“I really can’t wear this,” Char heard Iris protesting from the hallway.
He swallowed. He’d been steeling himself and schooling his expression while he and Rath washed the dishes, determined not to give Rath the satisfaction of a dramatic reaction to Iris in that dress, and this was it.
“Oh, hush. It’s actually pretty sensible compared to what a lot of girls will be wearing.”
Elera stepped into the kitchen, pulling Iris along by her arm, and despite Char’s best efforts to prepare, his jaw dropped open.
The dress was tighter than he’d expected. Royal blue fabric hugged each curve and dip, concealing the amulet and not much else. Bare shoulders, bare arms, and the hem of the skirt ended mid-thigh, showing off more appealing curves in her bare legs, too.
If she hadn’t looked so uncomfortable, he might have gone on staring much longer.
But she seemed unsteady on her blue pumps, and her embarrassed blush wasn’t as cute to him when she was averting her eyes from everybody in the room, as if she’d done something wrong.
“I have to admit, you boys actually did a good job,” Elera said, adjusting Iris’ long, thick, chestnut brown hair to fall over one shoulder. “It couldn’t have been easy finding a dress that hid the amulet, but I can’t even tell it’s there.”
Char shut his mouth and walked toward them. “It wasn’t. You look great, Iris.”
Her brown eyes flicked up to him. “How long do I have to wear this?”
He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and took Iris’ hand. “A few hours, but don’t worry. I’ll stay with you. It’ll be fine.”
“We have to make this look like any other party,” Rath added. “Blend in. Although I don’t know how well that’ll work, since you’ll be the hot new girl on Char’s arm—”
“Don’t you have a dress to deliver?” Elera interrupted, shooting Rath a glare. Then her blue eyes returned to Iris and softened. “You’ll be fine, Iris. Char will take care of you.” She shifted her gaze to him, and her eyes sharpened again. “Or else.”
“Yes, I will, I promise. Thanks, Mother.”
He squeezed Iris’ hand, and to his pleasant surprise, she squeezed it back. Her shy smile was an even better surprise, even if she was directing it at his mother.
“Thank you for everything, Elera.”
His mother grabbed Iris and pulled her into a hug, giving Char a great view of Iris’ bare back. He followed her fair skin down her spine to the hollow at the small of her back, and then the dress returned to hide the rest from view, and he cleared his throat and looked away.
Rath had a point.
“Take care of yourself, Iris.” His mother released Iris and seized Char for another hug. “Come back as soon as you can.”
“I will, Mother.”
He took Iris’ hand again and led her out into the street, intertwining his fingers with hers and shortening his stride as she adjusted to walking in high heels. Keeping his head tonight would be another problem. Nervous or not, she was still gorgeous, and the prospect of spending the night dancing with her had the back of his neck warming.
He cleared his throat again. “Sorry. I know it isn’t what you’re used to, but it was the best I could come up with.”
Rath bounded up alongside them. “I’d like to say he’s lying, but he isn’t. Relax. After a drink, you'll really start enjoying yourself.”
Iris’ brown eyes flicked from Char to Rath and back again. “But the last time I had something to drink—”
“That was brandy,” Char intervened. “If you want a drink, I’ll make sure you get something lighter this time. And… it might actually be a good idea.”
She was tense, her shoulders rigid and her jaw tight. He didn’t want her spending the whole night like this, and he wanted to ease her nerves, but it felt too awkward to talk with Rath there.
When they neared Misa’s house and his brother went on ahead of them, Char gave Iris’ hand another reassuring squeeze. “I told you I’d teach you how to dance.”
“You said ‘when this is all over,’” she replied, her voice almost hidden by Misa’s squealing when she threw open the door. But this time, Iris’ shy smile was just for him.
He shrugged and grinned. “Plans change. Follow my lead.”
“I thought Char was making that up!” Misa was saying.
“Nope. And speak of the devil! Here he is.”
“Hey.” Char swaggered up to the door like this was any other party, tugging Iris along with him. “This is Rina.”
Iris glanced up at him and then looked at Misa, forcing a smile. “Hello.”
“Hello! I’m Misa. I haven’t seen you around before.”
“Well, my family’s kind of strict, so I’ve never really been to a party before.”
Misa laughed. “How did you meet Char, then? Never mind. Come on in. I just finished setting up, so you can get your drinks while I change.”
The music was already pumping from somewhere within the house, and when they followed Misa to the kitchen, they found bottles and glasses lined up on the counters. Rath selected a light wine and poured three glasses while Misa left to change.
“Just one each,” he said, handing Char and Iris theirs. “We all need to keep our heads clear, right?”
“Don’t chug it,” Char warned Iris. “Sip it.”
She held the glass at a distance by her fingertips, as if she were afraid of it. “You two go to a lot of parties?”
Rath shrugged. “We used to, before we had to start preparing for war. Things are at a standstill now because the mage made that offer to negotiate. Oh, but of course you wouldn’t know about that, Rina.” He emphasized the fake name.
“No, she wouldn’t, and we shouldn’t talk about it, anyway,” Char concurred. “We’re here to cut loose and show Rina a good time, right?”
Iris brought the glass to her nose and sniffed it. “The kind of good time my family wouldn’t approve of?”
Char saw a hint of a smile on her lips, and he smirked. “That depends on how strict they are.”
“Oh, Rath, I love it!” Misa exclaimed, bursting into the kitchen. She twirled around, her silver hair fanning out around her as the gold and silver shimmered across the black fabric.
Rath grinned. “I told you black goes with everything.”
Iris blushed and looked away when he kissed Misa. There was a knock at the door, and Misa pulled Rath after her to answer it.
Char chuckled. “There’ll be a lot of that tonight.”
Iris looked up at him and bit her lip. “Really?”
He couldn’t help himself. He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. “You’re beautiful, Iris.”
She blushed and averted her eyes. He wanted to kiss her again, but he sipped his drink as she sipped hers, wondering if he’d made a mistake.
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Sure, she looked good, but he didn’t like her being this uncomfortable.
Voices were coming from the hallway, and before too long, people were pouring into the kitchen, getting their drinks and leaving or forming groups and talking. Char fielded greetings and introduced Iris under her pseudonym, and she said polite hellos to the many curious party guests. Rath was right. She was attracting a lot of attention, and Char already had at least five men pegged as ones who would try to cut in with her on the dance floor.
Then the pink-haired girl from the night before appeared.
He felt himself stiffen. People from the magic school weren’t supposed to be here.
He glanced at Iris, but pink-hair leaned on his arm, and he realized she only had eyes for him. And chances were good she’d never seen Iris, anyway.
“Char, I was hoping to see you tonight.” Pink-hair wrapped her hands around his arm and batted her eyelashes at him. “Why are you hiding in here? Let’s dance.”
He shook her off. “Sorry, not tonight.” He turned his back on her and drained his drink, setting his glass on the counter and taking Iris’ half-drunk glass from her hand. She looked up at him with those big brown eyes as he set her glass next to his. Then he looped his arm around her waist, feeling a shiver run through her when his fingers brushed against her bare skin. “Let’s go.”
“Maybe I can just sit this one out?” she asked, clinging to his side.
“Nope. If I let you go, somebody else will be after you.”
He led her out of the kitchen to the dance floor, where Rath and Misa were at the center of everything again, dancing back to front and flush with each other.
Iris’ brown eyes widened. “Char…”
He pulled her into a corner and turned to face the crowd, but she’d done the same, and his eyes wandered to her bare back again. Her hair covered more of it than he liked. He brushed it away from her neck without a thought and felt another shiver run through her. She looked back at him, but she didn’t move away. Emboldened, he smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him.
“Relax,” he murmured into her ear. “It isn’t that hard. You just move with the beat. If you watch for a few minutes, you'll get the idea.”
Her rosy red cheeks were so adorable. “I think you’re getting ideas.”
He smirked. “Maybe.”
“Char…”
He kissed her neck. “Yes, Rina?”
“Why Rina?”
“I don’t know.” He nuzzled into her neck, inhaling her scent. His mother’s soap and something else, something distinct. “I like your other name better.”
She leaned into him, soft and unresistant. “You really are trouble.”
He lifted his face from her neck, and her pink lips were right there, parted and within reach of his. Her brown eyes met his, the lights catching the flecks of gold and making them dance before her eyelids fluttered closed. He grinned and kissed her. The wine lingered, bitter and sweet, and the music was pounding with his heart.
“Let’s dance, Iris.”
“Rina,” she corrected him in a breathy voice.
She was drunk, he realized as he led her to the edge of the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck with no prompting, lifting her shining eyes to his, and he knew he wasn’t just trouble. He was in trouble. She had no tolerance for alcohol, and she was more intoxicating than any drink. He settled his hands on her back, and her soft curves pressed against him, swaying with the music as her hair tumbled over his hands, and then she licked her lips, wetting them and begging him for a kiss. When he did, there was no bitter anymore. Only sweet.
He lost track of time.
When she finally yawned and rested her cheek against his chest, he realized it was long past midnight, and he remembered what tonight was supposed to be about. The crowd was thinning; the music was slowing.
But this still worked, he told himself. He and Rath weren’t ones to leave a party early, anyway.
Although he didn’t see Rath anywhere.
Or Iris’ shoes. She’d kicked them off at some point.
That didn’t matter, though. What mattered was getting her out of here now, and carrying a shoeless girl who’d passed out wasn’t unusual at these things.
He scooped her up. “Time to go.”
“Already?” She yawned again, struggling to keep her eyes open.
He chuckled. “You’re exhausted.”
“Mm, I guess I am.”
He carried her out into the dark, through the empty streets to the barracks, as if she were any other girl he was sneaking into his room. Except she wasn’t. Getting caught with her would mean her return to the magic school and severe punishment for him.
At least he didn’t have to worry about her making any noise. She was half asleep.
His heart was pounding as he peeked around corners and hurried down stretches of dim hallways, holding his breath until they’d made it to his shared living quarters with Rath, where a large bundle of blankets awaited them on the coffee table. He laid Iris on the sofa, but she grabbed the front of his shirt and locked him in a passionate kiss. It took everything within him to push her away.
“Not now, Iris. We have to go.”
She pouted. “But then you’re leaving me, aren’t you?”
“Only for a little while.” He turned toward the bundle and untied the twine, peeling the layers apart until he found her clothes. Elera really had bought her an entire wardrobe.
Iris giggled. She was leaning toward the coffee table at a dangerous angle. “I can’t wear all that. What if you just wrap me up in blankets, and I’ll hold the amulet?”
“We may have to do that. Here. Either sit up straight or lie down.” He pushed her shoulders back, fixing her posture so that he didn’t have to worry about her falling, and then he took one of his shirts and piled her clothes in that, buttoning it closed and tucking the neck and waist into the middle. Then he tied it shut with the sleeves and followed that up with the twine for good measure. “Hold this.”
She took it, and he started draping the blankets over her. “This is really hot.”
“Good. Wait here.”
He went out to the hallway and checked the route to the flight cavern, and when he returned, Iris was right where he’d left her. Perspiration slicked her forehead, and the glaze of alcohol was leaving her eyes.
“Where are you taking me?”
He scooped her into his arms. She was much heavier with all the blankets and clothes weighing her down. “Don’t worry about it. Just keep quiet.”
He half-walked, half-ran to the flight cavern, setting her down when they were inside and pushing the stone door closed behind them. A storm was brewing outside. Freezing wind swept into the cave and whipped up her hair, dusting the cave entrance with snowflakes that looked very much like her signature.
Her signature.
That gave him an idea.
A place with a strong magical barrier would be ideal to try to prevent the mage from tracking her location, and none of his shared hideouts with Rath had that. But he knew of a place that did.
Although these were not ideal conditions for flying. But that meant even if somebody saw them leaving, nobody would be foolish enough to follow.
He brushed her hair back from her face. “Are you holding the amulet?”
She looked up at him with those dark brown eyes, the flecks of gold hidden in the shadows, and she nodded. “Yes.”
“Do you trust me?”
Another nod.
He gave her one last kiss, and then he pulled the blankets up over her head and stepped back, forcing the ice through his veins for the transformation. She stood still, staring up at him from under her hood of blankets, and he picked her up and headed for the exit, launching himself out into the blizzard.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOfKpHGUOA
