Page 60 of A Taste of Bliss

A thrill goes through me at his words and the heated way he’s looking at me. Both of us have already had a lot to drink. It would be so easy to give into the lust that is starting to pool low in my body. But tonight I have a mission.

I need to be sure that Jordan is not my mate.

I need to ease the panic that threatens me every time I let my mind ponder that possibility.

I scan the crowd again and frown when I see Wrath all the way at the opposite side of the ballroom, standing slightly distant from the rest of the band members, who are all wearing their signature masks. I look back to the bar he was queued in front of just a moment ago, but no one in a similar costume is there. I wonder briefly if he’s a vampire and used his vamp speed to get a drink and head back to his band. But that would mean the song wraith was wrong, and he seemed adamant that Wrath is some type of water-related fae.

Dericia catches my eyes and waves me over to her. I smile coyly up at Grim, hopping off my stool and forcing him to take a step back. “You’ll have to excuse me.”

He grins as he follows my gaze. “Does she have something I don’t?” he teases.

I shrug innocently and throw him a wink, heading over to my best friend. Once I reach her she loops her arm through mine and starts walking towards a hallway that must lead to the bathroom. “I have to pee so bad,” she says in a rush.

I laugh. “And here I was, thinking you had some tea to spill.”

“Nope, just my bladder.” We both drunkenly laugh at that and find ourselves in a line out the door for the bathroom. “So, Grim seems pretty into you?” she prods.

I shrug, focusing my gaze on the girl in front of me, who’s wearing a green, floor-length, velvet dress. It’s beautiful and soft looking, complementing her bright red hair. “He’s beautiful, I will say that.”

“But no sparks?”

I take a minute to answer, watching the woman in front of me taking out a small piece of paper from her purse. She looks at it for a little bit then slips it back into her bag.

“I mean, there’s definitely some chemistry, but no runes. He’s obviously not the one for me. What about you? You and Amelia seemed like you were on your own mission this week.” I eye her meaningfully and she laughs.

“I mostly just say that stuff to hype Amelia up,” she confesses. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a sexy escapade here and there, but I will admit something feels like it’s missing these days.”

I glance up at Reese, noting she’s also been studying the dress in front of us. Her eyes are slightly unfocused, probably the same as mine, and she’s wearing a slight frown. I don’t like seeing that expression on her face and it makes me wonder.

Normally I’d try to bring this up with more tact, but I’m two shots and two drinks in at this point. “Do you ever wish you weren’t human?”

Reese glances quickly at me and lets out a laugh, relaxation coming back to her face. “Stars no,” she breathes out, patting my arm gently. “No offense or anything. I guess it would be cool to have my own magic, but being kindred and having access to potions and stuff, I feel like I get the best of both worlds, but without the need to recharge my powers.” She pauses for a moment and looks meaningfully at me. “Plus, there’s the whole ‘if I turned fae, I’d be Made fae,’ and neither Born fae nor kindreds treat Made fae very well.”

I grimace, nodding in agreement. “That’s true.”

“Not that a lot of Made fae don’t deserve it,” she says with a shudder, perhaps thinking back to that warlock she encountered on our girls’ night.

I sling my arm around her middle and lean my head on her shoulder. “You’re okay, right? After that whole incident at the club?”

Reese laughs, and I can hear it echo through her chest. “Yeah, I’m fine. It definitely wasn’t my most favorite outing of all time, but I knew you and Amelia wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

“I love you, Reese.” I give her a squeeze and she squeezes me back.

“I love you too, Bliss.”

We’ve made it to the front of the line now, the girl in the green dress disappearing into one of the stalls.

Grim kept my barstool warm while I was with Reese. He looks me up and down as I approach and moves so I can take back my spot. I lose track of time as we chat, glancing down at my phone and seeing it’s been almost an hour. I’m starting to get worried.What if Jordan thinks he’s too cool for something like this? I wouldn’t put it past him.

But then I hear it.

The hollow, boisterous, almost fake laugh.

I freeze and Grim glances curiously at me.

“Are you okay?”

I swallow and nod, my eyes darting to the center of the dance floor. I could pick out Jordan even if he was wearing a sport mascot costume in a sea of other mascots.