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A servant passed us carrying a tray of more drinks, and we downed the alcohol in one go, making it a competition to see who could finish it first.
I won.
“I’m going to go and grab some food. Are you okay if I leave you with our friends?” Mendex asked Amica.
“Can I come with you?” she asked.
He glanced at the back of the room. “If you would like, but you’re having fun and I don’t want to take you away from that.”
“All right, just don’t be gone too long.” Amica then turned her attention to Miles, grabbing his hands and playfully tugging him towards her. “Miles will have to take your place while you’re gone.”
Mendex simply chuckled, not an ounce of jealousy showing on his face. “Be back soon.”
Miles gave me a worried look as Amica pulled him towards the corner of the dance floor to attempt some crazy flip that required a partner.
I laughed and said, “Good luck,” to Miles. As he was dragged away, my eyes landed on something that made everything go still.
Thousands of people flooded this room, each disguised in masques, and still I knew exactly who watched me.
The world around me seemed to simply slip away, and the room had gone silent. He stood propped up against a wall towards the back of the ballroom, watching. His eyes never leaving mine. If I were anyone else I wouldn’t have recognized him, simply because of what he wore.
White.
He was wearing all white.
It was so unusual compared to the black he always wore. Bennett donned a fitted white suit that made his dark hair striking against the contrast, and he wore an extravagant masque made out of white feathers. It was simple, elegant, and I knew exactly what he was.
A swan.
There had been something on my mind that I’d wanted to test, and I figured now, with liquid courage coursing through my veins, I might as well give it a try.
Dance with me.
Even from across the room I could see the little curve of his lip go up.
My heart tripled in speed as I inhaled a small gasp. I should’ve known, honestly. All the signs were there, I just chose to ignore them. I assumed it was all in my head. All those times when I felt like I’d heard Bennett whispering to me, I thought it was just intuition.
So, you’ve been getting my little messages all along. I was wondering if it was true, and it is. Turns out you’ve just been ignoring me.
I let out a laugh. Bennett, I don’t understand how this is happening.
I stood perfectly still as bodies writhed around me. Bennett slowly started to move towards me, dancers maneuvering around him. Each step toward me made my heart beat a little faster.
Bennett spoke to me through the connection, Remember that day in the training room, where we practiced being able to predict each other’s moves like the soldiers in Vicinus? Well, I lied at the time. Those soldiers that practice the ancient art of connection are from Vesper. That is where the legend of Eadem Anima, same souls, originally came from.
Holy shit, could that mean. . .
Bennett now stood in front of me, neither of us acknowledging what we were probably both thinking.
“You look—” His eyes traveled up and down my body, leaving a trail of goosebumps with the trace. “You look royal, Rhia. The epitome of perfection.” He stepped closer to me, reaching out his hand. “Dance with me?”
I looked at him through lowered lashes and placed my hand in his. He pulled me close to his body, resting his hand on my waist, sending a million butterflies into my stomach. I placed my other hand on his arms where I could feel the strain of muscle through his jacket.
Everything around me was a blur, except for Bennett. I followed his lead in the music and let him spin me around without a care in the world. Every time our bodies touched a shot of electricity struck my body, and each time we parted I was left craving more.
I let go of every worry, doubt, and fear that always found its home in my mind and just let myself dance. I laughed as Bennett picked me up and twirled me in the air. I let myself get lost in the moment, becoming one with the music and the man before me.
Right now, we weren’t an assassin and a prince, we were simply Rhia and Bennett. The responsibilities that defined us no longer weighed us down. Tonight, we weren’t two kids whose childhoods were ripped away from them and then replaced with a burden they didn’t ask for, yet never complained about baring.
