Page 38 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

Oh shit. Is this guy an elder? He doesn’t look older than Nyx. He must be an elder if this is his palace. I need to try to get information from him about my father.

“May I offer you a tour and another drink?” he asks, grabbing a glass of stardust off a platter going by. “Stardust seems to be your drink of choice this evening?”

I take the glass from him after finishing the last sip from the one in my hand. He takes my empty glass and tosses it over his shoulder. It disappears before my eyes.

“Thank you. Yes, a tour would be great.”

He holds out an arm, and I take his elbow allowing him to guide me through a side door.

“So did you come here alone tonight?”

Shit. I can’t tell him I came with Nyx. “I came with a friend of mine. Her name is Flora,” I say, hoping he won't read into it. We travel up several flights of stairs. When we finally reach the top, it’s a wide balcony set up like a cozy lounge. There’s a bar on one side, and the other side looks over the party.

“The view of the party from up here is often much more enjoyable,” he says, moving toward the railing.

I move closer and look over the ledge. It’s a sea of color down below. “It’s beautiful from up here.” A pink bubble drifts toward me, and I lean forward, hoping to catch it with my mouth so I can see what all the fuss is about.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Colton warns.

“Why not?” I ask, stepping back, watching the bubble travel out of reach.

“The pink bubbles are hallucinogens, and the last time a guy mixed stardust with pink bubbles we caught him trying to have sex with a tree out back”

I nearly choke on my drink. “Poor guy.”

Colton laughs. “More like poor tree,” he says.

I put my drink down, suddenly realizing what he said about the stardust. “Wait, what is in this? Am I going to start hallucinating?”

“Hallucinating? No. You’ll be fine. Come sit.” He moves toward one of the large white settees next to the bar, taking a seat and patting the cushion for me to sit next to him.

“Where’s your drink?” I ask.

He snaps his fingers, and two glasses full of amber liquid appear in his hands. “This is just whiskey. It’s harmless. I promise.” He hands me one of the glasses, and I take it.

“So, are you one of the elders?” I ask then take a drink from the glass. The whiskey is smooth and woodsy tasting in my mouth.

“I’m old, yes.” He moves closer, sitting right next to me.

“Does the family name Lewis mean anything to you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Never mind. It’s not important.” I feel uneasy, just realizing we’re completely alone up here. The party down below is much too loud for me to scream for help if I need to. I try to rise to my feet and return to the party, but Colton’s hand stays me, resting on my bare thigh with a scorching touch that sends unexpected ripples of warmth through me, eliciting feelings I wasn’t expecting.

“No, stay. Finish your drink, and I’ll tell you everything I know about the Lewis family name.” His fingertips slowly circle the side of my thigh, which is visible thanks to the high slit in the gown. I gulp down the rest of the glass as fast as I can, placing it on the table in front of us.

“I finished it. Now tell me what you know.”

“Euric Lewis was the last person I knew to carry the Lewis family name. He was an extremely powerful Faery. Why are you so interested in this?” Colton’s finger travels down to my knee and slowly back up my thigh over and over again. The touch causes my toes to curl. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t even like this man, but that finger pressing against my thigh and running lazy circles across my skin is making my flesh react.

I clear my throat, trying to regain my composure. “What happened to him?”

“He was banished from the Faery Realm many years ago. Some say he rules in Zomea now.” Colton raises a hand to my face, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I feel his eyes linger on the side of my face, but I refuse to look at him.

“Can you tell me about him?” I ask just as Colton leans in close to my ear.

“What do you want to know?” he whispers. The words tickle my ear. I squirm away, but he places his hand back on my thigh. The touch of his hand is almost hot, and heat spreads through my body. I feel my face flush as arousal sinks into my core.