Catastrophic Attraction - Eve Langlais Page 0,80
countess.”
“Why not hide like you did in Eden?”
“I can’t use magic to hide my face. Not here. They’d see through it in a moment. Might as well do what I’m known for.”
“Be an idiot?” she muttered, causing Tanzie to snicker.
“I would have gone with bold and dashing. Now shall we, my lady?” He held out his hand, and she lifted her chin.
If he could play a role, she could, too. “But of course, Your Majesty,” she purred as he helped her into the box.
It held a pair of facing benches, but he chose to sit beside her, the line of his body pressing against her. The box trembled as it rose and then began to move.
He talked low and quickly, reiterating the plan. “When we arrive, be aloof and snooty.”
“What do I say if they ask who I am?”
“Tell them you are the Countess Casey of the Marshlands.”
Her nose wrinkled. “No.”
“Then they won’t take you seriously.” The hovering box stopped shivering and settled on the ground with a light thump. The door opened, and Roark emerged first, turning to offer her a hand and helping her out.
She heard the gasps of some people nearby. The murmurs.
“Is that him?”
“Who is she?”
“I can’t read either of them.”
Words to make her worry, meaning she kept a tight clamp on her thoughts, imagining the thickest shield possible.
His fingers squeezed, and he softly murmured, “Easy, my lady.”
She tried to relax, but her brashness of before faltered as she found herself faced with luxury she’d never imagined. Eden’s castle was nice, but the place they stood in front of made it seem shabby.
The stairs that led to the grandest doors were made of glass, or so it seemed, and changed color with every step. The walls of the palace, the only word for the grand structure, rose in a sheer gleam of seamless stone broken up only by the brightly lit windows within it.
Then there were the people… Her gown appeared simple beside some of the bouffant examples they passed, male or female, in some cases neither. Their outfits varied in color and width. Many wore garish face paint that made her appreciate the simple makeup Tanzie had put on her. More than one eye followed Roark as they passed, avarice gleaming in the gaze.
He leaned close and muttered, “Watch yourself. More than few of them are wondering if they can get you alone for a ride.”
“I’ll gut them if they try,” she said in a mutter while smiling wickedly at a few.
“You might want to put a hold on being bloodthirsty until we make it out alive.”
“Sure, ruin all my fun,” she teased, faking a smile at someone who wouldn’t stop staring.
They entered the palace and found themselves in a vast space, the strains of music the result of a band playing on a stage at the far end. Bodies twirled, gauze and skirts flinging around along with a great deal of noise.
She hated it.
“I hate it, too.”
Startled, she glanced at him.
He smiled. “Not reading your mind, just your expression.”
“They seem so artificial,” she remarked.
“Many of them are. When people go to the ball, it’s usually wearing a different face.” He glanced down at her. “Sometimes you have to pretend to get what you want.”
“What if they see through it?”
He grinned as he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it, whispering against her skin, “Then it’s a good thing you’ve got a lot of knives.”
She shivered at his touch and kept her gaze on his mostly so she didn’t glare elsewhere. “I can feel them staring.”
“Because you and I have just changed their boring existences. Our arrival is the highlight of their day, month, even year for some.”
“That’s dumb.”
“That’s court. As you can see, there’s a reason why Eden eschews it. Shall we?” he said, bringing her into the throng of dancers.
“But I don’t know how,” she said, almost in panic as she watched the graceful motions.
“Do you trust me?” he asked, swinging her toward him that he might lay his hand on her waist like the other dancers.
Her heart raced. If she pulled away or made a scene… She could already hear the whispers. “Swamp rat.” “Ill-bred.” “Whore.”
It only made her determined to do this. If those stupid twats could dance, then someone as ambidextrous as she was could, too. “What do you need me to do?”
“Open your mind just a little.” The warm cloak of his presence smothered her, teasing along the barriers in her head. Let me in.
She would probably