Page 24 of Between

She was scanning the crowd, searching the faces in hopes of finding familiarity.

She was looking forme.

Her eyes finally caught mine, and I could see the breath hold in her chest. She was wearing the white silk dress I ordered for her, with her smooth, light brown skin exposed and her bare collarbones prominent. Her dark hair was curled in waves and cascaded down past her shoulders. Pieces were pinned back, giving me a full, open view of her face.

There was no umbrella, there was no hood, and there was no rain keeping me from seeing every inch of her delicate skin.

And with a half-smile to me from across the room, I knew this was the beginning of the end.

“Excuse me, Mr. Hawke,” I gave a courteous nod as I turned to walk away, placing my old drink on a passing waiter’s tray. Celeste didn’t take her eyes off me as I made my way to her, ignoring everyone else who stood in my way.

When I approached her, she tilted her chin up to me, a brief grin flashing across her expression. Even with the heels, she was still shorter than me, causing me to look down at her soft, elegant features. I studied every piece of her, every pore, every beauty mark, every vitality in her eyes, and pressed it into the depths of my mind.

“You’re here to give me that one last chance,” I said with my voice lowered, letting the words rumble in the space between us.

She tilted her head playfully but kept her face neutral. “Make it count.”

Fuck.If she didn’t already know she had me wrapped around her finger, she’ll find out tonight.

From across the room, I heard a few clinks of glass. Ace had grabbed a chair and stood on its seat, with a butter knife in one hand and glass of champagne in the other. Chatter from the party dissolved, and I could hear Ace clear his throat.

“Welcome, everyone,” Ace began. I kept my stare locked with Celeste’s, unable to break the sudden trance she had me in.

“I want to thank you all for coming out tonight, and for taking an interest in us. In what we do here.”

My eyes stayed on hers, and even though she continued to look at me, I could tell she was listening to what Ace was saying. Her eyebrows narrowed and she blinked, trying to focus on the subject matter.

“We take all of you seriously. We care about each and every one of you, and we honor and respect the life you give us.”

Celeste’s head snapped to the side, giving her complete attention to Ace’s speech. My eyes lingered on her for a moment, probably a moment too long, before moving my thoughts over to Ace. A waiter came walking through the crowd, carrying a tray of champagne flutes. Quietly, I grabbed two and handed one to Celeste.

“I’d like to make a toast to the one who keeps this place running. The one who doesn’t let anything slip through the cracks, the one who never makes a single mistake, the one who runs the tightest ship imaginable.”

Ace scanned the room until his eyes found mine. With a superior grin, he raised his glass in my direction.

“To Caius Attila.”

Celeste’s eyes moved back to me. I could feel her stare, along with everyone else’s, but her focus held something else.

Hesitation. Pause. Reluctance.

Fear.

The rest of the crowd raised their glasses along with him, cheering and wooing before downing their drinks. I nodded, forcing out a small smile before taking a sip of the champagne myself.

Celeste didn’t drink.

“Now, if you will all make your way to the front corridor, the sun is almost set.”

With the champagne flute still gripped in her hand, the bubbles streaming to the liquid’s surface, Celeste stood completely still as the others filtered out of the room.

“You?” she asked, her voice shaken. Her eyes held a silent plea, a prayer, a beg for truth.

I said nothing as I watched her eyes glaze over with trepidation.

“YourunPurgatory?”

My jaw tightened. Purgatory. She knew it was here, but she didn’t know I was the one in charge. I made the decision to let her in on the secret, even though my brother didn’t give me much of a choice, and her reaction wasn’t unexpected. She fled from me, from the house, from the grounds, as anyone in their right mind would.

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