Page 20 of House of Demons and Bones (Shades of Ruin and Magic #5)

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T he blossoms on the ancient tree glowed. Light radiated from five towering sculptures that symbolized the guardians of the tree of life, each representing one of the houses. The buildings spread around Trailblazer Courtyard like compass points: Clockwork in the north, Infinite Library in the east, Pathfinder’s obsidian dome of classrooms in the west, and Jubilee Haven in the south. The masquerade ball filled the courtyard below.

The House of Mages had outdone itself with this year's ball design.

The invitation had gone out through Spinchat. Thousands of masked students, faculty, and guests now packed the courtyard, the crowd flowing all the way to Windsong Woods. Only the sentinels went without masks, their watchful eyes scanning the campus as they patrolled.

After we returned to campus, rumors spread like wildfire, blaming Barbie for the Shrieker army invasion—and all those deaths. Word was she’d face another court trial.

It’s like an endless freaking lawsuit, she said, rolling her eyes. But we ain’t gonna worry about that shit.

She brushed off trouble with her usual swagger, an attitude I supported. Shit always seemed to find her anyway. She was a magnet.

One step at a time, I offered, but anxiety churned in my gut. For the first time ever, I had this nagging feeling that Barbie was keeping something major from me. I was afraid of bad things happening to her more than to me. Maybe it was all this separation talk. The thought of being apart from her terrified me, but I desperately wanted to be my own person. I dreamed about building a life with my fae mate.

The music swelled. Rowan extended his hand. “May I have this dance and all the dances after, little monster?” The possessiveness in his voice made my face flush with glee.

I beamed at him. “You may, sugar.” I slid my hand into his.

This dance was ours, and we’d keep dancing until that bitch queen Lilith showed up. Then Killian and the heirs would keep her and her ward occupied while Rowan and I slipped away to the demon house. Actually, Barbie and Rowan would pair up instead. I’d volunteered to do the spying, but Barbie had come up with something cleverer—she’d infiltrate the sixth house by impersonating her own replica.

We spun into the center of the courtyard. My lover looked devastatingly handsome even with the mask hiding most of his face, leaving only those moonstone-colored eyes and gorgeous lips visible. His otherworldly fae beauty stole my breath away.

The prince heirs wore identical black tuxedos, each cut perfectly to their frames and paired with matching dragon masks. They mirrored each other so precisely that it was impossible to tell them apart.

Their matching outfits shouted unity. The heirs fought like cats and dogs among themselves, but no outsider had ever managed to drive them apart. Hell, even when Killian and Rowan had tried to kill each other over Barbie and me, their brotherhood stayed unbreakable. The heirs were ruthless assholes, but they were our ruthless assholes now—mine, Barbie’s, and each other’s.

Rowan led with precise, lithe steps. No one danced better than him, and I moved with him as if we’d done this a hundred times before. That was how perfectly we fit together.

This time I hadn’t needed to conjure my own dress. Rowan had gifted me a backless golden gown that made my eyes glow. High slits on both sides showed off my long, toned legs. Instead of hiding my savage side, the design flaunted it.

My sugar fae celebrated my wild beauty rather than trying to force me to fit into high society, and that meant everything. Any man foolish enough to try taming or changing me would learn just how stupid that mistake was.

I’d crafted my mask purely from magic, my own special creation. The design seamlessly integrated ocean, mountain, land, and sky. No one else could work magic quite like me, and I’d finally started owning that power. The pride and heat in my lover’s eyes said he knew it too.

We spun across the center of the courtyard, drawing every eye. Our moves flowed with the beautiful music. Rowan’s hand pressed possessively against my bare back.

I was wild. I was free. I was his.

The music slowed as whispers rippled through the crowd. I turned with everyone else to look.

Queen Lilith stood in the limelight, the crowd parting without her command. Her hair, two shades darker than Barbie’s, flowed like captured golden sunlight. Her green eyes brimmed with raw power. Now that I looked straight at her, a flicker of familiarity caught my eyes—something about her echoed Barbie. But the moment I tried to focus on it, the similarity dissolved like morning mist.

I took in every detail. Her green silk gown hugged her perfect, regal figure. Sheer mesh formed the bodice, adorned with intricate floral designs. The burgundy skirt traced her curves before cascading to the floor, its train flowing behind her. The fabric trapped light in impossible ways, some mysterious material I’d never seen before. With each movement, her dress swirled around her like cosmic mist.

Her mask was crafted from polished quicksilver and studded with diamonds. Delicate wings swept up from her temples. Her intense green eyes scanned the crowd, hunting for Killian.

The air shimmered around her, infused with the power of the Underworld. She might be a fallen star who outshone Heaven, but she wouldn’t outshine me.

Just as I gathered my magic to pull attention back to me and challenge the queen, Barbie yanked my raw magic back. I froze, stunned that she could sabotage me like that, but she was right about not exposing myself in front of our enemy.

Just then, Silas and Louis swooped in on Lilith, their black tuxedos and dragon masks identical as they circled her like seductive predators. The bad boys knew how to work a party. Silas beat Louis and reached the queen first, his hand finding her slender waist with practiced grace, his low chuckle sensual and irresistible.

Lilith tilted her head to regard her unexpected partner, as tradition demanded Killian approach her first, even at a masked ball.

As she peeked into Silas’s amber eyes through his dragon mask, the shifter prince spun her against his chest, releasing her only to draw her back again. A smile played on the queen’s lips as she let him lead their playful dance. Their movements flowed with the changing tempo, making them quite the striking pair.

Yet her eyes kept searching for Killian as they twirled. Before she could spot him, Louis glided in, sweeping her into an elaborate dance. Light swirled across their sleek masks and her flowing gown.

The crowd couldn’t look away from their queen, the night’s brightest star.

Close by, Cade was waiting for his turn to engage the enemy, ready to pass the queen between them like a dark secret, a game that the queen could only guess at, never knowing the real truth.

Killian lurked in the shadows, alert and deadly, ready for damage control. His gaze burned into me, but I knew he was really watching Barbie through me, just as she gazed back at him. Their connection buzzed through my skin like electricity in sunlight, making me their unwilling bridge. Rowan drew me closer, offering his warmth and moral support.

“What’s wrong, little monster?” His whisper against my ear sent a different kind of shiver through me.

I told him about being stuck between Barbie and Killian’s intense connection.

“Assholes,” Rowan murmured. “Those two are the most obnoxious pair. They just need to wait their damn turn like everyone else, like us!”

Lilith’s gaze locked onto me right as Rowan and I were about to slip away for our mission.

Shit! I froze.

Do not react. Don’t you dare twitch even one of your eyes, Barbie warned. Now that she’d mentioned it, fighting the urge to twitch was all I could think about.

Rowan spun me away from the fallen star. He didn’t look in her direction but fixed his attention solely on me, as if I was his whole world.

I was, wasn’t I?

“Are you making me guess your identity, Prince Louis? Is this a new game you princes play?” Lilith’s voice held light amusement as she danced with him. “And who’s that girl with Rowan?”

Her power ran so deep she could spot each prince despite their matching masks. Before Louis could respond, Cade swept in and whisked her into his arms, spinning her further from Rowan and me.

Our timing in dealing with the Fury couldn’t have been better. Now curse free, the mage prince could dance with the demon queen without fear—could touch anyone he wanted.

“Party hard and dance, everyone!” Silas’s voice boomed across the floor from the musicians’ stage. “Life waits for no one. There might be no tomorrow!”

The crowd surged into motion, masks and bodies blending into a dizzying waltz of mystery and desire as the music soared.

In the chaos of shadow and light and dancing bodies, Rowan and I slipped away.