Shit! I’d completely forgotten about the love bites Casimir had left on my neck.My cheeks turned, if possible, even redder.
Gwen’s mirth reached an unbearable height as she released a peal of laughter, her eyes positively swimming with tears.
“Gwen!” I growled her name reprovingly.
After what felt like several minutes, Gwen managed to repress her laughter and reassured me in as solemn a manner as she could muster. “Don’t worry, we can cover that with some concealer. We can’t have you wearing Casimir’slove bitesall night, can we?” Her lips twitched at the corners, and then she relented. “But out of respect for you, I will try to repress my happiness for you. At least for tonight.”
“Thank the gods for that,” I replied dryly. Desperate to evade Gwen’s smug glances, I fled to the showers, taking far longer than was necessary to gather my dignity beneath the hot water before returning to our room to change. If Casimir was to be believed, the blood ritual would take place in less than fourteen hours, at the stroke of midnight.
As destroying theBook of Ereboswas no longer an option thanks to my bloodbargain, Casimir and I agreed we should stash it in my dormitory, if only temporarily. Devereaux wouldn’t think to look in a location he’d already searched thoroughly. After the blood ritual failed, we could find a more permanent hiding spot. While Gwen was distracted, I stood on my bed and pushed open a loose tile in the ceiling, slipping the book inside. My task complete, I could now focus on getting ready to attend the ball. With Casimir. My nerves were already raw and buzzing with anticipation.
Casimir planned to meet me at Ash Hall, and together we’d make our way to the grand ballroom alongside Gwen and Neha. This was the first time Gwen and I had attended such an extravagant affair, and while I didn’t typically relish wearing tight-fitting garments and heavy jewelry, it was hard to deny how elegant I felt when I slipped the silver dress over my head.
After clasping the serpent necklace around my throat, I took in my reflection in the mirror.
The dress itself was a masterpiece of contradictions, all smooth silk and cold chainmail, feminine elegance and hard steel. Icy chains brushed against my skin each time I moved. The silver of the dress made a striking contrast with my dark hair and brown eyes, and under the ballroom lights, I could imagine how my pale skin would glow as though swathed in moonlight. Instinctively, Casimir had known exactly which colors would enhance my features while ensuring the design of the garment itself didn’t overpower me.
I delayed slipping on my heels until the last possible moment, given how towering and uncomfortable they were.
Gwen’s burgundy dress made a stunning complement to her sparkly makeup and bright pink hair. At her insistence, I allowed her to line my eyes with a thick, coal black pencil and apply mascara to my lashes. Instead of opting for a deep burgundy, as she had done, she instead painted my lips a pale pink so as to allow my eyes to remain the focus of the look. As promised, she covered the love bites on my neck with a generous amount of concealer.
When she was finished, I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, shocked by how large and bewitching my dark eyes were rendered by her expert hand.
“You’ve seriously outdone yourself, Gwen,” I complimented her. “Really.”
She beamed with pleasure. “I know.” Then, scrunching her nose in distaste, added, “Are you sure you want to wear that bracelet? It’s a bit heavy with the rest of the ensemble.”
I glanced down at the heavy metal bracelet. True, it was ugly but unfortunately necessary to conceal the rune on my arm. I shrugged in response.
Once more, my gaze fell to the cold silver coiled around my throat, the serpent’s narrow green eyes glaring back at me from the clasp. Just like the first time I’d worn it, the necklace felt like a heavy braid of ice against my skin. Like an omen of what was to come, the Book’s cryptic warning wound through me:
Beware eyes of venom, the winding coil’s twist, and death’s slithering kiss.
I repressed an involuntary shiver, tearing my eyes away from the mirror and moving to answer a soft knock at the door.
Casimir stood on the threshold, looking as though he’d been summoned by Hades himself; all midnight hair and obsidian eyes, and that indescribable aura I’d come to associate with his magic glimmering faintly around him. I was momentarily robbed of speech. He even smelled amazing—like smoke and some subtle aftershave. He’d clearly bathed since I’d last seen him.
A dull heat rose to my neck as I recalled the things we had done in his bed only this morning, how my skin still smelled like him, in spite of the shower. The small gasps and noises he’d made when I touched him, the way his muscles had responded beneath my fingertips?—
I glanced up to see a twin blush rising high on Casimir’s cheekbones, but thankfully, his embarrassment did not interfere with his command over the English language.
“Hi,” he murmured, offering me a crooked smile that nearly made me melt.
I smiled gormlessly and stepped aside to allow him entry, only to find Gwen watching the pair of us with an expression of undiluted glee on her face.
“Casimir!” she trilled, throwing her arms around him in a violent bear hug. Startled by her sudden embrace, Casimir stiffened for a moment; then, recollecting himself, gave her a half-hearted pat on the back. I fought back a snort of laughter. Gwen, apparently not noticing his rigid response, drew back to beam at him.
“It’s very nice to see you again,” she said. “I hope you haven’t been keeping our girl from her beauty rest, though? She does look rather tired.”
Which made Casimir and me both go pink.
Gwen’s date, Neha Iyer, arrived a few moments later, and we headed off to the ballroom. I hadn’t seen her since that day she’d handed me Casimir’s note. Tonight she wore a simple green dress that brought out the cool tones in her olive brown skin. Neha’s striking appearance had a curious effect on Gwen. At once, she lost her giggling demeanor and adopted a silent reverence akin to someone in the presence of awe-inducing, almost sacrilegious beauty. Casimir and I shared a knowing smirk.
I was jangling with nerves by the time we reached the staircase that took us to the grounds. Shit, maybe this was a terrible idea. Noting how my brow was furrowed in anxiety, Casimir reached for my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Questions flurried in my mind like a cauldron of tittering bats. Would Evren seek me out tonight with the intent of demonstrating his powers in front of the Order? Or would the blood ritual take priority over his ego? What if I couldn’t give a convincing enough performance? And worst of all, how would Casimir react?
“I want to witness the look on his face when he sees how I make his mortal girl scream,”Evren had said.