Page 37 of Fire & Ice

Sara's voice softened as she spoke, "That was the moon goddess... she has bound us together." A small smile graced her cheeks as she continued, "I told you before I was what you needed. Do you still trust me?"

Her question struck something deep within me and before I knew it, I was uttering the words, "Yes... I do trust you."

Chapter 38

Tempest

The music swelled, and I found myself swept up in the arms of Charlie. His dark eyes bore into mine as we moved gracefully across the dance floor. A wisp of fire flickered in the depths of my gaze, showing my uneasiness, a testament to my gift.

"Charlie," I murmured, my voice barely audible over the lilting melody, "did you by any chance see where Beau went off to with Deakon?"

"Beau?" he chuckled, feigning innocence. His grip tightened ever so slightly around my waist, guiding me effortlessly through the steps of our dance. "When I envisioned your body against mine, it wasn't with us saying Beaus' name back and forth."

I laughed. "Oh my, do those lines actually work on the gifted and halflings?"

Charlie leaned in closer, his voice whisper-soft in my ear, "Oh yes, princess, indeed they do."

My heart began to hammer in my chest as anxiety gnawed at my insides. My eyes darted around the masquerade ball, scanning the masked faces of the other dancers for any sign of my mate. Where could he be?

"Relax," Charlie whispered, his lips brushing against my ear. I shivered involuntarily, both from the sound of his voice and the scent of his musky cologne. Something was different. There was an inexplicable magnetism about him, a pull that I found increasingly difficult to resist. A pull that I knew shouldn't be there and must be a mistake.

"Isn't it enough to simply enjoy the moment? To embrace the pleasures of this dance? I'm sure Beau will be back soon."

The music seemed to fade away as we continued to sway across the dance floor. Charlie's hands never once left my waist, his grip steady yet strangely comforting. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on Beau, fighting against something inside of me that wanted to hide his face from my memories.

I breathed out, wanting to separate myself from the heat of his body pressed against my own. "Charlie, I need to know where Beau is," I said, my voice low and urgent.

Charlie nodded solemnly and rested his hand in the crook of my elbow. He led me away from the dance floor and through the hallways until we reached a side door with a green ribbon tied around it.

"This looks to be the only occupied room, and I'm sure I remember this being Beau's study." Charlie cocked his head toward the door. "I can stay out here and wait for you."

I walked towards the door, a flutter of anticipation in my stomach. Even though we'd only been separated for twenty minutes, I was eager to slip into his arms.

As I approached the study door, I heard muffled voices and laughter inside. I paused, straining to listen. One of the voices was definitely Beau's, low and husky. The other sounded familiar too, but I couldn't quite place it.

The door creaked open, and my stomach lurched as the scene before me came into focus. Beau had Sara pressed up against the wall, kissing her fiercely, his hands roaming all over her body. And there I was, standing in the doorway, my heart shattering into a million pieces.

Sara's eyes snapped open, and she gazed straight at me, a smug little smile curling her lips. I stared at them in disbelief, unable to breathe, unable to think. The only thing I was aware of was the searing pain in my chest and the uncontrollable surge of fire crackling around me.

"Beau," I said quietly, my voice barely more than a whisper. He slowly peeled himself away from Sara and looked at me with an expression that cut me to my core. He looked at me as if I was nobody to him, "Who are you?”

My flames leapt higher, scorching the walls and floor and I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting to regain control of my volatile gift and tumbling emotions.

I stared at Beau in disbelief, unable to process what was happening. Beau's gaze was blank, no recognition in his eyes.

"Who am I?" I whispered, my voice barely more than a breath.

He frowned and shook his head. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

The flames roared in my ears, drowning out everything else. All of the anger and hurt and betrayal that I had been pushing down came surging to the surface, scalding me from the inside out. My fire flashed from me. I wanted to lash out at them, make them feel the pain that I was feeling right then, and my flames exploded into the room sending Beau and Sara crashing into the walls behind them.

No, I would not sink to their level. Without warning or thought, I turned and ran out of the room, tears streaming down my face. I ran down the hallway and out of the building, not knowing where I was going or what I was going to do.

Through my blurred vision, I could see Charlie standing in surprise at the end of the corridor, but all I could think about was getting away from this place, away from Beau and Sara's betrayal, away from my own shattered heart.

I ran until I couldn't run anymore, I stumbled out into a nearby courtyard and collapsed, sobbing, onto a bench beneath an old weeping willow tree. The fog of confusion began to clear, and reality began to set it. He had his hands all over her, he had his lips upon her lips when we had just taken pleasure with each other not two hours before... He had just told me he would always love me. I was his mated, he shouldn't be able to do this to me, or was he just using me to secure his crown?

I sobbed as the pain settled into me all the way down to my bones. Beau had just broken not only my trust but also my heart into pieces.

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