“I—” I swallowed, shaking my head as a name came to mind. “Jason?”
“Très bien, madame.” He stood taller, his lip creasing in one corner, leaving the smile to come only from behind his eyes—the way David smiled when he read my mind.
“You look so much like him.”
Jason exhaled and offered his arm; “Walk with me?”
“Where to?”
“Just to the balcony,” he said, cupping my hand into the crook of his elbow.
We passed right by Mike and my friends, who didn’t even look up as this stranger led me away from the dance floor.
“It’s a beautiful night, wouldn’t you agree?”
“A perfect night.” I leaned on the marble railing, watching the other dancers in the final act.
“Perfect for one’s last,” he said softly.
“Pardon?”
“I shall not repeat myself, girl. It’s rude not to listen.”
“I heard you. I just wondered what you meant.”
Jason smiled, seemingly to himself. “I meant that if this were your last night, it would be a grand way to spend it.”
“Yes.” I looked down at the dance floor again. “I suppose so.”
“Do you know why I’ve come?”
I shook my head. “Are you here because of David?”
“In ways.” His eyes focused on something distant, while the same malignant smile as before settled onto his dark-pink lips, sending shivers down my spine. Bad shivers.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“In pain, I suspect?”
“What do you mean by that?” I stood up straight.
Jason turned and leaned his back on the ledge. “I mean—you hurt him. Badly. I suspect he’s grieving at this time.”
“What would you know about it?”
“I know you gave him your heart, then denied him your life.”
“That’s none of your business,” I said, turning to walk away.
But his hand lashed out and caught my arm, spinning me into his chest with a breathtaking jolt. “On the contrary, my dear, it is.”
“What are you doing?” I wedged the ball of my palm into his chest. “Let go of me.”
When a few curious glances flicked our way, Jason placed his hand firmly on my lower back and forced my arms into position. “Dance with me.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“I’ll make you.” He held me firmly, spinning around to the soft piano, like we were just two masked teens in love.
“What do you want, Jason?”
“I think you already know what I want.”
“I’ve never been one for guessing games.”
“Let’s just say—” his eyes, under the cover of the black mask, became small with a smile, “—I’m not here for pleasure.”
The pulse between my collarbones seemed to shoot out backward, filling me with a sudden urge to run. I cast my eyes to the dance floor, but Mike was gone. The space he stood before—vacant. “Well,” I said, sounding amazingly calm, “if it’s not pleasure, it must be business. What business do you have here?”
“The concluding of an age-old quarrel among brothers—one you, so unfortunately, have found yourself recompense of.”
“What?”
Jason’s head moved at a fraction of an inch, the green in his eyes occupying the corners. “Someone is looking for you.”
I followed his sideways gaze to see Mike running through the crowd—panicked, touching the shoulders of various individuals—obviously desperate to find me.
Look up, Mike, look up.
“I’ll kill him, Ara. If he comes for you—he will die.”
“Why?” I gasped. “What do you want with me?”
“It’s nothing personal, really.” He tilted his head. “Then again, perhaps it is.”
“Huh?”
He sighed. “I’m going to hurt you to hurt my brother.”
My mouth fell open with a huff. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
“Oh, I’m going to do worse than touch you.”
“No!” I sunk my knees down, slipping free from his hold, but he grabbed my arm, hoisting me to my feet and started walking toward the dark chamber gardens. “Let me go, Jason,” I ordered, “I’ll scream.”
He just smiled wickedly, keeping his eyes on our destination. “You won’t scream. Because I’ll kill them—all of them, Ara. I will take every last life that resides in this miserable gathering, and I will save you until the end, so you may watch as I tear apart each one of your friends and eviscerate your replacement lover.”
“No. You have no right to do that.” I tugged hard against him. “I won’t let you hurt them.”
“Then come quietly.”
“No.” I scratched at his hand, trying to unwind his fingers from my arm, but they tightened—his nails digging in to my flesh. “Let me go!”
He laughed. “Um, no.”
As we neared the step, my darting gaze of desperation flicked around the room, passing over the smiles of distracted couples. But each face was unfamiliar. No one knew me. No one knew I was being kidnapped. And not one of the faces was David. He was supposed to be here. He was supposed to come. The last dance on the hour of midnight. That was the deal.
The haunting piano stopped below us, and the gentle clicking of applause filled the air as Jason pulled me along—attempting discretion—and to my amazement, succeeding.
We stopped by the stairs, waiting as a few couples emerged from the darkness, straightening their clothes, looking a little flushed. Jason smiled at them knowingly, pulling me in to conceal his tight grip within the closeness of our bodies. I tried to push my hips away from his, but he hooked his foot around my ankle, leaning closer to whisper against my brow. “If you bring attention to yourself, young lady, I will dig my fingertip into your skin and cut your bone in half.”
I stopped struggling, taking shallow breaths to suppress the deep urge to fight, and when I saw my hand against the lapels of Jason’s jacket, my ruby ring standing out like midnight blood, Mike’s face, the way he smiled when I accepted his proposal, came to mind. All those things that were lost filled my heart with regret. I wanted Mike to come—wanted him to save me. And a part of me didn't care about anyone else in the room; a part of me just wanted to scream out while I still had the chance. But if I even indulged in the idea, I’d be risking Mike’s life too.