A Court of Wings and Teeth

Chapter 10: Cloaked in Shadows

Nyx POV

I had seen her walking in. I would think even a blind man would have noticed her. She was captivating. Her long gold dress touched the floor, but a revealing slit made its way up to her thigh. A corset wrapped her tightly, her breasts strained against it. The bodice had one sleeve which meandered down her arm like a river of liquid gold. Her loose gold hair was unbound and fell in gentle waves down to the middle of her back, offsetting the deep, rich, brown of her skin. I saw Mor sidle up to her, I hoped she wasn't speaking about me. I noticed Mor met my gaze and raised her glass at me. Shit. I raised my glass nonchalantly. What were they talking about? I met Celeste's amber eyes for a moment before turning back to the Summer Court male who was telling me of the importance of their greatest exports. I nodded along, half paying attention. I tried to search Mor's mind, but she already had her mental shields up. Strong, hard doors, red as crimson stopped me before I could figure out what she said. I saw her get swept away by Emerie and smiled. After excusing myself from the fae I was speaking with, I stalked through the crowd. My gaze traveled through the crowds and fell upon Azriel. He was lounging against a wall, his head down but I knew he had eyes on everyone in the room. I looked up and noticed a small shadow moving across the ceiling. I moved to stand with him. He said nothing and went back to focusing on security measures. We stood shoulder to shoulder in silence. A flash of red caught my eye on the dance floor. Aston had stolen Celeste away for a dance. She said something to make her laugh. A surge of jealousy rippled through me. I reached out for my power, the shadowy claws beginning to approach Aston's mental walls before a nudge from Azriel held me. I looked at him and he slowly shook his head. I stopped, if I was caught, it'd probably cause an incident between the courts, which we certainly didn't need. 

I looked ahead, "do you know what the challenges are". 

He considered it "some of them" he conceded. "But I couldn't tell you if I wanted to, Rhys would have my head". He smiled "I'm sure if you got Cassian drunk enough he'd tell you". 

We both chuckled. 

Azriel surveyed the dancers, "you should join them" he murmured. I sighed. He was probably right, my parents would expect me to play nice. 

I noticed Iliana standing closest to me. I approached her as she watched the dancers. 

"Would you like to dance?" I ask her. 

She turned to face me, her brown eyes wide, in her sweet heart-shaped face. She nodded and I slipped my hand onto her waist and slipped her hand up my chest to land on my shoulder. I led her into the dance and found her to be particularly graceful. I lifted her easily as she landed lightly on her feet. At the same moment, I noticed Celeste being lifted by Fenris as she fell back down into his arms. I turned my attention back to Iliana. 

"Have you visited the Day Court before?" I asked her, my voice barely reaching her over the music. 

"No, I've spent my entire life at my own court" she responded, her voice had a soft musical lilt, pleasant to the ear. 

"It seems like most of us have had that experience. So what do you do for fun then?" I hoped talking to her would keep my mind off other things. 

"I play piano, and sing" she began. I nodded, I pictured her playing for Thesan in one of the studies. "I also practice my healing magic, and in the afternoons I usually train with Eros" she finished. I spun her out and then into my arms, her back against my chest. 

"Oh? What kind of training" I asked, my breath on her neck. 

She smiled and turned back to face me. "I'm sure it's similar to what you and General Cassian do". How did she know about that? I supposed Commander Eros would have heard about Cassian's position in the inner circle. "I've heard he's quite the fierce warrior, I'd like to see him in action someday" she had felt light in my arms at first, but now I realized she was lean, her muscles were compact but powerful. She would be even more agile than half of the warriors I knew. 

I grinned, "perhaps if we have some free time, Cassian and Eros can give us a demonstration. Or, we can give them a show of what we've learned" I offered. 

Her eyes lit up, sparked by the challenge. "I look forward to it" she solidified. The music stopped and we stepped apart. 

Her gaze went up to the stage and I followed her eyes. Thorne was standing on the stage, as graceful and silent as a stag in the woods. He began to play and a haunting song began. It sounded similar to one played in the darkest holes of the Night Court. The audience fell into a rapt silence until he finished. The crowd erupted into hearty applause and he bowed. I noticed his eyes falling onto Celeste. How did I always find her in a crowd? Something in me was drawn to her. Thorne started playing again, the music resuming and she was lost in the crowd. I threw myself into the crowd of dancers and lost myself to the music. The reel took control and dancers flowed in and out of my arms. I received a new partner just as the music slowed into a sensual melody. She was there, her cheeks bearing the faintest hint of pink. Her hands pressed into my chest and her smile, beaming brighter than the sun. I closed my eyes and drank her in. She smelled faintly of vanilla, with subtle hints of rose and jasmine. I opened my eyes and met her gaze, her amber eyes widening in recognition. Celeste said nothing, but she slid her hand slowly up my chest. Her touch made me want to whisk her away somewhere private. She came to a rest on my shoulder and I placed my hand firmly on her waist. The music flowed around us as if we were reeds in a current. We danced slowly and she proved to be a graceful partner. She surprised me by leaning her head against my chest. I wanted to wrap her in my shadows, take her in my arms and steal her away into the night. I could sense her power, but she must hold incredible magic, to have bewitched me like this. 

"Tired already darling?" I ask her teasingly. She giggled, her breath had the faint odor of alcohol. 

"No, I feel like I could dance all night," she said breathlessly.  

"So could I" I murmured in return. So I kept her in my arms and we stayed frozen in that beautiful night for a while longer.