AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let’s not think about that yet,” Alistair whispers close to my ear, steering me toward the dance floor instead. “Dance with me.”
I nod because what else can I do? The tables around us are filled with alums and professors dressed in their finest, and I can feel their eyes on us, especially on me. It’s suffocating. For a second, I want to bolt, run back through those doors and never look back.
“Stay,” Charlie urges, his voice cutting through my rising panic. “It’s just a speech, right?”
“Right,” I echo, but it sounds hollow even to my own ears.
“Hey, look at me,” Alistair commands gently.
The rest of the world falls away as I lift my gaze to meet his intense gaze. There’s something in them that steadies me—a promise, maybe, or a command I’m compelled to obey.
He leads me to the dancefloor and pulls me tight against him, our bodies moving together as if they’re made for this. His hands are firm on my waist, guiding me, and I move in sync with him, letting him lead me all the way, just like he has since I first moved in with them. There’s electricity in the way our gazes connect, a tension that speaks of things unsaid, feelings unexplored.
“Good?” he asks, a corner of his mouth lifting into that half-smile that does things to me.
“Better,” I admit, because it’s true. With him, I can almost forget the sea of faces, the weight of expectations, the fear.
“See? Nothing to worry about,” Alistair says, but his eyes are sharp, watchful like he’s waiting for something to shatter the moment.
It sends panic bursting through me again. The faction will be out in full force. I want to run, to hide, but Alistair tightens his grip on me.
“Trust me,” he murmurs, spinning me out and then pulling me back in, a little thrill sparking in my chest at the sudden movement.
I lean into him, letting his confidence wash over me. Maybe he’s right. I can do this. But as the song ends and the applause rises, the stage looms again in my vision, and my courage slips away.
The last note of the song fades, and Alistair releases me with a nod that’s all business. I’m still reeling from the intensity whenBen steps up, his sandy hair a tousled halo in the dim light. He offers his hand, green eyes glinting with something like mischief.
“May I?” he asks, voice low and even.
“Sure,” I reply, slipping my hand into his. We move onto the dance floor, and it’s different with Ben—less about power and more about passion. His touch is gentle yet insistent as we find our rhythm.
Ben murmurs, his breath warm against my ear. “You’ve got this.”
I try to listen, to let go of the tension coiling inside me. He leads, and I follow, our movements becoming bolder and more fluid. Heat builds between us, a friction that sends goosebumps over my skin. I can’t look away from his mesmerising gaze as if he’s seeing right through me.
“Ben...” It’s all I manage before the music swells, drowning out my thoughts.
“Let the world fade away,” he says, and for a moment, it does.
The crowd, the stage, the fear—all of it melts into nothingness again. It’s just us moving together.
Before I have a chance to feel nervous again, Charlie steps in with a grin and an outstretched hand, waiting to whisk me away into a new tempo. I take his hand, and the change is instant—lighter, freer, like stepping into the sunlight after too long in the dark.
“Come on, Ever, show me what you’ve got!” Charlie teases, pulling me into a dance that has me laughing despite myself.
“Careful, or you’ll have us crashing into the dessert table,” I joke back, but he’s agile, keeping us clear of the other dancers with surprising grace.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says, eyes sparkling with laughter. “Can’t ruin your big night with a face full of cake.”
“Big night? More like a nightmare,” I confess, but Charlie shakes his head.
“Stop that,” he chides playfully. “You’re Ever Knight, a descendant of the great founders of KnightsGate. You own this room.”
“Easy for you to say,” I retort, but his words do bolster me a bit, lifting some of the dread that’s been clinging to me all evening.
“Trust me,” he insists, twirling me around once more. “You’re going to knock them dead.”
What worries me is this is going to knock me off my feet with panic.
