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A few other demons danced around us; the lights were dimly lit so I could only see their faces in the occasional flash of color.
Natalie blended in seamlessly, as if she had been a demon her entire life. Nobody even blinked an eye as she twirled in the crowd, molding with the dancing bodies that jumped and swayed to the music.
I tried to do the same, letting my head fall back as I finished off Natalie’s drink and took a long, calming breath.
I didn’t want to think about Alek. I didn’t want to think about Theia, the veil, my new cravings to sink my teeth into Alek anytime things got too heated. I didn’t want to think about any of that. I just wanted to be here now, dancing with my friend.
The open windows of the lake house let in the cool night breeze, kissing the exposed skin on my chest and neck and chilling my body beneath my leather jacket.
I let that feeling pull me further into relaxation, sucking me into the crowd until I danced right beside Natalie.
She put both arms around my shoulders, swaying us from side to side and forcing me to share her joy.
Zac appeared to my right, replacing my empty drink with a full one before slipping back into the crowd, blending with a few women who danced around him.
I drank. I danced. I breathed.
I held my glass to Natalie’s full lips so she could take a drink too, neither of us stopping to rest. Neither of us wanting a break.
This was what Natalie brought me here for. For fun. For relaxing.
I didn’t give a damn where Alek was. This was all for me.
I danced until an eerie feeling washed over me, slicing through the thick air of the room like a string of toxic electricity.
I stilled for the first time in hours.
“What’s wrong?” Natalie yelled over the music.
I looked around the room, my vision blurring only slightly, and focused on my surroundings. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nobody looked out of place, nothing looked suspicious.
Still, my stomach sank.
Something wasn’t right.
“Nothing,” I replied to Nat, shaking my head. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Natalie needed no more convincing. She remained dancing in the crowd—which had now tripled in size—as I slipped from the opulent living room of the lake house.
I took a few steps down the empty hallway, catching my breath and running my hands down my now-sweaty face.
“What’s wrong?”
Alek’s voice made me jump. I spun to find him leaning against the wall, blending in with the shadows.
“Shit,” I breathed. “You scared me.”
He stepped out of the darkness, his concerned features coming into view.
“I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. Have you been watching this entire time?”
The corner of his mouth twitched upward, but his eyes remained dark. “I never said I wanted nothing to do with you, Lyra. That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
I laughed. “Right. That makes total sense.”
The hair on the back of my neck prickled again. I glanced around the hallway, looking for anyone else who might be watching.
“Lyra,” Alek’s voice warned. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
