The Bound (Ascension #2)(94)

Dean gasped against her mouth, and his gentle hands betrayed him, latching on to her waist with force. Whatever was passing between them felt like she was opening herself up and feeling the force of her magic for the first time. But it wasn’t scary, and she felt perfectly in control.

When he pulled back, he leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. “What was that?”

“I think you just kissed me.”

He chuckled and wrapped his arms tighter around her. “That was more than a kiss.”

“Mmm,” she groaned.

He kissed her one more time. “Yes. Much more than a kiss.”

Cyrene rested her cheek on his chest and sighed. All thoughts that had been troubling her today fled her mind. This moment was perfect, and Dean was right. It was so much more than a kiss.

“Prince Dean,” a voice called behind them.

Cyrene immediately broke away from him, but he kept her hand, as if knowing her propriety would drag her from him.

“Yes?”

Darmian walked out onto the balcony. Cyrene could see Maelia standing just behind his shoulder. By the flush on Maelia’s cheeks when Cyrene glanced her way, she had to assume Darmian had gotten out of guard duties to be with her.

“Sorry to disturb you,” Darmian said. “But Queen Cassia and Princess Brigette are beyond reason. They’re yelling at each other down a hallway, and guests can hear them.”

Dean blanched and cursed. “Thank you for letting me know. Let’s go, Darmian.” Dean kissed Cyrene’s hand. “I will return to you.”

“You always find me again somehow,” she said with a smile.

He kissed her hand once more and then followed Darmian off of the balcony.

Cyrene glanced at Maelia. “So, Darmian?”

Maelia colored. “It is not how it appears.”

“Oh, please let it be.”

“You’re in a good mood.” Maelia raised her eyebrows in question.

“Yes, I am. And, oh!” Cyrene started forward and clutched her chest.

“What? What is it?”

“Avoca,” Cyrene gasped. “I don’t know what’s going on, but she’s upset. Oh Creator, I’m sure this is my doing. I need to find her.”

“I last saw her with Ceis’f. They were walking out of the ballroom.”

“Which direction?”

“I’m not sure. Back toward your rooms, I would guess.”

Cyrene doubled over. She let loose a word befitting a sailor. “She’s never pulled this much power before. I need to go to her. Now.”

Cyrene ignored Maelia’s pleas to wait and dashed off the balcony. Avoca was not an overly emotional person. She kept herself completely in check. Something must have seriously upset her for her to be drawing so much power.

Ignoring the confused glances from partygoers, Cyrene left the safety of the ballroom and darted down the hallway. A figure appeared in her way, and she nearly groaned aloud.

“In such a hurry?” Robard asked.

He was huge and sturdy up close, and despite the fact that Cyrene had magic, she shrank from his form.

“I’m looking for a friend. You didn’t happen to see a couple go by here? A young woman in a green dress with a man, and both have fair hair?” Cyrene didn’t even know why she bothered. She could feel Avoca was in this direction somewhere. The strength of her magic pulled Cyrene toward her.

“Sure,” Robard said easily. “The girl seemed like she was ready to fight the man, or she was just intoxicated and hoping for something else.”

Cyrene sneered at him. Avoca was not looking for something. Men! “Thank you for your assistance.”

“Here.” Robard offered her his hand. “I can show you the way.”

Cyrene balked at his suggestion, but then she realized, it wasn’t a suggestion. He took up a large portion of the hallway, and he wasn’t going to let her pass.

“I’m grateful,” she ground out.

Robard was leading Cyrene in the general direction where she could sense Avoca. Cyrene wanted to just run far, far away from this man. She had seen the angry gaze he shot to Dean when he had won, and she knew this was not a man to be trusted. But her manners had taken over, and for some reason, she just couldn’t say no.

Then, Avoca’s magic disappeared. It happened so suddenly. The connection fizzled out.

Cyrene’s mouth dropped open. That couldn’t mean something had happened to her. She would know. She had to know if that’d happened. It felt more like when she walked out of a dark room and into the light. Her system was shocked, and she couldn’t see properly.

She had been so in tune with what was happening internally that she hadn’t even been paying attention to where Robard was taking her.

“Hey, where are we?” she asked, trying to break away from him.

“I think they went in there,” Robard said. He pointed at an open door.

“No, I don’t think—ooph!”

Robard had shoved her through the door. She turned to run out of it, but he slammed it in her face. She tried the handle, but it was locked.

“What are you doing?” she screamed.

A face appeared at a slit opening in the face of the door.

Alise stared back at her with a conceited grin. “Hello, Cyrene.”