Page 169 of Midnights
Something faint hits my nose and it smells like something's burning.
I look around the ballroom, but everything looks normal. No signs of a fire.
“Everything all right there beautiful?” The interruption cuts clean through the static in my head. His tone is smug enough to make me want to roll my eyes.
“Yeah,” I say quickly, waving it off. “I thought I saw a friend.”
The song ends, and he's letting me go with a bow that's way too smooth to be casual. His eyes dip, lingering a second too long on my cleavage before he looks back up at me with that smug little smirk.
“Enjoy the rest of your evening, little bird,” he murmurs, lifting my hand to brush a light kiss over my knuckles.
“Th-thank you,” I stammer, caught off guard as he disappears into the crowd.
Little bird? Who the hell was that?
I skirt along the edge of the dance floor, replaying it all like some broken record. And then there's the part I don't want to admit. The feeling I got when he touched me is still crawling over my skin.
I need to find Rachel.
The music blurs, fading under a sharp ringing that drills into my skull. Nausea spikes, my chest tightens, and the room tilts. I'm two seconds away from face-planting in front of everyone. I drag in air like that'll help and shove my way toward the back of the ballroom.
The bodies, the heat, thebuzzof conversation, it’s all closing in, wrapping around my lungs like a vice. I need air.
Right now, slipping outside feels like the best damn idea I’ve ever had. The moment I step out into the garden, the cool air kisses my overheated skin, soothing the frayed edges of my nerves.
Moonlight spills across the leaves, painting everything in shades of silver and shadow, turning the world soft and still. I take a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh.
Finally.
Eventually, I find a quiet corner, tucked away from the main path. Leaning against a stone statue, I let the night press in around me. The tension in my shoulders finally loosens—until something moves at the edge of my vision.
A man glides through the garden, barely more than a silhouette against the moonlight.
I consider slipping back inside, but something makes me pause. Instead, I just stand here and watch. Smiling to myself at the thought that he’s sneaking off to meet someone under the cover of the trees.
Let’s be real, a castle garden at night? It’s practicallybeggingfor a scandalous rendezvous in the trees. But there’s something weirdabout the way he moves.
Instinct slams into me, and my breath evens out as I sink back into the shadows. I try not to move or breathe too loud, because I'm not really feeling too eager to be spotted.
He comes closer, and our eyes lock. Great. Just what I needed. Awkward eye contact with a stranger. I brace for him to keep walking, let it be nothing. My stomach drops, and that’s all the warning I get.
Asharpcrack shatters through my skull as his elbow slams into my face.
Pain explodes through my skull, snapping my head back. White sparks detonate across my vision, and for one terrifying second, all I hear is the ringing that swallows everything else.
What the fuck?
He just…hit me. On purpose.The sharp taste of copper floods my mouth, and a spike of rage drowns out the pain.
Muscle memory snaps into place before the shock can take hold, and years of training override the spinning in my head. I whip around, fists alreadyup. My body's already three steps ahead of my brain, which is still scrambling to catch up.
And then I see the smugfuckingsmirk on his lips.
He probably thinks I'm just some girl in a dress, that's an easy target.Cute.If he thinks this is going to be Taken 3.0, he's out of his damn mind.
Not tonight,asshole.
“Bet you thought I was just a pretty face, didn’t you?” My voice is laced with venom, even as my face throbs. “If you make me ruin this dress, we’rereallygoing to have a problem.”
