“It is,” he practically growled. “Are you sure we need to attend tonight?” He swayed closer to her, pressing his hips against hers, grinding his erection against her backside. “We could always send Brynleigh our regrets.”
For one fleeting moment, River allowed herself to think about doing just that. She could take Nikhail up on his promise and let him ravish her. She was certain she would enjoy it.
But this was her sister-in-law’s night. Brynleigh had worked so hard on this, and River wanted to support her.
“We can’t,” she said. “But how about this? We have a safe word, and once I say it, we can leave immediately.”
The Foundation’s fundraising ball was taking place on the third floor of the hotel. Thankfully, River had thought ahead and reserved them a room in the same building so they wouldn’t have to travel far once it was over.
“I like the sound of that.” Nikhail nipped her ear. “What word were you thinking?”
She rolled her bottom lip through her teeth. “How about ‘stars?’”
Even as she said the word, she couldn’t help but smile.
“That’s perfect.” Nikhail picked up his suit jacket, which was resting on the back of the chair, and pulled it on. “Then you have a deal. Say the word, and we’ll leave immediately. No questions asked.”
Maybe River should’ve takenNikhail up on his offer to stay in the hotel room. He found her dress distracting, but that was fair, because she foundallof him distracting. From the way he’d styled his raven-black hair to the midnight suit he’d donned for the occasion, Nikhail had never looked more handsome.
They’d been down in the ballroom for thirty minutes, listening to the introductory speeches, which had begun shortly after their arrival. Many of the faces were familiar, though several were missing. Tertia, for one. The Chancellor, for another.
River didn’t miss either of them.
Brynleigh was currently standing on the stage, her wings extended. Ryker was next to his wife, gazing adoringly at her as she welcomed everyone to the ball and thanked them for coming. This was the Foundation’s biggest event to date, she explained, and they hoped to do great things with the money raised that night.
With one hand, River held the glass of Faerie wine she’d been handed when she walked in. The other was holding Nikhail’s fingers. Clinging to him, really.
The show of possession wasn’t as much for her as for all the other women in this room. From the moment she and Nikhail entered the ballroom hand-in-hand, dozens of eyes had been trained on them. River had watched, jealousy bubbling up inside her, as several women and even a few men blatantly admired Nikhail.
The first one, she let pass, but by the fifth time she caught someone looking over her air fae, she’d wanted to scream at them to look away. He was hers, not theirs. Didn’t they know that?
There was a slight possibility, River conceded as she sipped her Faerie wine, that she was feeling possessive over Nikhail.
It was a natural fae reaction, or so she assumed. She felt as though she was acting rather reasonably, if she was being honest. Instead of screaming at everyone to stop looking at her air fae, she simply glared at them like a lady.
It helped that Nikhail was standing here with her, not them.Shewore his necklace, andshewas the one who was going to bond with him in a month’s time.
Still, if she let out a slight growl as a woman in a slinky navy-blue dress bumped into Nikhail’s hip with a sheepish “sorry,” who could blame her?
Shewasstill a fae, after all, and a Waterborn at that. A little jealousy never hurt anyone.
River listened with half an ear as Brynleigh wrapped up her speech, urging everyone to enjoy the ball. As the vampire stepped off the stage, an orchestra began to play, signaling the beginning of the dancing portion of the evening.
River and Nikhail made their way over to Ryker and Brynleigh, expressing their heartfelt congratulations on the evident success of the evening, before the couple was pulled into another conversation. Having been to several of these types of events in the past, River knew that it was unlikely they’d get another chance to speak with Ryker and Brynleigh tonight. They were in high demand.
Nikhail drew River towards the dance floor. “Will you do me the honor of dancing with me?”
She downed the rest of her wine, a pleasant buzz filling her, and placed her empty glass on the tray of a passing server.
“I’d be delighted,” she said, beaming up at the man who had stolen her heart.
Nikhail grinned and swept her into his arms. Just like the first time they’d danced, River was struck by how gracefully Nikhail moved. He was one with the music as he swept her across the dance floor.
One song melded into another, and before River knew it, they’d been dancing for over an hour.
Nikhail led her towards a table laden with refreshments. She sipped a fruity punch, the cool liquid soothing the dryness of her throat. While they were there, they were approached by an elf with silvery white hair. She wore a long white sequined dress that rustled as she moved. If she were a human, River would’ve put her in her fifth or sixth decade of life. For an elf, though… she must’ve been centuries old.
“Nikhail Galebringer,” she said with an air of warmth that had River wondering if the older woman knew Nikhail.