Page 183 of The Ascended
As though sensing my gaze, she turned, catching my eye. She shot me a devilish look, one that clearly said she was exactly where she wanted to be. I nodded, relieved that she was alright and didn't need my intervention.
I sighed, suddenly exhausted. Making my way to the fringes of the party, I leaned against a cool crystal wall and tried to steady myself. I felt more in control than before, but that electric sensation still lingered under my skin, humming in sequence with the music.
"There you are."
Xül's voice came from beside me, smooth as shadow and just as inescapable. I turned to find him leaning against the wall too. When had he gotten there? The silver accents in his attire shimmered in the light, momentarily dazzling me.
"I've been looking for you," he continued. There was no anger in his voice now, no concern—just a velvety darkness.
"Well, you found me," I said, looking away from him, afraid of what he might read in my eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice dropping lower.
I shot him a look before remembering myself.
"Nothing," I lied. "Just needed a moment away from the chaos."
His eyes traveled over me slowly, deliberately. "You look etherealtonight," he said, the words falling between us. "Like you've already ascended."
I sighed, unable to help myself. "I thought you found it too revealing?"
He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he whispered.
"Just because I don't want the eyes of the entire pantheon devouring what's before me doesn't mean I don't enjoy seeing it."
His words sent liquid heat coursing through me, a rush of desire so potent it nearly made my knees buckle. But with it came a jagged ache, the knowledge that this—whateverthiswas—could never be more than a fleeting moment.
"Don't," I hissed. "Don't play this game with me tonight."
"I must play games, yes," he acknowledged, his fingers finding a lock of my hair, twining it absently. "But not tonight. Not with you."
I took a deep breath, searching his face for deception.
He extended his hand, palm up. "Why don't we find somewhere more private to talk?"
Against every dictate of reason, against my own better judgment, I placed my hand in his.
And then he was dragging me into the unknown.
Chapter 43
Give In & Burn
The corridor twistedinto darkness as Xül guided me through the labyrinth of Lunadaire. His hand remained firmly clasped around mine, the heat of his skin a counterpoint to the cool air that whispered around us. We moved in silence, the sounds of revelry fading with each step until there was only the sound of our footsteps on marble.
Finally, he paused before a door, clasping the handle and pushing it open.
"After you," he murmured.
I hesitated at the threshold, suddenly aware of the uncertainty of what lay beyond. "Xül?—"
"Just to talk," he said, gesturing for me to enter.
My heart threw itself against my ribs, a frantic captive battering its cage.A stupid, reckless captive. Despite my misgivings, curiosity drew me across the threshold.
The door sealed shut behind us with a soft click, and the chamber unfolded before me—mist and moonlight dancing across gilded walls, a massive bed draped in golden silks. A mirror stretched along one wall, floor to ceiling, framed in twisted pearls that resembledliving vines frozen in time. And a dresser stood beside me, laden with oils and perfumes and other shimmering liquids captured in crystal bottles.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked.
