can be who I want to be, versus who I should be, even if it’s for just one moment in time.
The door to the dining hall is pulled open and loud music drifts out around us. The lights have been dimmed and tables and tables of food have been set out against the back walls. Skeletons hang from the ceiling. A small altar with an offering of flowers and food to the God and Goddess is in front of the stage with the live band. Bodies of novices, affinity partners, parents, and siblings all blend together, swaying and jumping to the beat.
Katie takes my hand and drags me into the middle of it all, and we dance. My eyes close and the music fills me, awakens me. It breathes life into me and I let go willingly. I don’t stop until my hair is slick with sweat and my legs are trembling and my stomach is growling. I don’t stop until I lose myself completely and surface as a whole new me; a me who will get through this. My stomach growls again; a me who needs to eat something.
“I have to eat. I’m going to faint,” I tell Katie. She nods, still scanning the crowd for Chett, who remains unseen, who remains disconnected from her mind. I squeeze her arm and make my way through the pulsing crowd over to the banquet table. I think my eyes are hungrier than my stomach. A cascading fountain of punch sits in the center, surrounded by pieces of fruit carved to look like moons and stars. Thin slices of meat and cheese are piled up on platters beside chilled buckets of shrimp. Serving dishes of different pastas and salads stretch out along the table. Bowls filled with candy and layered tiers stuffed with cakes wrap the ends of the tables.
It’s a starving man’s paradise. I grab a piece of cheese and chuck it into my mouth while I load my plate up with slices of ham so thin you can almost see through them.
“Hungry?”
I jump at the sound of Jaxen’s voice, and the contents of my plate slide off and land on his feet. I follow his gaze and watch as he shakes his foot a little. The ham falls to the floor with a splat. I close my eyes, wishing for a magical eraser that could go back in time and remove that moment, wishing I was someone else who didn’t startle because a handsome guy spoke to me.
“I’m…so…sorry.” With each word, my head hangs a little lower. I am the epitome of awkward moments, of failed attempts at being cool.
But when I open my eyes, he’s laughing. Amusement brightens his features and lightens his eyes. A warm, bubbly feeling spreads through my chest, and I think I might float away from my humiliation. I think his laughter can pave a golden path to my salvation. I think his smile can end all that’s wrong in the world.
“It’s all good,” he says, “I’ve had worse land on my shoes.” He lifts his brows and leans in closer to me, his hands tucked behind his back. “Try Demon’s blood.” His voice drifts over my ear and down my neck, leaving a trail of secrets I’ve yet to unravel, secrets I somehow know will be my undoing.
“I…uh, I thought you didn’t like parties,” I say evenly, trying to remain cool, composed, and in control.
“I don’t.” He looks up from his boot and his eyes roam over me; every inch of me, turning my insides into a furnace just waiting for his match. He’s still close to me, just a few breaths away.
“But you’re here,” I say, holding my breath. Why am I holding my breath?
“Yeah, I uh…” he shakes his head like he’s shaking off fog and leans back. He clears his throat. “I came to take you to my room, I mean, your room,” he corrects automatically. He stops, his eyes flinch shut, and I swear I see a flush to his skin.
I bite the corner of my lip, trying to hold back a smile.
“That sounded wrong. Sorry.” He looks down and adjusts his stance, shoving a hand into his pocket. “I meant, we think you shouldn’t be out late since you have a big day tomorrow.” His eyes finally open.
I turn back to the table and reach for another piece of
The door to the dining hall is pulled open and loud music drifts out around us. The lights have been dimmed and tables and tables of food have been set out against the back walls. Skeletons hang from the ceiling. A small altar with an offering of flowers and food to the God and Goddess is in front of the stage with the live band. Bodies of novices, affinity partners, parents, and siblings all blend together, swaying and jumping to the beat.
Katie takes my hand and drags me into the middle of it all, and we dance. My eyes close and the music fills me, awakens me. It breathes life into me and I let go willingly. I don’t stop until my hair is slick with sweat and my legs are trembling and my stomach is growling. I don’t stop until I lose myself completely and surface as a whole new me; a me who will get through this. My stomach growls again; a me who needs to eat something.
“I have to eat. I’m going to faint,” I tell Katie. She nods, still scanning the crowd for Chett, who remains unseen, who remains disconnected from her mind. I squeeze her arm and make my way through the pulsing crowd over to the banquet table. I think my eyes are hungrier than my stomach. A cascading fountain of punch sits in the center, surrounded by pieces of fruit carved to look like moons and stars. Thin slices of meat and cheese are piled up on platters beside chilled buckets of shrimp. Serving dishes of different pastas and salads stretch out along the table. Bowls filled with candy and layered tiers stuffed with cakes wrap the ends of the tables.
It’s a starving man’s paradise. I grab a piece of cheese and chuck it into my mouth while I load my plate up with slices of ham so thin you can almost see through them.
“Hungry?”
I jump at the sound of Jaxen’s voice, and the contents of my plate slide off and land on his feet. I follow his gaze and watch as he shakes his foot a little. The ham falls to the floor with a splat. I close my eyes, wishing for a magical eraser that could go back in time and remove that moment, wishing I was someone else who didn’t startle because a handsome guy spoke to me.
“I’m…so…sorry.” With each word, my head hangs a little lower. I am the epitome of awkward moments, of failed attempts at being cool.
But when I open my eyes, he’s laughing. Amusement brightens his features and lightens his eyes. A warm, bubbly feeling spreads through my chest, and I think I might float away from my humiliation. I think his laughter can pave a golden path to my salvation. I think his smile can end all that’s wrong in the world.
“It’s all good,” he says, “I’ve had worse land on my shoes.” He lifts his brows and leans in closer to me, his hands tucked behind his back. “Try Demon’s blood.” His voice drifts over my ear and down my neck, leaving a trail of secrets I’ve yet to unravel, secrets I somehow know will be my undoing.
“I…uh, I thought you didn’t like parties,” I say evenly, trying to remain cool, composed, and in control.
“I don’t.” He looks up from his boot and his eyes roam over me; every inch of me, turning my insides into a furnace just waiting for his match. He’s still close to me, just a few breaths away.
“But you’re here,” I say, holding my breath. Why am I holding my breath?
“Yeah, I uh…” he shakes his head like he’s shaking off fog and leans back. He clears his throat. “I came to take you to my room, I mean, your room,” he corrects automatically. He stops, his eyes flinch shut, and I swear I see a flush to his skin.
I bite the corner of my lip, trying to hold back a smile.
“That sounded wrong. Sorry.” He looks down and adjusts his stance, shoving a hand into his pocket. “I meant, we think you shouldn’t be out late since you have a big day tomorrow.” His eyes finally open.
I turn back to the table and reach for another piece of
Similar Books
Space Station Crisis: Star Challengers Book 2
Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, June Scobee Rodgers
