat.
“I don’t know these dances...”
“Just follow my lead. I would never let you make a fool of me.” His eyes were bright.
Suddenly his arms were lacing around my waist, gliding along my bare back. Heat erupted through me. He pulled my body flush against his own.
I was on fire, and I desperately needed to douse it.
Why did I feel like this? It had to be the utter embarrassment from dancing with my superior, or just dancing in general–this was so wildly out of my comfort zone.
Or maybe I just hadn’t been touched like that in so long.
We started moving, blending into the rotation of bodies. He was a decent partner, at least from what I could tell–I certainly wasn’t an expert. Despite being glaringly unaware of how I looked from the outside, a part of me calmed…
His head tilted down until lips grazed the shell of my ear. “The dress suits you, though I’d prefer it in black.” His whisper sent a shiver down my spine. We whipped past the other Aossí, and something about it felt violent, but perhaps that was just the look in his eyes.
“As you stated earlier, it’s all thanks to Osta.” I turned my head in an attempt to hide my blush. “Thank you for introducing her to a few people tonight, she really does deserve the attention.”
