As we approached the buffet tables, Dominic handed me a slice of strawberry shortcake from Schubert's. I recognized it instantly by the round candy logo perched on top. My eyes widened in disbelief.
"How...?" I looked across the room, scanning for Luke. He hadn't moved away from his discussion with Valenia, but I caught his eye. How had he even known? I lifted the plate of strawberry shortcake, silently thanking him. He smiled faintly before Valenia steered him back into their conversation.
I piled my plate with more cakeâopera cake, chocolate mousse, Swedish princess cake. I figured if I ate enough cake, it would keep me from trying to find Ciaran again to do more of... whatever that was.
"You're gonna regret that," Adrian warned, glancing at the heap in front of me. I laughed, because what he said fit so well with what I was thinking.
"Schubert's has magical flour. Calories don't count," I said, taking a huge bite.
Adrian shook his head, but he put his arm around me, and the comfort was welcome. I found myself leaning against his shoulder.
Then, Dominic pried the plate from my hands. After he set it aside on a table, I hissed at him just like a ring-obsessed golem would and cried out, "No! My preciouses! You dare!"
"How about you dance with me instead," Dominic said with a chuckle as he took my hand.
I was about to agree, but then I saw Valenia coming towards us, her robes billowing around her like storm clouds. She seemed upset. "Please come this way. You should mingle with the other Elect. They are your competitors. You should get to know them."
Her gaze sharpened. "And with that display on the dance floor, you've already put yourself in a bad light."
I held Dominic's hand as I turned to her and answered in a frosty voice. "I'm sorry, but I don't really care. I was just about to dance with Dominic, Your Holiness."
Valenia waved her hand dismissively, her gaze drifting to the crowd. "These gatherings can be tiresome for those unaccustomed to our ways. The intricacies of court life can overwhelm even the most seasoned of us. But you are... adapting, I hope?"
The way she said it made my spine stiffen. I'd only been here for a day. What could I learn? Still, I lifted my chin in defiance. "I'm learning."
"Good," she said, as though praising a child for mastering a simple task. "It will serve you well." Her tone was soft but patronizing. "Competition, after all, can be unforgiving."
I glanced at the others. "I've never been a fan of pageantry."
Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second before returning, as though she were indulging me. "Such innocence... You are still new to our world. In time, you will come to appreciate the balance between power and grace." Her eyes flicked to Dominic. "Though your... companions may lack the understanding of such things."
I bristled at the veiled insult but bit back my retort.
"Tell me, Elect Madeline," she continued smoothly, turning her attention fully back to me, "do you understand what it truly means to be chosen? To bear the weight of your court and the expectations of our people?" Her words dripped with a patient superiority, as if she expected my answer to fall short.
"I think I'm starting to," I replied, trying to fight against sneering at her.
She glanced at my court, her expression unreadable, but I could sense her judgment. Then she gave me a knowing smile, the kind that made me feel small despite my best efforts. "Go, child. Mingle with the others. You still have much to prove."
I shrugged. "I'm here participating against my will. Not sure what mingling will get me."
Valenia's veneer of graciousness dropped, and she scowled. "You know Emerlee has complained to me about her claim on Luke."
My brows raised. "Oh?"
"You should release him."
Fat chance of that. My roots already had him tied. Still, I answered, "I think that's up to Luke."
Valenia's eyes flashed, and I remembered what Luke said about the temple expecting me to obey. Fat chance of that, especially when she went on to say, "Men do not have the forethought to make their own decisions; that is why we make them for them."
She gave me a condescending smile, as though I'd agree now that she'd given me her explanation.
My eyes squinted at her. What the heck? Men don't have the forethought to â What?? I didn't like her, her ringlets, or her uncomfortable hat. "I believe in choice, and that's all there is to it."
I narrowed my eyes, my irritation flaring. "I believe in choice, and that's all there is to it."
Her smile faded, just for a moment, and I saw the flicker of disapproval before her mask of calm returned. "It's a shame," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, "that you are not from our world. Perhaps, with time, you will come to see things differently."
She turned then, her robes swirling around her like a tide pulling back, leaving me feeling both relieved and infuriated. I didn't agree with her. Not at all.
As I followed Valenia, a group of giggling ladies rushed up to Adrian, Dominic, and Luis, cutting them off from following me. I glanced back, suspicion prickling my skin. Something wasn't right. Then I spotted Emerlee, practically glued to Luke, her voice raised as she gestured wildly. Whatever she was saying, it wasn't calm or pleasant. But Valenia continued to lead me away, her pace as regal as ever.
We approached a small group near one of the tables, where Regina stood with another woman who looked younger, possibly in her late teens, with frizzy strawberry-blonde hair. They were discussing the cake slices in their hands, both with an air of disdain.
"This cake has far too much vanilla and nowhere near enough sweetness," Regina declared, her tiny mouth twisting into a disapproving frown.
The other girl nodded, shoveling more of the cake into her mouth, even as she wrinkled her nose. "And the frosting is too rich. I don't like it." She licked the fork clean, then wrinkled her nose again, as though that would make up for her overeating. The crumbs were already dotting her robe, which, unfortunately, matched mine.
I glanced down at the gray robes we were all wearing and felt a pang of solidarityâquickly obliterated when they dissed my favorite bakery.
"Then don't eat it," I said, unable to help myself.
The two girls looked up, their eyebrows nearly disappearing into their hairlines as they took me in. Regina's sharp eyes glittered with amusement as Valenia cleared her throat, attempting to restore the formal mood.
"Regina, Marisol, I wanted to bring over the Elect Madeline to make your acquaintance. I noticed neither of you came to greet her earlier during the announcement."
"Oh, was that necessary?" Marisol drawled, giving a dramatic eye-roll. "I only came because Papa dragged me here. You know, Holiness, I would have much preferred my own ceremony at the temple. More... elegant."
"Well, then why come at all?" I shot back. "No one's forcing you to stay."
Valenia clicked her tongue softly, her gaze sharp as she regarded both Regina and Marisol. "I expected more decorum from daughters of Duir. Surely, you can extend a proper welcome."
Marisol gave a little snort and walked past me, bumping into me as she did. I turned my head to watch her leave and noticed that Erick was storming over to us.
"My Lady, what are you doing without an escort?" he fumed, then he bowed low to Valenia and the shrews.
"Relax," I said. "Go back to noodling with Beth and let me handle my business."
Regina tittered behind a blue silk fan. Her laugh was a pretty, trilling sound. "You should let your males do their duty. It would be a shame if I defeated you because you wouldn't let them. "
"Come at me, Regina, I dare you." My eyes narrowed at her.
"I've decided I might like you. So after I've defeated you, I may let you live." Regina flashed a grin at me.
"Humph. Because you bashed my favorite bakery, if I win, I'll make you eat every kind of slice of Schubert's cake at once." Then I realized my threat was less menacing and blushed. Later that night, I was sure that a thousand better responses would keep me awake.
Her laughter trilled. "Horrors. I must run away."
While still laughing, she turned and left. As she left, two men followed after her. It was the twins from the airplane. Tweedle Dee gave me a narrowed stare, which I returned.
Valenia didn't look too upset that the women had dissed me then left. She gave me a small nod and left after them.
While I fumed, I noted that Erick was still standing beside me. After feeling a little empathy earlier in my room about his geas, I still wasn't sure how to feel about him. My emotions were all over the place, but I still didn't want him next to me.
"Please let me watch over you," he said in a desperate plea. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I don't care, Erick. You don't get to hang out with me." My cake was souring in my stomach.
He tried to take my hand, but I shook him off. "I make an oath right here that I will die for you, should an occasion arise that I must," He declared, and his expression was stark. It made him look more beautiful, like a tortured angel, and I hated him for it.
I sighed wearily. "Stop it. I can't deal with you right now."
"Wait." He touched my shoulder.
I didn't wait. I practically ran back to Dominic, who stared at me with concern from the buffet area.
Erick followed behind me, still sputtering on about me needing an escort.
Luis was already glaring at Erick, ready to box him.
I realized I needed to calm down. My outrage would add gasoline to Luis's dark mood, which would, in turn, make me into an inferno of rage. So I grabbed Dominic by the arm and pulled him out onto a balcony.
Once I was out there, I hugged him. It was impulsive and probably wrong. I knew how he felt about me, and I wasn't sure what I felt about anyone right now.
I breathed in the cookie smell he always had on him. He was always baking sweets and thus smelled wonderful. It felt like home to me.
"You okay, Pumpkin?" He squeezed me, not at all unhappy about my mixed messages.
My lips curled up in a smile at his nickname. "No, but I think I should sell your hugs to the highest bidder. They're very effective."
"Don't you dare! I refuse your desire to traffic me to an underground hug market." He gave me a look of mock anger.
"Hey, I'd keep it on the up and up. I'd take care of you, babe." I made my voice sound sleazy as I leered at him. I felt my mood lifting as we bantered. This whole shindig was a disaster, but Dom was a champ about it.
Dominic chuckled softly against my temple, his lips grazing my skin in a way that sent a shock of warmth through me, a wave of comfort that I hadn't realized I'd been craving. How had I come to deserve this? Dominic, with his quiet devotion, his unwavering presence, was offering me something I hadn't asked for but desperately needed.
I leaned back, just enough to meet his gaze. His stormy eyes were filled with emotionâgray and tumultuous, like the sky before a fierce storm.
"Dominic..." My voice was barely a whisper, shaky with everything I couldn't bring myself to say. There was a lineâso thin it almost didn't existâbut I felt it there, trembling between us. I knew crossing it would change everything.
But his lips were so close, just a breath away. And the desire flooding into our bond from him... well, it was too delicious to resist.
Just like cookies.
His hand slid from my back to cup my cheek, his touch gentle but sure, and the world around us seemed to slow.
My pulse quickened. And then, before I could stop myself, I closed the distance.
His lips met mine, soft at first, like the brush of a whisper, but then his head slanted and his arm snaked around me. The kiss wasn't gentle anymoreâit was intense, a rush of warmth and longing that seared through me like lightning, leaving me breathless.
I melted into him, letting go of the uncertainty, the doubt, everything but this moment.
The connection between us pulsed, alive with an energy that surged through me, wrapping around my heart. His arm rested at the small of my back, pressing me against him as if he were afraid to let go.
I felt that ancient thing within me tug again. Dominic made a sound that was half groan of pleasure and half yelp of surprise. His arms wrapped more tightly around me as his body shook from need.
Time seemed to blur, and for that brief, burning moment, nothing else mattered. The world faded away, the ballroom, the people, the responsibilitiesânone of it existed. Just him, just us, lost in the kiss.
But then, a sudden, sharp crescendo of chimes rang out, jarring me back to the present and I let go of that shining thing I clutched in my mind. My eyes flew open, and I saw that the Elect were gathering, lining up in front of the dais as the crowd shifted to make way for the ceremony. Valenia stood before the altar, her eyes on me as if she knew exactly what had just transpired.
I took a step back, more rattled than I had been before, my lips still tingling from the kiss --my second kiss in my entire life -- heart pounding in my chest.
Dominic had kissed me. Really kissed me.
And I... what had I done in return?
"Madeline..." His voice was soft, confused, delighted... and still very much in the moment.
All the questions we both had were too heavy for me to process.
"Uh... I guess that's our cue," I said with a shaky laugh, glancing toward the ballroom, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. There was no time to unpack what had just happened, no time to deal with the line we had just crossed.
Dominic continued to look at me, his eyes at first filled with joy, and then puzzlement. He coughed lightly and spat out something.
Then he held it up for me to see.
It was a gray jewel that glowed like a moonstone.