average human’s Reviews > Control My Night > Status Update

A striking combo, and one I’d see quickly. So far, no luck. I continued to sweep the party attendees.
The velvet curtain rustled beside me; I started as Silas appeared. The tightness in my chest eased. Even two steps away, I felt his presence, the subsequent itch of my fingers to touch him. I stayed where I was, continuing the guise of looking for my target.
“I didn’t see any gardens on the way in,” I murmured.
He took a sip, his signet ring knocking against the glass. The tang of bourbon hit my nose. “That’s a real shame, it being our anniversary and all.” The deep tones of his voice, along with the fact he’d remembered the date, made my beast puff up with elation, preening. “Have you found Leon?”
“Not yet.” Maybe he wouldn’t show. Perhaps he’d been struck down with the flu, or food poisoning? I could hope. “I’m sure I’ll see him as soon as he gets here. He’s that type of person.”
“I spoke to him for five minutes at the last event. It was five minutes too many.” From the corner of my eye, Silas took another swig, the curtain shrouding him in darkness.
I went to take a sip, then paused at my empty flute. “Got any of your drink left?”
“Unfortunately not.” Ice kicked around his empty glass. “I needed it to cope.”
“With Arwood?”
“With you, looking like that.”
My grip tightened on the railing. Arwood greeted Gisele and Ivan Kohnstamm. Leon wasn’t with them.
“We shouldn’t be speaking like this, remember?” I ducked my head. My heart had become a racing thing. “We promised.”
“True.” His eyes remained on me, caressing like a hand passing atop a flame. “You destroy every promise I make to myself.”
Stop talking like this. I didn’t want to think of what I’d missed out on by not being with Silas. I couldn’t let those thoughts anchor me to a situation I needed to get out of.
“Well, your existence derails my convictions, too.” My words came out harsher than I intended.
“Are you okay?”
“No. I really wish I wasn’t here.” I didn’t bother mentioning that I’d asked, nay, demanded to attend. I especially didn’t mention how my plan with Steadman had spectacularly backfired. I wasn’t confident tonight would get better. “I’m not good at this.”
“At spotting rich bastards who need a day job to improve their character?”
“Getting Leon’s attention and holding it long enough to pull this off.” I tried to keep my voice steady around the lump forming in my throat. Part of me couldn’t believe I was telling him this—but then again, Silas was off-limits. I had nothing to lose by sharing this. “Arwood threatened to turn me over to the Sect. I can’t afford to screw this up. And … I’m scared.”
I chanced a look at him. His solemn expression mirrored mine. Silas knew what I was talking about better than most. Feeling trapped by Arwood was his daily reality.
Beyond the balustrade, the chandeliers threw long shadows. His fingers brushed the side of my dress. The smallest of touches, but the equivalent of an embrace for how my skin tingled. “You’ve had my attention from the first, Keeks. You met me head on and you—” Silas paused, his hand dropping. “You have this combination of wit and warmth that only makes me want to keep talking to you. You’re better at this than you think.”
His confession thrilled me, my eyes going damp. I blinked tears away—I couldn’t mess up my winged eyeliner, especially when I’d managed to get it even—and inhaled steadily. Words of affirmation in my life were akin to finding water in a desert; like a parched woman, I drank them in.
“I miss that night,” I said. “I miss dancing with you.”
“I miss being able to look at you like I know you,” he replied. “I hate Leon gets the privilege of talking to you tonight. He doesn’t deserve it.”
He really wasn’t making this any easier for either of us. I was seconds from grabbing him and running for the border, Arwood be damned. “Silas …” His name crept out, half a moan to keep going, half a plea to stop.
Instead, Silas said, “There he is.”
I followed his gaze to a roulette table. Leon had arrived, wearing a gray suit in a sea of black.
Behind Leon, Steadman stood, focused on me. Double shit.
I straightened my dress and tightened my earrings, using my wrist to conceal my moving lips. “Stay where you are for as long as you can,” I muttered to Silas as I headed for the stairs. “We’re being watched.”
We always were.