Page 14 of Demons and Darlings


Font Size:  

“Are you crazy?” I hissed. “I can’t dance! And this is very different from dancing at the bar!”

“I’ll show you.” He finished his drink in one gulp. “It’s not that different, and you seemed to be very competent at dancing last night. Come on.”

I didn’t have time to resist. Alek grabbed my wrist and pulled me after him, only stopping when we were in the middle of the crowd.

“Put your arms around my neck,” he whispered. Heat was already flooding to my face, but I did what he said anyway. My hands fell awkwardly on the back of his neck.

Alek gripped my waist and pulled my body to his. I hated the way I gasped under his touch. Did he feel it, too? The electricity of his touch?Of course he doesn’t,I thought. He was used to this.Iwas the odd one.Iwas the sheltered one.

“Good,” he whispered. “Now, relax. Follow my lead.”

“What does that even mean?” I hissed back. “I’m going to look like an idiot!”

That damn smile.“Trust me, you’ll look even worse if you don’t at least try. My father needs to believe we actually like each other, and everyone’s watching.”

A long breath escaped me.Relax, Lyra,I told myself.He’s just a guy. One dance won’t kill you.

I softened under his touch, letting the warmth of his hands on my bare back guide me. Our chests were nearly pressed together as he began to move, just barely, around the dance floor.

“Natalie told me magic would enforce a deal with a demon,” I started, looking all around the dance floor but never at Alek. “What does that mean?”

I felt his breath on my cheek as he took another step, pulling me with him. “It means we’re connected now. Imagine a small, invisible tether connecting my soul to yours. I’ll be able to… sense you now. It’s to ensure you could never escape our deal. You won’t be able to run away.”

I stole a glance at him. “That sounds… scary,” I mumbled.

“Maybe,” he said, his lips twitching with a smile, “but it could come in handy.”

“Do you feel anything?” I asked. “Like, right now? Can you feel the tether?”

When he didn’t respond, I met his eyes. It took all of my willpower to not look away. His gaze was as strong and intimidating as ever, but I was supposed to be his date. I was supposed to stare into his eyes, especially if his father was going to believe this.

His finger traced a small circle on my back. I shivered. “Do you want me to feel something?” he whispered. He traced another circle.

My mouth fell open.Was he trying to flirt with me? Or was he just being an arrogant asshole?

He glanced above my head for a second before saying, “We’re being watched. Follow my lead.”

He took one more step and dropped my body backward, pulling us into a low dip in the middle of the dance floor. My heart stopped beating.

I didn’t even flinch as he brought his face down, sending chills through every inch of my body as he brushed his lips against my jaw.

But before I could panic, Alek’s strong arms brought me back to his chest.

I didn’t have to fake the laugh that escaped me. A thrill of adrenaline flushed my body. My arm hung over Alek’s shoulder as he laughed, too.

To anyone else, I’m sure we looked like a romantic couple. My face was only inches from his, and I didn’t back away as he spun us around once more.

I was certain he could feel how I reacted to him. To his touch.

“Do you think we convinced them?” I said after the song had ended. I pulled out of Alek’s grasp.

“I think that was a pretty good start.”

We finished up the evening after two more glasses of champagne and an endless amount of fake conversations with strangers.

The people, or the demons, did more than just fear Alek. They respected him. Almost everyone bowed their heads, just slightly, before approaching him to say hello. It was a subtle act, but I noticed.

I also noticed the way hundreds of eyes followed me around the room the entire night. I was half-tempted to cross my arms over my chest and cover up more skin, but Alek’s hand in mine caused me to resist.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like