Page 73 of When Eden Falls

Dressed in a suit similar to the one Rooke was wearing but made of a golden lustre material, he looked the part of a glorious general. I watched him walk to the edge of the dance floor, elegant and powerful. His long white-blonde hair was pulled away from his face by a single braid. The light accentuated the sharp planes of his cheekbones and jaw, making him look savagely attractive.

I tried to focus my eyes on something else, anything, but they kept finding their way back to him. He smiled at a lone female, whose face reddened at the interaction. Another cluster of females stopped by him. He spoke to them attentively, albeit briefly, before moving on, inclining his head at several males in greeting. Stopping to survey the dance floor for several moments, a female stepped in front of him, stroking his arm in a coquettish manner while they spoke. Given this was some kind of courtship ball, a part of their mating season, he seemed uninterested in her. Eventually he smiled, bowed, and walked on, leaving her gazing in his wake. I realised she had been the female who gave me the look of disdain when I passed her earlier.

Flicking my eyes back to Dybgo, I found he’d stopped at theedge of the dance floor again, but this time his eyes were locked on me.

Nux!

I hadn’t spoken to him since…

Suddenly, I felt hot—my mouth dry. I quickly turned and scurried back towards the potted plants next to the drink’s tables. Concealing myself behind one, I found Cora. She was humming happily to herself, nursing a glass of pink tipple.

She grinned when she noticed me. “This drink is delicious,” she said raising her glass. “The blue ones, not so much.”

“I think the blue ones are for the males.”

“Oh, really?”

I peered through the green leaves of the plant next to me. I couldn’t see Dybgo anymore. He was on the move again.

Zamya’s voice sounded behind me. “Cora, I told you to stop drinking those.”

Snapping my attention back, I eyed Zamya sceptically. “Why can’t she drink it?”

In an aggressive manner she pointed at the pink liquid. “That is not a standard drink.”

“It’s alcohol, Zamya,” Cora tittered. Was she drunk already?

“I think it’s more than that.” She looked at me. “The females aren’t drinking the blue ones and vice versa.”

“Yeah, we got that.”

“But why?”

“I don’t know, Zam.” I took in her frown, the anxiety eating away behind her eyes. “It’s a party. It’s the most human thing we’ve witnessed here. Try and enjoy it. Is it really as bad as you thought?”

“I’m worried about the drink.” She shot Cora an odd look.

“Oh Zam.” I reached for her arm. “There’s a dancefloor. You love dancing. Go and dance.”

She sighed and looked towards where the music was coming from. “I’m not sure. I’d rather not be on show.”

“Ahh, come on.” Cora emptied her glass, grabbed Zamya’shand, and pulled her towards the dancefloor. Given she was highly sceptical about the whole situation, Zamya didn’t put up much of a fight.

“Let’s go shake our booties!” Cora’s voice carried over to me and I laughed, watching her force Zamya onto the dancefloor. Zamya stood rigid for a few moments, glancing over her shoulder to find me, but Cora pulled her further in.

Rotating her hips to the strange music, Cora mimicked the females dancing a few paces from them, causing Zamya to laugh and the cobwebs of doubt to flutter away.

I smiled to myself, enjoying the moment. Content we were safe.

“Are you not intending on joining them?” The Akquarian accent directly behind me made my entire body freeze. Goosebumps trailed down my arms and across my stomach. I stared ahead for a moment, hoping he was a figment of my imagination.

Where had he come from?

Peering over my shoulder, I met the gold material of his jacket. Studying the intricate, swirling stitching, I felt my eyes strain against the pull to look up. “No. Not until I’ve had more of these.” I gestured to my drink and looked back towards the dancers.

A glimmer of gold appeared in my peripheral and I downed the rest of my drink. The nerves tingled up and down my legs, anticipating what was to come. He remained silent for several moments, pretending to watch the dance unfold. Eventually, he turned to me, grazing his fingers against my elbow. “Can we talk?” His tone was gentle, but expectant. “Somewhere a little less…distracting.” Sensing my apprehension, he added, “We don’t have to go far. The balcony edge is usually quieter.”

Still watching Zamya and Cora, I nodded. “Okay.” I’d always felt safe with him. He was no longer under the influence of Tektrasc, so I should be safe with him once again, right?