Page 56 of Magic Cursed

“You know you’re beautiful, it’s a fact.” I smile and shrug, as if to say,maybe. “But you’re also intriguing, smart, strong, confident,” he continues, his voice low and his eyes intense. “And when you’re not trying to stay hidden in the shadows, like tonight, your allure is magical.”

Magical. If he’s right, and something about me says magic, then I can’t stand out. I’m suddenly worried and I look around us to see if anyone else has come to the same conclusion.

“Be careful,” I whisper. “We both know that’s a dangerous word around here.”

“Not for long,” he says, reminding me that he’ll change things. That I vowed to help him, and that together, we’re going to make this world better. “Don’t worry, you’re dancing with me. No one will suspect you have magic.”

I’m effortlessly swept into the steps and spins and elegant movements, held in Daimis’ strong, capable arms. I remember each dance from my childhood, back when I attended daily lessons to learn them. It was ingrained so much that my muscle memory apparently never forgot. And I didn’t realize how much I missed dancing. Moving to the music until you feel as if you’re one with it. We glide around the gleaming wood floor, and with each passing moment, my worry fades away. Before long, I’m smiling. Enjoying the allegro beats and quick steps, even laughing when Daimis spins me a little too fast. And I’m not the only one who has relaxed. I’ve never seen Daimis smile so much, and it lights up his face incredibly.

On the fourth dance, the music shifts to a slower, sultry tune. Daimis’s gaze finds mine. His smile fades, and his hand at my waist slides to the small of my back. He presses me to him. My hand on his arm, moves to the top of his shoulder with our proximity. My breath hitches at the feel of his hard body against mine. We move to the seductive beat like we’ve done this hundreds of times, like my body knows his and his knows mine.

Delicious heat gathers low in my stomach. Everything and everyone else seem to fade away, so that the only thing I see, the only thing I feel, is Daimis. His hand pressing the small of my back so that even with the spins and swaying, our bodies never break contact. His fingers holding my other hand, lace together with mine. I couldn’t look away from his intense green eyes if I wanted to. We continue that way forever, or maybe just moments, I can’t be sure. He lowers me into a dip, and fully trusting him, allowing a moment of pure vulnerability to slip through, I let him. He brings me back up again, even closer this time so that my nose is just below his neck. And without meaning to, I breathe in his now familiar scent. His subtle notes of birch and cypress after a rain, and his dark velvety depths of true masculinity and spice beg me to explore more. Without meaning to, my fingers play in the curls at the nape of his neck. I notice goosebumps form on his skin. I fight the urge to kiss them.

“I invited you tonight,” he whispers in my ear, the caress of his breath sending shivers through my body. “So you could let loose and have a good time. Don’t think about tomorrow or what lies ahead. Don’t worry. Don’t stress. Live in this moment only. Dance. Have fun. Smile. Laugh.”

He steps back, bows, and throws me one last devastatingly beautiful smile before disappearing into the crowd. I feel cold in his sudden absence, and I find myself wanting to do all the things he suggested with him, and him alone. I search for Daimis in the crowd, ready to beg him for another dance, to stay with me. To live in this momentwithme. But I’ve lost him—which I’m sure is probably for the best anyway. That’s when I realize I’m not the only one who stays to the shadows. He’s the prince of this castle, a Berhane, the next in line to rule, and yet he doesn’t act like it at all. Why does the future king stick to the shadows in his own castle?

Chapter16

Nightmare

Idecide to listen to Daimis. He’s right, I don’t know when I’ll get the next opportunity to have fun. And traveling with a small group that includes the Regent, the Steel Guard, the man who seems to have rejected me, and my old best friend turned new friend that makes my blood boil at times, is sure to be full of tension and sleepless nights.

So, I dance most of the night away, only stopping to catch my breath and enjoy a glass of sweet bubbly liquor. It warms my stomach and fuzzes my head. I’m with my sixth dance partner of the evening, laughing as he swings me out at arm’s length before spinning me two times. He ends the dance with a deep, dramatic dip.

“Another dance?” the man asks, his beard bobbing with the question.

“Oh, I couldn’t. Your moves are far beyond my abilities, I’m afraid,” I say between giggles.

“Nonsense,” he booms with a huge smile. “You followed my lead perfectly.”

“While you’re a fantastic dance partner, I’m sorely in need of water and rest, friend.” I gesture to a blond woman in a white shimmering gown. “But that lovely lady has been eyeing you all night.”

He looks at her, his smile never fading.

“Go on. Ask her to dance,” I prod.

“Aye,” he nods. “I think I will.”

I walk off the dance floor and watch the bearded giant ask the blond to dance. She accepts and he whisks her away with his skillful moves. I hear her high-pitched laughter over the music and smile. My feet are killing me, and my head is spinning from a little too much refreshment. I’m ready to call it a night. I walk toward the exit when my gaze catches a couple on the far end of the dance floor. I stop and stare.

Kellan is dancing with a beautiful woman in a dress almost identical to the one I chose not to wear, but in a soft shade of purple. Her red hair is pulled off her slender shoulders in an elaborate updo with jewels twinkling throughout it. Kellan leans in to whisper something in her ear, the woman laughs and her cheeks blush at whatever Kellan had said. He pulls her a little closer at her blushing and runs a slow deliberate caress down her arm while planting a kiss on her bare shoulder.

A cutting stab tightens my stomach, and I suddenly feel a little nauseous. It’s completely absurd that I should feel any pain at seeing him like this. He was never mine in the first place. We shared a little flirting and one kiss. That’s it. Besides, I was planning to end whatever it was we had started anyway. But no matter how much I try to reason it away, the hurt is still there, sitting like a shard of glass in my gut. Just before I decide I’ve seen enough, Kellan’s gaze lifts over his dance partner’s shoulder and rests on me.

He stops dancing and his jaw actually drops as his eyes sweep over me. He glances at his dance partner who’s asking him something, then he looks back up at me with shame in his expression. I just give him a little shrug, as if to say,oh well, it is what it is. I turn and exit the ballroom. I walk briskly, the backs of my eyes stinging. I don’t get very far down the empty hall before I hear his footfalls behind me.

“Sky,” he calls out.

I cringe. I knew he couldn’t just let it be, and yet I’d hoped we could have had this conversation tomorrow, or never. I take a steadying breath before turning to face him. He’s wearing a suit similar to Daimis’s, only it’s a soft gray. It looks great on him.

“Hi, hero.” I smooth the front of my gown. “I have to say, I’m surprised to see you here. I heard you’ve been too busy for socialization as of late.”

He runs a hand through his blond hair. “I—I have been. Mostly.” He takes steps closer, and I feel my heart pick up. I hold my ground, refusing to let him know just how much he affects me. “You look incredible. I—I’ve wanted to see you, I have. It’s just—”

“I’m going to stop you right there. I think I know what’s going on. You like flirting with me.” I shrug. “Flirting is fun. But then I went and ruined it by taking things farther with the kiss. I take full responsibility for that. What can I say, I like you.”

“Sky. I—”

---