A Gift of Three (A Shade of Vampire #42)(19)

“That was weird,” I murmured as we reached the banquet tables. “Scared me half to death.”

“I think they’re going to have an interesting time when he’s a toddler…” Vita replied.

“Can you imagine?” Serena exclaimed. “They’ll lose him every other second.”

Vita said something else, but her voice was lost in the music and a particularly loud group of dancing fae that crossed our path. They were all holding on to one another, like some exotic conga procession. I smiled, waiting for them to pass.

We were about to move on when one of the fae broke away from the back of the line. He stood in front of me, blocking my path. He wore a light blue robe with a large cowl hood that shaded most of his features, all except a full-lipped mouth that was raised ever so slightly into a smile.

“Good evening,” he announced, addressing me with a silken voice.

I was taken aback by the sudden approach, and it was a few moments before I could get my brain to function properly enough to muster up a reply.

“Hi,” I said, trying to smile.

“See you later, Aida!” Serena dragged Vita off into the crowds, and before I could smile apologetically at the man in front of me and follow them, he had taken my hand in his and brought it to his lips. He kissed it and held it for a few moments longer than necessary before finally releasing me.

“I’m Thantos,” he introduced himself, removing the heavy cowl that obscured his features. It was immediately obvious to me that he was fae. The delicate bone structure and luminescent skin couldn’t belong to any other species. His eyes were a bright, piercing blue, his hair an almost white blond, drawn back from his forehead and trailing down to his shoulders.

“Nice to meet you,” I replied, only just avoiding a stammer. “I’m Aida, I’m from The Shade.”

“And a werewolf,” he mused, his blue eyes sparkling with humor.

“What of it?” I asked. I knew that not all fae were as welcoming toward other supernaturals as Sherus and his kin were. His expression became instantly repentant.

“Nothing,” he replied. “I can just sense it. It’s curious to me, that’s all—I wanted to meet you. I didn’t know werewolves could be quite so captivating.”

“I’m part werewolf,” I corrected, heat rising up in my cheeks despite my best efforts to remain unruffled.

He nodded, the slow smile returning and lighting up his handsome face.

“Will you dance with me then, Aida of The Shade?”

I glanced around for my friends. They were gone.

Why not? I asked myself. I’d come here to have fun, and spending some time with an exotic fae was definitely the way to have it.

“All right,” I replied. He took me in his arms, one hand sliding around my waist and the other taking my hand. As if by design, the music slowed, and a soft, mournful tune echoed across the grounds of the palace. Thankfully, he led me like an expert. I wasn’t exactly skilled in ballroom dancing. Caleb had once tried to teach Serena, Vita and me, but we had made poor students, more interested in being twirled than actually learning any of the steps.

“You move beautifully,” Thantos whispered in my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck. I felt like we were dancing inches off the ground… then it occurred to me that with a fae, that was actually possible, and I looked down to double-check. No, we were definitely on the ground. I started to relax into his arms, enjoying the haunting notes of the music, almost growing drowsy from the spicy scents of the food and the balmy air of the summer night.

“Do you have a male companion, back at home?” the fae asked.

“Um…no,” I murmured, wondering why that answer suddenly made me feel sad when it never had before. I looked out into the crowds, thinking of Field. I hadn’t seen him before we left The Shade, and I couldn’t see him now. But perhaps I’d just missed him and he was off in one of the mazes with Maura. They could have been dancing mere feet away from us and I still wouldn’t necessarily have noticed him, thanks to the sporadic lighting.

“I can’t imagine how that can be,” Thantos murmured, his blue eyes searching mine.

Inwardly I scoffed. This guy was certainly a smooth talker, but there was only so much charm I could take. Still, I wasn’t ready for the dance to end just yet. The weight of his hand on my waist was comforting, and just being able to enjoy a few moments with a ludicrously handsome man—one who was actually being attentive—was a feeling I wasn’t willing to part with just yet.

We started to move faster and faster. The tempo of the music had picked up, and we spun around and around until I started to grow giddy. His long white hair flew around us, and I started to imagine it was the white sea foam that broke along the shore in The Shade on blustery days. I saw myself as a four-year-old girl, wearing the pink-spotted swimsuit I recognized from old pictures, carrying a plastic bucket in one hand, loading it up with shells and stones to bring back as ‘treasures’ to my mom.

I stumbled backward.

“Whoa,” I mumbled, the image vanishing and being replaced with the spinning lights of the celebration. The ground shifted and swayed beneath my feet. I held onto the arms of the fae, trying to regain my balance.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry. I forget that we fae move too fast for others’ liking,” he replied, drawing me over to a chair. He handed me a glass of water, and I drank from it greedily.