Page 12

Everly's laugh warmed my ear. I straightened, drew my left wing closer to my back, and guided her into the first turn. Her hand settled against my bare shoulder, the fingers light at first. The little white wings attached to her dress bobbed as she found the rhythm.

I knew that laugh. I knew the honey-gold waves brushing her shoulders, the confident tilt of her chin, and the way she watched me as if whatever answer I gave ought to be worth hearing. On Friday she'd stood beside a conference table at Harbor & Main, asking practical questions while other people talked past me. I'd wanted to take her out long before that morning. She'd refused my invitation, and I'd left the matter alone.

Now Everly was dancing with me without recognizing the man beneath the black mask.

I hadn't expected to find her at the Grand. I'd booked my Halloween package in advance, as I had in previous years, for the pleasure of displaying my wings in a roomful of people who believed they were expensive costume work. Earlier, one guest had praised the craftsmanship while another speculated about hidden wires. I'd found both admirably confident in their ignorance. Mortals were seldom so complimentary when I wore a black shirt and worked on their computers.

Everly had never treated me that way.

The band settled into a slower passage. I drew her through a turn, keeping the sweep of black feathers clear of another couple. She followed easily on her gold heels, then looked over my shoulder with open amusement.

"Do you have to think about them every time you move?"

"Only when there are people close enough to step on."

She glanced at my folded wings and laughed again. When I eased my hand against her waist, she stepped nearer instead of away.

Her palm slid across my bare shoulder as I turned her beneath my arm, and the tips of her fingers caught against the markings that crossed my upper chest. She lingered there, tracing the edge of one dark curve before settling her hand against me again.

I'd already spent an uncomfortable amount of the evening imagining those hands on my skin.

The Grand's ballroom glittered around us, chandeliers throwing amber light across black velvet and the crowded dance floor. Above the musicians, a violinist's bow flashed; burgundy roses and twisted branches crowded the silver urns between the windows.

The whole spectacle was wonderfully excessive. Witch Harbor had discovered that people would pay a remarkable amount of money to pretend monsters existed.

Everly followed my lead around a crowded stretch of floor. Her satin skirt brushed my legs, and the gold embroidery along her bodice caught the light whenever she moved.

I'd admired her figure in tailored office clothes often enough, but the sweetheart neckline of her dress was making a persuasive argument for abandoning my usual restraint.

She glanced toward a couple in elaborate medieval costumes who were attempting a turn without becoming tangled in the lady's enormous train.

"I think we've found someone with a costume even less practical than yours."

The gentleman managed to step directly onto the trailing fabric. His companion caught him by the sleeve before he fell, and they both dissolved into laughter.

"He's doing well," I murmured. "Nobody's required medical attention yet."

Everly laughed, and her hand tightened against my shoulder.

I loved making her laugh. On Friday, she'd smiled at my remarks across a conference table. I preferred having her this close.

With her breasts brushing my chest and her face tipped toward mine, I was finding better uses for my mouth.

A guest passed close behind Everly, and I brought my wing around to keep its feathers from catching against the man's elaborate cape. She glanced over her shoulder at the movement, watching the black feathers settle beside her.

"You really are rather extraordinary, aren't you?"

"You haven't seen the half of it."

Her eyebrows lifted, and the smile she gave me suggested she'd caught the invitation beneath the words.

"That sounds suspiciously like a challenge."

"Only if you're interested."

She tilted her head, considering me through the delicate gold detailing of her mask.

"I'm beginning to think I might be."