He let go.
The space between us rushed back.
“Thank you, sir,” I said, dipping my head.
He nodded once, a knight’s bow, but softer.
As I walked away, I felt the weight of eyes on my back.
Kaelen. Watching.
The moment the music shifted again, I slipped away.
A graceful turn, a polite smile, a hand brushed against someone’s shoulder as I excused myself from the crowd. I crossed the floor with practiced steps, but every inch felt like drowning in brocade.
Beyond the banquet doors, the corridor was cold. Blessedly quiet.
I leaned against the stone, breathing slowly. Laughter and music were now muffled sounds, as if underwater, distant, and unreal.
My hands trembled as I pressed them to my skirts.
It had only been a dance.
But it hadn’t felt like just a dance.
His hand was on my waist. The look in his eyes. That line…
“Far too bright for any man who thinks he can own you.”
What did that mean? Why had it meant so much?
Why did I still feel him standing close, like a warmth that hadn’t faded?
“I’m starting to think you enjoy lurking in dramatic doorways,” came a voice beside me.
I jumped.
Dorian stood there, leaning against the opposite wall. With his arms crossed, multiple bracelets clinked softly as he shifted. He wore deep plum tonight, with gold chains layered over his chest and a single sapphire dangling from one ear. His hair was tied back in a sleek knot, but a few curls had escaped to frame his sharp, amused face.
I tried to compose myself.
“I wasn’t lurking.”
“No?” He raised a brow. “Because from where I stood, it looked like a tragic princess escaping to the edge of her story for a moment of stolen breath.”
I exhaled through a laugh.
“Maybe I was overwhelmed.”
“Of course you were,” he said gently. “This place is a mausoleum with diamonds. It makes everyone feel like they’re drowning, but they throw more jewels at you instead of a rope.”
I turned slightly, facing him more fully. “Is that why you wear so many?”
Dorian grinned. “Exactly. If I’m going down, I want to sparkle doing it.”
A pause.
Then, quietly: “That wasn’t just a dance, was it?”
