Page 51 of Where Broken Wings Fly

“They’re there.” He grinned. “Hidden away for now.”

“You can do that?”

“The few of us in Cluaineach who have them, can.”

I was about to ask him about a hundred more questions, but a hand appeared up and over his shoulder, tapping him gently. Rory dropped his grip around my hand and waist, turning to face our intruder.

It was Killian.

“Can I steal her for a dance?”

My stomach churned at a million revolutions per second. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or horrified when Rory nodded to him, flashing me a wink before he stepped away and disappeared amongst the smoke settling to the earth.

I couldn’t think of a single thing to say, but, “Killian.”

He pulled his lips into his teeth as he tried to fight a nervous laughter. “Olivia.”

“I’m going to be honest with you — I don’t know how to dance.”

He let an accidental breathy chuckle out. “Good, because neither do I.” He offered a large, burly hand to me. After staring at it for a second too long, I wrapped my fingers around his and let him pull me against his chest.

He moved slowly with me at first, until the music picked up in pace and he sent me on a loose twirl around him, pulling us together once it was complete.

“I think it takes a certain type of skill to not know how to dance after how many years alive?”

His brows rose as a slyness slipped over his lips. “Someone’s feisty this evening.”

I only shrugged, committing to not letting my eyes meet his and instead staring at the brassy-buttons of his coat.

What I was dreading came next. Killian sloped his neck, his cheek resting against mine. “I did not think it possible for you to be any more beautiful.”

A shudder rippled across my entire body, and he felt every second of it. A taunting laugh breezed over my ear as he tugged me impossibly closer, the song filtering through the air far too fast for how slow we moved.

“I do apologize for interrupting your dance…” His voice was low, smooth, and penetrative. “I must admit that I have spent many years controlling my more… primitive nature. But that all came undone when I saw you out here. With him.”

I pulled away just far enough to look him in the eye. But what met me there, the darkness that wasn’t terrifying but heated made me swallow and collapse back against his chest.

Every inch of me craved every inch of him, so I didn’t mind when he tugged at me again and diminished the distance between us. My whole body was alight with awareness, my heart thundering and my lungs tightening.

“Breathe, Olivia,” he whispered, pushing me away to twirl us around yet another rising beat. As if my body had been waiting for the command from him, I took in a large breath of air and felt it fill every inch of my lungs.

On the next push and twirl that he performed, my heel hit a lump in the ground and dragged me down and away from him, where I managed to slam into another pixie. A female, who growled at me and shoved my body in a new direction. This time, I managed to stop my flailing limbs before I knocked into the next solid wall. I was glad I did, because it was the King himself who stood before me.

His back was to me, his eyes focused on the fire that he was staking with a stick. Eager to get away from him without a word shared between us, I started to creep back in the direction of Killian. But it was another voice that halted me. Raegan’s voice.

“Please, Father,” he croaked, a voice cracking and failing like that of a young boy.

“Enough, Raegan. Just… Enough of this.”

“This is the perfect opportunity. Most of them are here, talk to them tonight–”

“Raegan!” the King roared, most of the volume swallowed by the music and the low laughter of pixies all around us. “I said enough. We will speak of this no more tonight.” The King paused to place a hand on Raegan’s shoulder, who was facing the fire at his side. “Try to enjoy yourself for once, won’t you?”

Without awaiting an answer, King Ronan strode off, leaving Raegan to a sizzling rage that he satisfied by chucking a large log into the fire in front of him. Snarling at it, anger steamed off of the Prince as he watched the flames lick high into the air around him.

Feeling slightly guilty for eavesdropping, again, I made to start walking away. Yet again, it was Raegan’s voice that stilled my feet.

“You are so desperate to elude me.”