AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My hand curled into a fist. The music picked up speed. She was the last one I should pick under the circumstances, but I couldn’t fathom the idea of him with her either.
“You don’t look so decided anymore, Leo.” Bishop nudged me with his elbow. “Second thoughts?”
He wasn’t worth the words, but yes, safe to say, I was second-guessing everything.
Michaela
Doing the dance in the open with other dancers was a far cry from doing it in an enormous ballroom alone with Bishop. I quickly became entirely aware of my own control issues. I wasn’t willing to let real fate take over, let alone allow any guy to grab my waist and whisk me off. I’d gone to a haunted house once and spent the entire time bracing for some kind of zombie or ghoul to jump out of the darkness. This didn’t feel that much different, though at least the music was lively and less terrifying.
Strength gripped my waist and whirled me away from the others. A squeal burst from my lips as new arms scooped around me and pulled me in another direction. The tempo increased, and with it, the speed of our dance. I clung to my partner, drawing closer so the inertia wouldn’t fling me into the surrounding crowd. My fingers brushed the back of his hair, familiar and—
“Fitz?”
“Coco, I may have—“
New arms pulled me away, spinning the opposite direction. I barely had enough time to catch my breath before I was swapped again.
“Blimey,” Bishop said as we began to turn, “I didn’t think you’d be this popular. I’m fighting off more than your prince.”
“But why are—“ Arms caught my waist and pulled me away again.
My head became light and disconnected, just like when I’d practiced with Bishop. A hand slid across my stomach, but the one I danced with swerved and expertly dodged the steal.
“Are you sick yet?” I recognized Fitz’s voice and relaxed a bit in his arms.
“Queasy,” I admitted. Why was he spending time on me? Was he being protective? Maybe he didn’t want me dancing with strangers? He could leave me with Bishop. I was safe enough with him.
“I can slow down, but as soon as I do—“ As if fulfilling his warning, someone pulled me away.
“There now,” Bishop laughed to himself as we spun in a new direction. “Seems to be working. He’s fit to be tied with jealousy.”
“This is your plan?” Couldn’t he have thought of something with less turning? I felt like I was going to be sick.
Bishop wasn’t listening. As usual. “Three, two, one—wait, no.” Something went wrong in his plan. I felt his hands grab at my hand, but one by one our fingers pulled apart.
Strong arms encircled me, taking me in a new direction.
It wasn’t Bishop.
It wasn’t Fitz.
Panic welled in my heart, worried I’d been taken captive. All at once, the music stopped and with it the dreadful spinning. Hooking my thumb under the blindfold, I peeled it off my eyes.
“Kabir?” I stared up at my bodyguard, confused. “What’s going on?”
“Sorry, milady.” He looked away. “Orders.”
I glanced around, trying to make sense of the world as it continued to spin and stutter. Bishop stood alone, face tight with anger. I spotted Sadie next, graciously talking with a young man she’d danced with. Dagny was the same, though she was still blindfolded and spinning while her partner tried in vain to stop her. Finally, I saw him. Fitz, with Esmerey hanging off his arm, pleased as punch that she’d won the impromptu challenge.
Bishop’s end goal became clear. He wanted a jealous Fitz to get twenty minutes alone with me so that he would rethink his decision to send me home. Noble, yes, but shortsighted. On the perimeter of the crowd, a hooded figure melted backward, but I recognized her pale skin and dark hair instantly.
The queen had decided to attend the festival after all.
Orders. That’s what Kabir had said.
Only two people outranked Fitz’s command for Kabir to keep me safe at all times.
One was sick in bed at the palace, and the other was determined not to let her son, or her kingdom, fall in love with the American.
