“It’s a private courier for you sent by Viktor. He called and told me it has the tickets and essentials for the masked gala event that you wanted to attend.”
“Thank you, Mikhail.”
He set the box down on one of the tables in the studio and turned around to leave. I picked it up and quickly opened it, finding two intricate masks inside. Just how I wanted them to be. One of them was black with silver detailing, and another one was white, edged in gold. It was true that this city never stopped performing, but the performance was not bad when it was with Elisse.
“Is the masquerade happening on Chernykh territory?” Elisse asked as she watched me survey the box.
“No. I had it checked. The territory is neutral.”
I picked up the black mask, running my thumb along the edge, remembering the last time I had attended a masquerade and worn a mask to hide my real self. The last time I had been Nikolai instead of Fyodor. She had been on the other side of the ballroom, and we had been unmarried and untethered, simply curious about what the other person had to offer.
“I actually got this for you,” I said finally, and she looked up. Her gaze moved from my face to the masks in my hands, and her brows drew together.
“You’re joking.”
“No.” I extended the white mask toward her, but she didn’t take it immediately. She surveyed my face to check if I was joking.
“The event is happening tomorrow night,” I continued. “Invitation only.”
She stared at the mask.
“And you want us to go.”
“Yes.”
She crossed the room slowly and walked towards me, her fingers brushing against mine as she took the mask from my hand. The contact lingered half a second longer than necessary.
“Why?” she asked quietly.
“Because everything we are today started at a masquerade quite like this one.”
Her eyes sharpened slightly at my explanation.
“So do you think this resets us and everything that has happened between us since?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I think I would just like to see you without the war between us for a few hours.”
She exhaled faintly.
“That’s naïve and dangerous and reckless. I didn’t think you were going to let me go out of this penthouse until my brothers actually came to rescue me, and here you are, inviting me to go out with you.”
“Yes.”
She turned the mask over in her hands.
“You think if we dress up and pretend,” she said softly, “we can go back to who we were.”
“No.”
“Then what’s the point?” I stepped closer.
“Because the one thing I know for certain,” I said quietly, “is that you were drawn to me that night.”
Her gaze snapped to mine.
