Book 15: At the Ball

Blake

The Night Before

Soren pours another glass of punch, bracing one hand on the table as the ladle scrapes the bottom of the bowl. “Shit, it’s almost gone,” he murmurs, his words slurred. “It’s fuckin’ good, though.”

I squint past my blurred vision and spot Marianna in the small crowd as she moves in what I think is my direction, but there’s three of her. Someone trips behind her, and Patton, who was just standing at my side, takes off in a rush to rescue Jane, who’s now on the floor, tangled in her dress.

I’m not sure where the night went. One moment I was watching Marianna mingle with Maeve. Then, they disappeared, and reappeared, and the punch was served.

Music growled from speakers that sent smooth vibrations across the ballroom as conversations ran wild, and then… everything started to blur. I think I danced at one point, which is incredibly unlike me. I think I might have actually danced with Marianna.

Everything got incr