She laughed at his sarcasm. “I do. But I’ve never seen you wear anything but black. The blue looks good. Perhaps in another six months we can try green or even red.”
“Well, you can thank Cynthia and Lucy for the color change. They threatened my life if I refused.” His eyes sparkled as if he was sharing some private joke.
“I’m sure it was terrifying.”
“Very. Are you ready?”
She looked around to see that they were already at the doors to the training arena. Her stomach clenched into tight knots. No, she wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to face the people of this village, she wasn’t ready to come within range of Kali, and she wasn’t ready to dance in front of a few thousand people. She took one last steadying breath, knowing that she didn’t really have a choice.
“No.” She gave her honest answer.
Dorian turned to her and pulled her into his chest. The wonderful scent of his skin assaulted her, and the knots in her stomach loosened. “Trust me,” he whispered.
“I do,” Phoebe whispered in reply.
He laced his fingers into hers, and they both turned to the door as Dorian pulled it open. She was surprised to see the room was darkened. It took her a second to turn her attention from the darker light to the rest of the room. The transformation was amazing. Phoebe stood at the top of an elegant and richly carpeted staircase—the entire room looked like it had been moved down about eight feet. The mats had been removed and dark wood covered the floor instead. Tables and chairs surrounded the dance floor, replacing the tiers.
A band was set up at the far side of the room, playing instruments made by the wood nymphs. Soft snow fell from the ceiling, but disappeared just over the heads of the guests. The room went silent as all eyes fixed on Dorian and Phoebe. She quickly scanned the room and found the rest of her friends standing at the far right corner. They nodded in encouragement. As the doors shut behind them, the tune being played changed into what was clearly a welcoming song. Dorian led Phoebe down the elegant staircase while she tried to remember to make eye contact and smile at everyone.
When they reached the middle of the floor, Dorian spun her around and secured his arm around her waist and clasped her other hand. The welcoming song came to its end, and Phoebe knew it was time to dance. She focused only on Dorian. He seemed confident enough, so she tried to relax. She had no idea why she was so nervous. Did she really still care what these people thought about her dancing abilities?
The first notes of the next song began, and the melody was so sweet and beautiful that it was almost effortless to begin dancing. It felt like they were supposed to dance to this music, that it was impossible not to. Dorian didn’t even seem to be concentrating on the dance steps as he stared into Phoebe’s eyes. His gaze was so intense that she couldn’t look away. They were in their own world, and very suddenly, nothing else mattered.
30. Frozen
Dorian gracefully spun Phoebe on the dance floor as the rest of the guests looked on.
“You’re a very good dancer,” Phoebe said.
He smiled. “As are you.”
“I can see why my mother carted me off to every dance class known to man.”
The comment had just slipped out, and her heart tore a little. Phoebe missed her mother so much. Dorian sensed her sadness, and his look changed to concern. Phoebe had to put a little effort behind her smile, but it was genuine.
“I’m okay. It’s getting easier to think about them. I still miss them, but I have a feeling I will see them again,” she said. She didn’t want to ruin the evening.
Dorian spun her out, and she twisted back in. She silently thanked Lucy and Cynthia for choosing decent shoes. No matter their reasoning, she was glad she didn’t have to worry about tripping. Dorian didn’t say anything in response to her statement. He knew she didn’t want to talk about it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw other couples joining them on the dance floor. She didn’t hear anyone laughing, so she must not have been doing too badly. Dorian smiled again.
“Would you be angry if I told you again how beautiful you look?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be angry, but maybe a little embarrassed,” Phoebe replied.
Dorian’s grin grew. “If that’s all…you look beautiful.”
Her face flushed again, as she knew it would. “Thank you.”
Dorian’s appraising eyes were becoming a little unnerving. Did she really look that different? The song faded off into its end, and they stopped dancing. Phoebe stomach growled.
Dorian’s eyebrow rose. “Did you eat dinner?”
She smiled sheepishly. “No, I was too nervous.”
He squeezed her hand. “Why don’t you go sit down, then, and I’ll get you something to eat.”
“Actually,” Hector’s deep voice cut in. “If you don’t mind, I wouldn’t mind dancing with her until you get back. That is, if you don’t mind?” He directed his last statement at Phoebe.
She shrugged. She was a little hungry, but she wasn’t about to pass out or anything. “That’s fine with me.”
Dorian gave Hector a curious look before he said, “If she doesn’t mind, then its fine with me.” He squeezed Phoebe’s hand lightly. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, love. Could you two please try not to kill each other before I get back?”
Phoebe laughed. She and Hector liked competition, and they were the best match for one another because of their talents, not to mention the endless teasing and insults they used to fuel the fire. Dorian disappeared into the crowd of people, and before Hector was able to pull Phoebe back onto the dance floor, Ethan and Lucy popped up beside them.
“Looks like you were all stressed out for nothing,” Lucy commented.
“Yes, I don’t think anyone wants to follow up that dance,” Ethan added.
Phoebe’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Evan came out of nowhere and slung his arm over her shoulders. He had gotten over his resentment of her beating him all the time when she let him borrow Hector’s talent from time to time. “That was the best dancing I think I’ve ever seen.”
Phoebe rolled her eyes. “Have you ever actually watched anyone dance before?”
“Well, no, but it was pretty good,” he said.
Cynthia pushed her way through the crowd, closely followed by Jared. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Phoebe knew Cynthia had been waiting for her “I told you so” moment. She
had
earned it. “I guess not,” Phoebe admitted grudgingly.
“I told you!” Cynthia exclaimed happily.
“Did you two come together?” Phoebe asked Jared and Cynthia.
“Just as friends,” Jared said casually, and Cynthia nodded.
Phoebe turned to Evan, who was still standing, unconcerned, with his arm over her shoulders. “So, who did you come with, then?”
He shrugged. “No one. I was planning on sharing with Dorian and Hector.”
“Oh, really. Did you plan on asking the person to be shared?”
His face contorted in concentration. “Not really. I was hoping she would be willing to help me sort out the worthy from the unworthy.”
Sometimes Evan said things that made absolutely no sense to anyone but him. “What?”
He looked at her like she was some common simpleton. “You know, if I dance with you, then I get to see who’s jealous; those would be the unworthy. Then, the girls who act like they don’t care would be the worthy.”
“Why would the girls who don’t care be the worthy ones?”
“Because they won’t be the annoying ones in the long run,” Evan concluded.
Phoebe burst out laughing, and Evan scowled. “That…sounds…logical,” she choked out.
Jared was staring at his brother in disbelief. He looked like he couldn’t quite believe that he was related to someone that insane.
“It does sort of make sense…in a weird, twisted way. He just didn’t say it right,” Hector said.
Phoebe turned to stare at Hector. He was very seriously considering what Evan had said. Ethan nodded in agreement. Lucy looked completely bewildered for a minute before her face lit up and she, too, nodded in agreement.
“Okay, what are you guys talking about?” Phoebe asked.
Ethan frowned for a minute before Lucy nudged him, then he started talking. “Well, look at it this way—you and Kali both liked Dorian from the beginning.” Phoebe’s irritation sparked at the mere mention of Kali’s name and how she felt about Dorian. Ethan held his hands up in defense. “Just hear me out. So, you both liked him, but Kali was overly obnoxious and practically begging Dorian to take her, while you just kind of sat back and waited for him to come to you.”
Cynthia shook her head slowly. “Not making the connection.”
Phoebe nodded in agreement with Cynthia, and wondered if she had to have a Y chromosome to understand this.
Hector sighed. “What he means is, the girl who’s going to throw herself at you isn’t worth it, while the girl that actually requires effort to catch is the one who’s worth it in the end.”
Evan nodded in a satisfied manner. “Exactly.”
Phoebe thought it over. “That’s actually not a bad analysis. Although, what if it’s the other way around?”
Evan frowned. “What do you mean?”
“What if the girl you’re looking for thinks you’re the one sitting back and waiting for her to come to you? What if you’re mistaking that girl for the wrong one when she is actually the right one?”
Evan opened his mouth and took a breath to say something, but then snapped it shut, and his frown became more pronounced. “Are you ever wrong about anything?”
Phoebe laughed. “Probably not,” she said sarcastically. “But, even though I’ve completely ruined your logic, I’ll save you a dance.”
Evan’s smile flashed; he got over things rather quickly. “I think you owe me two now.”
“Fine, but you owe me one complaint-free match for your attempt to use me as your test subject.”
Evan frowned again. “Fine,” he grumbled.
Jared was still staring at his brother in disbelief. The band at the end of the room slowly gathered up their instruments again. Ethan and Lucy drifted off, as did Cynthia and Jared. Evan looked around for a few minutes before spotting a girl who was looking around nervously, and he went over to ask her to dance. Phoebe was pretty sure her name was Anna. Hector eyed Phoebe warily.
“I can’t make any promises about my dancing abilities,” he said.
Phoebe smiled. “Well, you should have told me that before I promised you a dance, then. I don’t want to be limping later.”
He laughed his deep, booming laugh. “I didn’t mean I was bad; I meant I might just be too good for you to keep up with, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to tone it down.”
“Well, I’ll
try
to keep up.”
Hector’s eyes sparkled in amusement. The first few notes of the song started to play, and Hector grabbed hold of Phoebe’s waist while his other hand connected with hers. He was surprisingly gentle, considering he sometimes forgot how easy it was for him to hurt someone. It was strange, for several reasons, to have Hector with his arms around her like this. His body temperature was warm, and although his hold was gentle, it was firm. He actually was a very good dancer, but nothing Phoebe couldn’t handle. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly why she didn’t feel entirely comfortable.
His eyes were intense as his forehead wrinkled in concentration.
“I didn’t realize dancing required so much effort for you. Don’t hurt yourself,” she joked.
He shook his head slightly. “That’s not what I’m doing.”
Phoebe watched his eyes carefully, trying to discern what thought process was going on in his closed mind. But even after weeks of friendship, it was nearly impossible to figure out what he was thinking about.
“What, then?” she asked.
“I’m still trying to turn my talent off. If nothing else in the world would make me feel safe, I should at least feel safe with you.”
Her heart thumped unevenly, and heat crept up in her face. “What do you mean?”
He studied her intently before he answered. “You’re the only person in this world who can beat me. If I can’t feel safe with you, then what else is there?”
Phoebe wasn’t even entirely sure if they were still dancing. Her brain seemed to be disconnected from her spinal cord. “I’m not the only one. There are three other Masters and the Shamarian.”
“Dorian has only beaten me once—by chance. You’re the only one who can beat me on a regular basis and by skill.” He was trying to make a point, whether to her or to himself, Phoebe wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know, Hector. I wish I could help you.”
His grip tightened on her hand and waist. She immediately had to channel his talent to counteract his grip before it became too tight and crushed her. She felt the change in her skin as it hardened and resisted his grip. His face turned sheepish.
“I’m sorry. It’s just frustrating. I mean, I think it would be frustrating. I don’t quite remember the finer emotions. It’s just that you being here
should
be helping me.”
Phoebe let go of his talent as he loosened his grip. “You’ll figure it out. Just like Ethan will eventually discover his talents, even though he doesn’t think he even has any.”
“You have a lot of hope.”
“No, those are just things I know.”
Phoebe may have managed to gain some portion of control over her emotions, and she may have come to terms with the world around her, but she still had no hope.
Phoebe could find no reason to believe that this war would end in anything less than death. No matter which side won, people were going to die. It was only a matter of time. Two more people had just died trying to help others on the outside. People had been upset. But angry? Motivated to act? Not even close. If anything, they had cut themselves off from it even more.
Notes of the song that Hector and Phoebe had been dancing to bridged over into another one. “Dorian’s not back yet. Do you mind if we keep dancing?” he asked.
She frowned and glanced around. It had been over fifteen minutes. How long did it take to get some food? “I guess not,” she said as she glanced around for a glint of silver from Dorian’s hair.
Hector noticed her distraction. “Is something wrong?”