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My mind went to my conversation with Anastasia, about being able to tell a man’s potential mate apart from the crowd.
He wouldn’t be able to look away from her.
We continued dancing, and his gaze moved every time we turned, his eyes lingering on my friend.
Could they be…
I opened my mouth to ask aloud, but the dance ended.
It was probably for the better. Sebastian wasn’t looking for a woman to spend his life with; if he wanted one, he would’ve already gone looking for his potential mate in the city.
I removed his mask from his face and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He gave me a small, quick smile, followed by a shallow bow, and then strode across the room.
In the opposite direction from Brynn.
Maybe I had just been imagining the whole thing.
The night went on,and on, and on.
As promised, Anastasia brought me coffee at a few different points. When I told her my feet were killing me, she took my heels and told me to dance barefoot. I was too amused that my mother-in-law had stolen my shoes to protest.
I danced—and laughed—with Zander as he swept me around the room, spinning me too many times and making me grin even wider. Our dance went on longer than the rest, but I had no problem telling my mate from his brother, even in his demon form and mask. Zander’s hair was longer and much more rumpled than Rafael’s current cut, and he just seemedwilderthan my mate and their oldest brother.
All night, I felt eyes on me. Rafael’s eyes, everyone else’s… I couldn’t have told you whose they were, but I felt them constantly. I was technically the reason the party was happening at all, but still. It was a strange feeling.
The party’s magic faded as the night went on, and I grew sweatier, annoyed with my dress, and tired of touching random men. There wasn’t a way out, though, so I kept going.
It caught me off guard when I handed the last man his mask and a large, warm hand landed on my shoulder. Usually, the guys just tapped my arm or stepped in front of me.
My body relaxed immediately at the touch, and my lips curved upward automatically.
The man I’d just danced with strode into the crowd, and the one with a hand on my shoulder slid his hand down to mine, catching my fingers in his before spinning me to face him.
I stumbled, but he caught me smoothly, pulling me close. My chest met his, and his free hand found my lower back.
Rafael was in his demon form, which made my body flush. He lowered his head, and his lips brushed my ear. Goosebumps broke out along my skin at the contact, and I found myself leaning closer.
“You are the most stunning woman I have ever seen, Tater-tot,” he murmured. “Even if you smell like an assload of other men.”
A laugh escaped me, and he pulled me closer, brushing his lips over my cheek before pulling back enough to sweep me across the room.
I had learned enough about dancing as a kid to keep up with my partners for the most part throughout the night. But, with Rafael, it was simple.
Instinctual.
My body responded to the light pressure he put on my lower back. I turned when he wanted me to turn, and when he dipped me, it felt natural rather than scaring the shit out of me or catching me off guard.
When the dance neared its end, I noticed the music had gone quiet, and the whole room seemed to have gathered around us. My gaze found Anastasia, for the smallest of moments, and I saw tears in her eyes.
Emotion welled in my chest as Rafael dipped me one last time. His lips curved upward just a little, and he murmured, “Ready?”
“So ready,” I whispered back, earning a grin.
He eased me back to my feet, released me, and then swept in a low bow before straightening.
With a smile still on my face as well, I lifted my hands like I was going to slip his mask off—then grabbed his face, and kissed him.
The entire room erupted in cheers, the sound loud enough to shake the floor beneath our feet as Rafael kissed me back.
