Ilyan plunged us through the door and didn’t slow down as we approached the ballroom that housed the party. The hall light dimmed as we got closer until we were moving through a faintly lit hallway, the flashing lights of the party reflecting out of the open door and onto the wall in front of us. I kept my gaze on the dancing lights, trying desperately to keep my head on straight while still focusing on the dynamic energy that was building under my skin.
Ilyan stopped abruptly before we made it to the main hall and threw me roughly against the wall. I tensed; this wasn’t part of the plan, and the look on Ilyan’s face suggested trouble. He pressed his body against mine, every inch of him, from his shoulders to his toes, pressed against me. His hand grabbed one of mine and restrained it above my head.
My body froze; this unwelcome invasion of my privacy sent angry surges of magic vibrating under my skin. I tried to pull away from him, but he held me roughly in place, his grip increasing. I looked up to him in a panic, just as he leaned forward to place his cheek against mine. My heart thudded uncomfortably.
“Close your eyes and pretend that this is natural for us.” His voice was rough in my ear as he nuzzled his face into my neck, his warm breath running across my skin. I fought him, and his grip increased, his body pressing more firmly into mine. It didn’t hurt, but the pressure was definitely unwelcome.
“Do you want to get us caught?” he hissed. “Do what I say. Someone is coming.”
I let my lids drop over my eyes and raised my hand to cup his neck. My heart beat erratically as I felt the negative energy pulse toward us, heavy footsteps announcing the arrival of someone I didn’t want to see.
“Keep them closed,” Ilyan instructed as he moved his head, hoping to mimic the look of an intimate kiss against my neck. I screwed my face up into what I hoped was a pleasurable expression as the negative power hit its peak. Ilyan intertwined his fingers with mine and pushed against me harder, the ridge of the wall pushing into my bare back.
Ilyan didn’t wait for whoever had passed us to get very far before pulling me beside him and leading me into the large hall.
I stopped in place. The main ballroom had been transformed into a night club. I no longer felt out of place with my hair and clothing. Flashing lights flickered and vibrated to the beat of the music, lighting the mosh pit as everyone moved together in some odd semblance of a dance.
I didn’t have time to linger as Ilyan pulled me into the crowd, a hundred other bodies instantly pushing against us. He moved us deep into the writhing mass, enclosing us within it. The lights flashed and pulsed as the crowd danced and moved against everyone around them.
Ilyan pulled me into him, his hands fanning out on the bare skin of my back as he moved me against him in a seductive dance. I fought the urge to shy away from him. I cursed my clothes; he wasn’t the only person who would be acquainting themselves with my body tonight. I felt sick.
“Remember to play the part, Siln?. Rich, powerful. And don’t touch him unless you know it’s him. I don’t need Edmund to be able to trace you.” I nodded as he whispered in my ear, his hand moving up to cup my cheek for just a moment. “I’ll be close by.” He looked into me, his finger running the length of my jaw bone.
I looked up and screwed my jaw in defiance, my eyes opening in a seductive powerful way that I hoped fit the look Wyn had given me. I popped my hip and squared my chest, trying desperately to mimic the ridiculous movements I had seen Cynthia McFadden do every day of my life. Ilyan nodded once in approval before turning from me, leaving me alone in the crowd.
I couldn’t let my nerves get to me. I kept my jaw tight, my other facial features soft and wide as I began to move through the crowd. I was passed from person to person as I made my way through the throng of tightly packed people. I mimicked the sensual daces as I moved against the bodies that pressed against mine in ways that made me blush. I never wanted to be in a place like this again. I was here for Ryland, and that was enough.
A hundred faces blurred together as they danced, each one with hooded lids and open mouths in some drugged-out ecstasy. I danced through bodies so carefully entangled I could never be sure exactly what they were doing. I skirted around couples who had fallen to the floor in a blissful madness that I never wanted to see again. I moved through them, hoping my alert face and body didn’t give me away.
I had almost reached the edge of the wall of people when someone grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into them. My face fell out of place in fear as I whipped around, expecting some attacker. Instead, I looked into the face of Ryland’s friend, Tyler. He held me tightly to him as he looked down in pompous ignorance. His face looked like all the others: glossed over and void of all normal expression. I moved with him for a minute, trying to plan my escape when he leaned down to nibble on my ear. I jumped back in repulsion, remembering all too well what Ryland had told me about private school boys.