Page 181 of The Ascended
"That's rich coming from you," I retorted. "Your betrothed's gown leaves even less to the imagination. At least my vital organs are covered."
"That's different," he growled.
"How so?" I challenged. "Divine privilege?"
His grip tightened on my waist. "You know nothing of divine privilege, starling"
"I know enough to recognize hypocrisy when I see it," I said. "What's the matter, Warden?"
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I don’t appreciate how he was looking at you.”
"And how was he looking at me?"
"Like you were something to be devoured," he hissed, finally meeting my gaze. "Like you were his for the taking."
"Perhaps I am," I said, the words slipping out. "Perhaps that's what I want."
Xül went silent, studying me with an intensity that made me feel utterly exposed despite the fabric covering me. "You're not yourself tonight," he finally said, his voice softer. "What did you drink?"
I laughed, the sound brittle. "Why do you care?"
"Thais." My name on his lips was a warning, a plea.
"Go find your fiancé, Warden," I said. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to return to my partner."
His hand caught mine, refusing to let go. "He's not your partner."
I glared at him. "Neither are you."
Frustration flashed across his eyes before his mask slipped back into place. His fingers loosened their grip on mine, andI seized the opportunity to pull away from him, my skin singing from where he'd touched me.
I needed distance. Space to breathe. The press of bodies, the heat of the room, the weight of his gaze—it was all too much. The sensations that had seemed so delicious moments ago now threatened to drown me.
I pushed through the crowd, threading my way between bodies. Some part of me registered their beauty—the luminous skin, the too-perfect features, the golden eyes that trailed after me—but I couldn't bear to look at any of them. I needed solitude to clear my mind, to douse the fire that still burned in my veins despite my best efforts to suppress it.
A servant glided past, bearing a tray of empty glasses. I reached out, my fingers catching the sleeve of their silvery attire.
"Is there a powder room?" I asked, my voice sounding distant to my own ears. "Somewhere quiet?"
The servant inclined their head, gesturing toward a doorway nearly hidden behind a statue draped in cascading wisteria.
"Through there, my lady," they murmured.
I nodded my thanks and hurried away, slipping behind the statue and through the doorway. The moment the door closed behind me, blessed silence enveloped me like a balm. The room was small but exquisite—walls of pale crystal that fractured light into prismatic rainbows, a basin that appeared to be carved from a single massive diamond, mirrors that reflected my image with unsettling clarity.
I moved toward them, my reflection wavering and uncertain, as though it might dissolve if I looked too closely. My skin gleamed with an inner light that hadn't been there before the ball, my eyes too bright, pupils too wide.
Breathe, I commanded silently.Just breathe.
I dipped my hands into the cool water, the sensation shocking against my overheated skin. Without hesitation, I brought the water to my face, letting it cascade over my flushed cheeks and closed eyes.The cold clarity of it cut through the haze that had enveloped me since I'd taken that first sip from that damned flute.
Again and again I splashed the water against my skin, each icy shock pulling me further from the dreamy euphoria that had clouded my judgment.
As my mind cleared, anxiety unfurled in my chest, a single claw latching onto my thoughts. There was something I should have been worried about, something beyond Xül and his betrothed.
Think, Thais.
Nothing is what it seems. Lyralei's warning echoed in my memory, crisp and urgent now.
