She tilts forward on her stool, watching Jeston with a furrowed brow. “Do you not think he has a beautiful neck?”
I glance at Jeston from over my shoulder. “His neck is fine.” You know who has a beautiful neck, though? Senan Vale. Stars. I could kiss that man’s neck forever. And his neck always smelled so good. Probably still does.
“Whose neck smells good?” Braith asks.
My hands fly to my loose lips. Oops. Definitely didn’t mean to say that out loud.
She pokes me in the side. “Have you been smelling Jeston’s neck?”
I catch her hands to keep her from poking me again. “No! I swear! I swear I haven’t. His neck is all yours.”
We both collapse in a fit of giggles. Stars, this drink is strong. You know who else is strong? Senan Vale. Those arms of his…I could lick them.
Ihavelicked them.
Maybe if I ask nicely, he’ll let me lick them again.
Someone taps my shoulder. “Would you like another pint?” Jeston asks, his face a little bit blurry.
“Another drink sounds wonderful.” You know what sounds even better? Dancing.
The bass pulses like a heartbeat; the melody spins like a siren’s song, calling all within earshot to their doom. The dance floor is filled with people, their arms lifted and twisting toward a black ceiling. Men and women, Scathian and Tuath. Here, it doesn’t matter who or what you are. All that matters is the dance.
As if she read my mind, Braith catches my hand. “I need to dance.”
When I stand, I have to steady myself against the edge of the table until the room stops swaying.
A bunch of stools clatter to the ground, and a horde of women swarm—not to the dance floor but over to the doorway. Braith and I squeeze between them and their cloud of floral perfume, our laughter falling into the void as we melt into the writhing crowd.
Jeston isn’t so bad when he isn’t being an ass. I don’thatethe idea of he and Braith falling in love. If it makes her happy, isn’t that all that matters? Happiness isn’t that easy to find in this world. “You know what you should do?” I shout over the music.
Braith’s eyes go so wide, I can see myself in her blown-out pupils. “What? What should I do? Tell me. Tell me.”
“You should tell Jeston how you feel.”
Her silver hair slaps her face when she shakes her head. “Oh, no. Nope. Can’t do that. He’ll avoid me for the rest of our days. I’d rather drown myself in the Solace.”
She can’t drown herself. I would miss her far too much. Yes, we barely know each other, but she is the first friend I’ve had since Wynn.
Stars, I miss Wynn. She would’ve loved Braith.
“You should tell him,” I insist. “Men aren’t nearly as intelligent as they think they are. When I met Sen—” Damn this loose tongue of mine. “When I metSimon,” I amend, “I had to tell him flat out that I wanted him to kiss me.”
Braith bumps into a woman dancing with another, their arms intertwined as their hips swing to the music. “This Simon you speak of. Is he the one who has you so down?”
“Yes.”
“What happened between the two of you?”
“He left me behind to marry another.”
“That bastard. He sounds like a right prick, if you ask me,” she shouts in my ear.
If Senan had been a prick, getting over him would’ve been a lot easier. “No. He was perfect.” Even now, even knowing heabandoned me, my stomach still flutters when I think of him. How pathetic is that? I’m pathetic.
Braith snorts. “Oh, please. If he was perfect, he wouldn’t have left you behind.”
After being in the castle, seeing his glamorous life and the woman he is to marry, I’m starting to understand. Senan must’ve realized I wasn’t good enough. I only wish he would’ve told me that he changed his mind instead of running away like a coward. Then again, if he’d stayed, maybe he would’ve lost his wings and magic too.