Masquerade (Heven and Hell #1)(45)
Author: Cambria Hebert

Kimber hooked her arm through my free one and began walking us all toward the ballroom. “Come on everyone,” she called. “Heven needs a few pieces of cake. When I stand next to her I look fat.”

The ballroom was spectacular. The setting actually made me think of Phantom of the Opera in a way. The hotel was old and carried an authentic charm. The lighting was low, and large candelabras, dripping white wax, were centered every table. It should have looked messy, but it didn’t. The DJ was set up in the far corner with large swags of golden fabric draping from the ceiling to the floor, partially concealing his booth. Refreshment tables lined the left side of the room with a large punch fountain dominating the center of one round table. There was also a huge white cake adorned with iced roses in all shades of red. The center of the room was a giant wooden dance floor where many couples were already dancing. Round tables were scattered about the room, each one draped in a pale gold tablecloth.

“This place looks great,” Kimber said as we approached our table. “This must have cost a fortune.”

“It does look good,” I agreed as Sam pulled out a chair for me.

“We’re going to dance,” Kimber said, pulling Cole toward the floor.

I turned toward Sam and smiled. He pulled his chair so close that my knees bumped his as I turned. He leaned in and kissed me softly.

“The feathers on that mask tickle.”

“I noticed you aren’t wearing a mask. How come?”

“I get tired of wearing a mask all the time,” he murmured.

“What?” His words confused me.

He blinked and leaned in. “I didn’t want you to confuse me with anyone else tonight, so I chose to keep my face revealed to you all times.”

He was so romantic and charming. But still, what he’d said before…why do guys always have to be so cryptic?

He palmed my face in his hands and drew me near. “Kiss me, beautiful.”

“You guys need to get a room,” Kimber griped from behind. Sam drew away and looked into my eyes, smiling tenderly. What had we been talking about?

“Speaking of…” Cole drew a key card out of his pocket. “I got us one.”

“You did?” Kimber gasped, grabbing at the card, but Cole was too fast, tucking it back into his pocket.

“It’s for later,” he told her.

She kissed him. Kimber and Cole had taken the ‘next step’ in their relationship last summer. I used to think that they were way too young, that she hadn’t been ready. But now…

I looked into Sam’s whiskey eyes and thought that maybe if it was with the right person, maybe, age was just a number. I knew for sure that no one could ever make me feel like Sam, even if I lived for a hundred years. The words I knew he waited for were heavy on my tongue; I wanted to let them out right then.

“Yes?” he asked, leaning in, as if he knew what was on my lips.

I opened my mouth. “Dance with me.”

I thought I saw a quick flash of sorrow in his eyes, but then he was standing, holding out his hand and leading me toward the dance floor. On cue, a soft, slow song began to play. His body molded against mine in a way that made my skin burn. I looked around sure that one of the chaperones would come and tell us to separate. No one came, and I sank even deeper into his warmth. If I wasn’t careful, I knew that I could completely lose myself in him. Something told me that was already happening. A stray thought whispered that perhaps that could be a bad thing, but I pushed the thought away. I’d think about that later, not tonight.

“Are you having a good time?” he whispered in my ear.

“The best.”

“I want this night to be perfect.”

“It is.” Again, the words I love you were heavy on my tongue. I could just lean up and whisper them into his ear…

He stiffened and stood a little straighter, gazing around the ballroom.

“Sam?”

He stayed that way for several long moments, then finally, relaxed and looked down. He smiled ruefully. “Sorry, I thought I heard something.”

I frowned. All I could hear was the music.

“Did you want to say something?” he asked. The alluring hazel of his eyes almost, but not quite, recaptured the previous moment.

Slowly I shook my head. “Never mind.”

“You sure?” he pressed.

I nodded. “Later, okay?”

He gave in, and I laid my head against his chest. Our moment would come soon and nothing would spoil it.

The Hate

I’m sick of watching. Of waiting. I am always so close…but never close enough. She thinks she’s something tonight. Everyone is just fawning all over her. It makes me sick. I can see the smugness in her eyes and in the way she walks. She thinks tonight is going to be perfect.

It’s not.

He’s thinks he’s won, but it isn’t over.

He’s wrong.

It all ends tonight. It’s time she knows who lover boy really is. Little girl’s dreams are going to be shattered, and I am going to enjoy it.

The Hope

I sensed a change in the air. Tonight she would be put to the test. I feared she wasn’t ready.

“There’s no way she’ll accept him.”

I turned and took in his bleak, sad face. With a caress of my fingers, harmony and peace went to him, hopefully wrapping him in comfort. “Pray she does, or all could be lost.”

“I wish she didn’t have to be involved.”

“Trust Him. He knows what He is doing. Trust in love.”

He nodded and came to join me at the water.

“Let us watch,” I murmured.

Gentle waves rippled the surface of the water. Images formed and solidified. A beauty and her beloved danced…

We waited.

Heven

The night passed by in a haze of dancing and laughter. I reconnected with friends I thought I’d lost, and slowly, I learned to accept myself a little more. I hoped that come morning, when the mask I wore was gone, that I would still feel the same. Sam never left my side, except once to get some punch and cake, which he was currently feeding me. It was decadent, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed food more. He tried to fork another bite into my already-full mouth, and I shook my head and stole the fork from him.

As I chewed I pointed at him with my fork, scooped up another big bite and held it out. He opened obediently, watching me as I fed him. His eyes flickered pure gold like they sometimes did.

“You guys totally need to get a room,” Kimber groaned.