Page 55 of Hell Fae Prince

“Why are we doing this?” I asked him. “Why are we dancing?” It had to have something to do with the enchanted gown; I just couldn’t see the purpose.

“Because it’s a ball,” he murmured, his mouth curving into an alluring smile. “One typically dances at a ball, yes?”

“I wouldn’t know,” I replied flatly. “This is my first one.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “I suppose you did miss the Hell Fae Bride event.”

My jaw clenched. Because yeah, I had missed that gathering…as punishment for wearing an enchanted necklace.

Recalling that event had my veins running hot, just for the charm to cool against my skin once more.

I wanted to rip it off. Burn it. Destroy every piece of magic.

Alas, I had no idea how to do that. Because it was like that chained dress all over again.

Although… with the chained dress, I’d… I’dabsorbedthe magic.

Maybe I could do that again?

No, better yet, maybe Ishoulddo that again…

I focused on the energy around me, my soul seeking a connection, anything that I could latch onto in an effort to break the spell. I should have thought of this before entering the ball, but better late than never.Ah, there?—

Lucifer whirled me into a dip, one that distracted me from the strand I’d nearly caught. When he righted me, I grabbed his shoulder with my free hand, my heart skipping a beat.

His blue eyes were so intense. Like whirlpools of madness and chaos andpower.

“I’ve been hard on you,” he said, his gaze holding mine. “Perhaps unfairly. Perhaps not. That remains to be seen, butI can acknowledge that I’ve not made things easy for you, Camillia.”

I huffed a humorless laugh. “I think that’s a bit of an understatement, Your Majesty.”

“Lucifer,” he corrected. Another dip and twirl, one that ended with my back to his chest and his lips at my ear. “No more formalities, Camillia.”

“Why?” I asked on a pant as he whirled me again. “You’ve more than insinuated that you have no interest in getting to know me.” At least, not in real life.

In my dreams, well, that was a very different story.

I ignored that and added, “You’ve also said that I’m too familiar with your prince. Why the sudden change of heart?”

He whirled me again, catching me deftly by the hips and holding me flush against him. “Because my heart belongs to that prince, and he’s made his feelings for you quite clear.”

The seriousness of his tone matched the gleam in his gaze, causing me to swallow. “He’s playing with me.” I’d been a shiny toy from the beginning that Melek had plucked out of the Hell Fae Bride pool. His reasoning remained to be seen. But his intentions weren’t long-term. “I’m a temporary fixation.”

Lucifer stopped moving, the full force of the ocean swirling in his irises. “There’s nothing temporary about what he’s doing. He’s tied his soul to yours for eternity, and while it may feel like a game—because my prince is playful in nature—it’s forever for him.”

He twirled me before I could respond, dipping me so far down that my hair skimmed the floor before he pulled me back up in a deft move that left me breathless and speechless against him.

Or maybe the vehemence in his words had done that.

But he wasn’t done speaking.

“Melek has made his desires clear with every gift, every thought, everytrick. You mean so much more to him than you realize, than I even realized. But I see it now. And I’m… attempting to respect it.” He reached up to brush my hair away from my face, our twirling having tangled my long strands.

I held his gaze, my heart seeming to stop beating.

We were so close, our lips only a few breaths away from one another.

If this were one of my dreams, he would kiss me. Then tie me up in Melek’s ribbons and torture me with his mouth and hands.