“I’m not that sweet,” I retorted, wiping the water off my face with my free hand. I tried my best to be mad at him. It was difficult considering he was the embodiment of temptation, continually wreaking havoc on my emotions.
“Neither am I,” he answered, a conspiring gleam in his eye. He pulled me down the steps and onto the beach. I noticed we weren’t technically the ones sparkling, the cloak attached to us was. It was draped around us like a blanket, sticking to our bodies and keeping the rest of the world out. I glanced sideways at him, wondering how many times he’d cloaked himself around me without my knowledge. I thought about all those times I had felt like I was being watched. I probably was.
Unlike me, his faded jeans and blue t-shirt were completely dry; his hair lay perfectly across his brow, also untouched by the hurricane. I felt like a wet dog in comparison. The sand beneath our bare feet was wet, but I was glad for that one connection to the beach. I couldn’t feel the air or smell the water. Otherwise, I couldn’t be sure we were really outside. The rain and wind whirled around the cloak, creating a misting effect that made it impossible to see. I felt like we were walking through a storm cloud.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Almost there.” We could walk right off of a cliff and I’d never know the difference.
Suddenly, the sand beneath our feet turned to wooden planks. He turned to face me and the cloak blasted outward, encompassing a large gazebo. It hung down the sides of the roof, glittering all around us. It was awe- inspiring.
“Wow.” I spun in a circle taking it all in. “How do you do that?”
“I just will it to be.” He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. “As long as we’re under the cloak, no one else can hear or see us.” I didn’t miss the ghost of a smile that crossed his lips.
Unfortunately, a twinge of fear overshadowed my sense of adventure. I’d been cloaked by a possible murderer. In the middle of a hurricane. The possible ‘accidents’ that could happen to cause my death were endless. I pushed down my worries and put on a face of confidence.
“So now that you’ve got me here, what do you intend to do with me?” I looked around, curiously. “And where have you taken me?”
“To a gazebo,” he responded slyly, watching me carefully. He picked up a small wooden box similar to Kira’s, but his looked much older. The wood was weathered and smooth with dark engravings covering its top and sides.
“I have something for you.” From the box, he pulled out a small blue velvet pouch and handed it to me. Surprised, I held it gingerly and looked at him for the meaning behind it. He gazed back at me with amusement.
“It’s
“It’s an aquamarine,” he told me in almost a whisper. The beauty of it illuminated the gazebo with a brilliance I could feel deep down in my heart. As I placed it in my hand to get a better look, my skin tingled under its weight. It had a very gothic quality to it and I could tell it was as old as the box it came in.
“Finn.” Completely at a loss for words, all I could do was stare at it. “This is….I can’t take this.”
“Of course you can. It belongs to you now.” He was peering at me with curiosity. “Plus, it matches your dress.”
“My dress?” Last time I checked I didn’t have on a dress.
“The one you’re going to wear to the Ball.” I felt myself smile as I realized what he was saying.
“Are you asking me to the Cimmerian Shade Ball, Finn?”
He took a step toward me, eyes never leaving mine. “Are you saying you’ll go with me, Stasia?”
“I heard you don’t go to those kinds of things,” I challenged him.
“I don’t.” He moved even closer to me, gently taking the necklace and placing it back in the velvet bag. Pulling the ribbon closed, he dropped it into the pocket of my wind pants. His hand grazed my leg, sending sparks all the way down to my feet. Holding my gaze, he pulled the hat off my head and brushed my wet hair back from my shoulders. I waited for his fingers to get caught in the mass of tangles I knew had been created by the wind, but thankfully that didn’t happen. The thought brought on a nervous smile and he grinned back at me. His eyes dropped to my lips and when they met mine again, they were stormy and filled with white hot desire. He took my hand.
“Will you go to the Cimmerian Shade Ball with me Anastasia?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yes,” I breathed, lost completely in his closeness. A voice in the back of my head reassured me that if he was asking me to the ball, he didn’t plan on ending my life; which was a plus. He smiled, picked me up and spun me around. I placed my hands on either side of his cheeks and slowly leaned down to give him a kiss. It was just a light peck, but his soft lips ignited a fire inside me. Still holding me, he sat down on the wooden bench of the gazebo. I straddled him as he leaned back against the railing, pulling me close. He lightly kissed the tender skin below my ear, sending a frenzy of sensations through my body. He made his way up my chin and toward my mouth. I closed my eyes, anticipating a kiss that didn’t come.
I opened my eyes to see that his were filled with a painful conflict I didn’t understand. I touched his cheek and watched as the pain slowly receded. The raw vulnerability I saw in his eyes would haunt me forever. It was a look I knew well. I had seen it many times in my own reflection.
When all of your defenses are stripped away, the only thing left is surrender. Only then can you see the true size of the burden a person carries. Only then can you see the toll it has taken on their soul.
His silent pleas broke my heart.
“You don’t have to be strong all of the time, Finn.” I didn’t know why, but I felt it was what he needed to hear. His eyes searched mine and he smiled. I could feel the special bond we already shared growing stronger with each passing moment. With a slowness that threatened to make the fire inside me explode, he kissed me. What started out as slow and gentle quickly turned in to something more urgent and powerful. A low moan sounded from deep within him and he unzipped my jacket, pushing it down and off my arms. I felt his hand at the small of my back; the tips of his fingers dangerously low, as his other hand pulled the strap of my tank top off my shoulder. With a hunger that was almost tangible, he ran his lips along my collarbone and shoulder, licking the same spot, sending waves of pleasure through me.
Bringing his mouth to mine, I gently kissed his bottom lip, then the top. He bit my lip lightly and gave it a tug, then began kissing me in earnest again. A longing so strong took hold of me; all I could do was feel. I ran my fingers through his soft hair and clutched a handful, eagerly holding his lips to mine. He ran his hands up my thighs, gripped my waist, and slid my body closer; pressing me against him. I felt his body tense and he broke our kiss, leaning his forehead against mine; leaving both of us breathing hard. He slowly opened his eyes.
“You have no idea what you do to me ,” he said as he looked up at me with restraint. He stood and lowered me to my feet in front of him. He straightened, took both my hands with a slight smirk, and suddenly looked very regal. He extended his arms and stepped back as if dancing, bringing me back towards him, then lifted one hand above my head and spun me around. He caught my waist awkwardly and dipped me dramatically. The blood rushed to my head and a giggle escaped my lips.
“If we have to actually dance at the Ball, you’re in trouble,” I laughed at him.
He stood me upright, bowed and with a horrible French/English accent grinned up at me.
“Right you are, mademoiselle.”
Chapter 21
“Yep, just as I suspected,” Carmen placed her palm on my forehead, “two degrees above crazy.”
Although Finn had cloaked me all the way back to the dorm, the damage to my clothes and hair had been done. I heard a fork drop and several gasps when I walked back in to our suite. Their breakfast plates were immediately abandoned, as Carmen started in on a game of twenty questions and Willow practically threw me in the shower, mumbling something about me getting sick. Once in dry clothes, I found a blanket and made myself a
