25. Chapter 25

twenty-five

B astard. The word echoed in Nevander’s mind as he tugged at his cravat, the silk cool against his fingertips. For almost two weeks, he’d greedily devoured every moment with Kallessa, savoring her smiles, basking in the delight that danced in her eyes. Yet with every shared laugh, every stolen glance, the weight of his deception grew heavier.

Tonight, it would end. Thanks to Castien’s overzealous valet, the truth was inevitable. But for a few precious hours more, he’d cling to this dream, this fantasy of a life he could never truly have.

The ballroom swirled with color and sound, a dizzying cacophony of laughter and clinking crystal. Nevander stood at its edge, feeling both overdressed and exposed. The fine garments, once as familiar as his own skin, now felt foreign, a costume donned by a man he no longer recognized.

He caught his reflection in an ornate mirror, and a stranger stared back. Gone was the rugged soldier, replaced by a vision in deep green and gold. The mask of shimmering dragon scales accentuated his eyes, lending him an otherworldly air. His freshly shaven face, courtesy of Castien’s valet, who’d hacked away at his beard before Nevander could protest, felt naked, vulnerable.

Around him, the ball pulsed with life. Masked figures twirled and spun, a living kaleidoscope gliding across polished granite. The melody, celebrating the harvest’s end, wove through the air, both joyous and melancholic.

And then, through the sea of faces, he saw her.

Kallessa.

Even masked, she was unmistakable. The teal silk of her gown shimmered like sunlight on water, gold embroidery catching the light of a thousand candles. Nevander’s breath caught, his mouth going dry as his eyes traced every exquisite detail. She turned, speaking to someone, and the elegant twist of her mahogany curls exposed the graceful curve of her neck and back. His fingers itched to trace that line, to feel the warmth of her skin.

A steely resolve crystallized within him, something he hadn’t felt in years. His legs carried him forward before his mind could catch up, long strides eating up the distance between them. The crowd seemed to part, as if sensing the intensity of his purpose.

For this one night, this fleeting, magical moment, Kallessa would be his. He’d hold her close, memorize the rhythm of her heartbeat, the scent of her hair. And when the music faded, and the masks came off, he’d face whatever came next.

A thousand candles illuminated the grand ballroom, their light refracting through crystal chandeliers and casting a magical glow. Kallessa’s breath caught in her throat. Never had she seen anything so enchanting. Shimmering fabric shaped like dragons draped across the walls, while glittering three-quarter moon banners strung across the ceiling added a touch of whimsy. One entire wall boasted a table laden with an array of delicacies that made her mouth water. The room pulsed with life as masked dancers swung and spun to a staccato beat that set her own feet tapping.

For tonight, she could be anyone she wanted, the mask giving her glorious anonymity. The thought sent a shiver of excitement down her spine, reminding her of the scandalously open back of her gown. Only as someone else, someone who wasn’t little quiet Kallessa Dahoko, would she dare to wear such a dress. Once, Kallessa Wynlar would have worn it proudly.

Through the sea of masks and finery, she spotted Lady Tursam, distinguished by her walking stick. Dressed in shimmering white from head to toe, the older woman stood out against the candlelight like a ghost from another era.

“Good evening, Lady Tursam,” Kallessa said when she’d gotten close enough to be heard over the music.

The woman’s eyes narrowed momentarily before recognition dawned.

“Lady Kallessa, you look quite—colorful.”

There was a pause, as if Lady Tursam had meant to say something else. Kallessa was sure of it, but she didn’t push. Instead, she asked, “Have you enjoyed your week?”

The matron’s lips pursed. “Of course I have. What’s with the questions?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Kallessa felt her cheeks warm.

“How is your fiancé? What was his name?” Lady Tursam’s face twisted as if Kallessa were missing a joke.

“Nevander. He’s well, I believe.”

“Well, where is he? ”

Kallessa had been wondering the same thing, her nervousness growing with each passing moment in this unfamiliar crowd. “I’m not sure, my lady.”

Lady Tursam glanced about the room, her white mask glinting in the candlelight. “Go on, dance, while you’re young. This is no time to stand around chatting with old ladies. There will be time for that when you start to grow chin hairs.”

Kallessa bit back a startled laugh. Was Lady Tursam joking? She couldn’t tell. She curtsied and smiled demurely, but the older woman had already turned away, disappearing into the crowd.

A familiar sensation whispered down her back, a feeling she’d begun to recognize. She turned, her heart leaping into her throat.

There, before her, stood the most stunning man she’d ever seen. Spring-green eyes shone from behind a shimmering mask of dragon scales that accentuated their unusual color. His tousled golden hair looked glossy and inviting; her fingers tingled with the desire to touch it. His jawline was smooth and strong, his lips curved in a devastating smile that stole her breath. The dark suit fit his muscular body to perfection, and she felt heat rushing to her cheeks.

He stepped closer to her, his scent of clove and cedar filling her senses, and took her hand in his.

“May I have this dance, my lady?”

The world around them faded, the colors and sounds of the ballroom rushing back only when she remembered to breathe. “Of course.” Her voice was breathy and low.

He led her to the floor, where the dancers had slowed to a swaying sea of color. The music softened into a song she hadn’t heard in years .

“It’s the Ballad of Ederon Sea,” Nevander whispered into her ear, his warm breath sending tingles across her skin.

His hand slid down her bare back, curving against her spine. “May I say, beloved Kallessa, that you look ravishing this evening?”

She swallowed. “Thank you. As do you. You…you shaved your beard.”

He scoffed. “It wasn’t exactly my idea. It seems the prince’s valet had other thoughts.”

“The prince had his valet sent to your rooms?”

Nevander nodded, a wry smile on his lips.

“He had a maid sent to mine.”

Nevander laughed and shook his head. “I suppose we were both due for a makeover.”

Emboldened by the anonymity of the mask, Kallessa dared to stroke her hand along his jawline. “I like it.”

He leaned his face into her palm, his eyes darkening. “Mmm, that feels good. Please stop, or I shall have to devour you, my little peacock.”

A thrill ran through her at his words, and she giggled, surprising herself.

“Did you know,” Nevander began, “that peacocks are the favorite meal of the Axan dragon?”

A grin broke on her lips. “I had no idea.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “Guess who I am this evening.”

The dragon. His outfit made sense to her now. The scales, the colors.

He pulled her closer, his eyes falling to her lips. “And you are my tasty reward, Kallessa Wynlar. ”

Was he going to kiss her? But then he swung her around the room, twirling her about, her skirts flying, her mind whirling as fast and free as her body.

As they danced, he whispered the lyrics in her ear, his voice a warm caress against her skin.

There were two lovers

Gone to sea

The Ederon sea

Shall separate thee

There were two lovers

Who sank to the bottom

Of the bottomless

Ederon sea

The lyrics took on a different meaning than any other time she’d ever heard the song. Nevander’s deep voice and lilting whisper made her long to be with him in the crashing waves, holding on to each other, defying the sea that threatened to separate them.

My one true love

The Ederon sea

Shall never equal

My love for thee

Dear lover beware

Of the Ederon sea

Dance lightly, dear lover

Hold tightly to me

She was entranced, lost in the melody of his voice and the warmth of his embrace. They spun about the room until she felt engulfed in a sea of elation, Nevander holding her as if she were the most precious jewel in the world.

Time seemed to lose all meaning. They danced song after song, existing in a private world where the crowd’s singing and laughter seemed distant and unimportant. When they paused for refreshments, Nevander’s hand never left the small of her back, a constant reminder of his presence.

As the last song drew to a close, he led her through a door that opened to the cool night. The music behind them became a soft murmur. And then, they were alone.

If Nevander could choose one night to never end, it was this one. As he’d spun Kallessa around the room, engulfed in her scent and presence, he realized this was the first time he’d truly felt alive in almost a year. When he’d first seen her tonight, his heart had nearly stopped.

Her dark waves were curled and twisted atop her head, each tendril begging to be unraveled by his fingers. The peacock teal gown hugged her curves, shimmering in the moonlight like scales on a mermaid’s tail. Nevander’s throat tightened. He’d give anything to run his hands along the silky fabric, to feel her warmth beneath.

And then the music had shifted, and that song about the lovers at sea filled the air. A deep longing stirred within him, unsettling in its intensity. He pulled Kallessa closer, desperate to share these feelings with her, even if he couldn’t voice them.

She shivered in his arms, bringing him back to the present. The night had turned colder, a biting chill in the air. A breeze from the north carried the promise of winter’s arrival.

“Are you cold?” he asked, already shrugging off his jacket. His own skin was on fire.

“A little,” Kallessa admitted.

He draped his jacket around her shoulders, enveloping her in his warmth and scent. The sight of her wearing his clothing stirred something primal inside him, a possessiveness that caught him off guard. He had no right to claim her, but in that moment, with the moonlight caressing her face and the wind teasing her dark curls, he didn’t care. He wanted her to be his, consequences be damned.

She stared into the night, the three-quarter moon rising above a glowing cloud bank on the horizon, each passing second bringing them closer to the end of this charade.

“I miss the sea,” she said softly. “My father used to take us sailing, and my mother and I spent days at the shore, collecting unusual shells.”

Nevander’s chest tightened. His own memories of the sea still warred within him, a place that had brought him such joy, and equally such pain. “I think I miss the smell the most,” he murmured.

She turned to him, golden eyes shining. “Yes. That briny, salty scent. It’s just not the same surrounded by all these trees and land.”

Nevander smiled. “Two lovers who love the sea.”

They stood in companionable silence for a moment before he spoke again. “It’s been almost a year since I was at sea. I just realized how much I missed it. ”

“Why has it been so long?”

Because death followed him from the war, and now the sea was a graveyard. The words lodged in his throat, threatening to choke him.

“I’ll tell you one day when we are old and gray, fiancée,” he said, the endearment tasting like ash on his tongue. They would never watch each other get old and gray. They only had mere days left. Or maybe hours.

She smiled sadly. “Yes, when we’re old and gray.”

That soft expression on her face was going to break him. Nevander swallowed hard, desperate to delay the moment when reality would intrude. “What are you thinking?”

Kallessa’s gaze drifted back to the ballroom, where masked figures twirled and laughed. “I wish this night would never end. It’s one night where we can be anyone we wish, where society isn’t here to judge us, or put us back in our place. Freedom.”

Freedom. He’d never known real freedom. He was born into responsibilities that he would eventually have to attend to, leaving this fairytale behind, but for tonight…

“What would you like to do, my masked princess?” he asked.

A mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes. “Oh no, not a princess. If we get to be whoever we want for the night, I want to be the scullery maid.”

Nevander threw his head back in shocked laughter. “The what?”

She grinned. “Do you know what the scullery maid is doing right now?”

He continued to laugh, shaking his head. “Of course not.”

“Do you want to know?” she teased, leaning in closer .

Nevander studied her mirthful expression, drinking in every detail. “Not really.”

“Well, neither does anyone else,” Kallessa concluded. “So, my masked prince, who do you want to be?”

Her calling him a prince sent a shudder down his spine. What would Kallessa think if she knew? Suddenly he wanted to rip off his mask. Suddenly he wanted to proclaim that yes, he was the bloody prince of Dracia. What of it? Did that make him any less human than a scullery maid? But a prince who wore his heart on his sleeve was sure to be destroyed. When this mask came off, he wouldn’t even be able to hide behind his beard anymore, thanks to an overzealous valet. And that time was coming soon.

All his fears. All his shame. Exposed. But not yet. Tonight, they’d dream.

“I always thought I’d be a good stable boy,” he said, forcing a grin. He slid her hand around his arm. “Shall we go for a walk?”