Page 33 of The King of Hearts (The Raven Group #1)
CHAPTER NINETEEN
HER
The cathedral is where most events take place because the structure is big enough to hold several hundred people.
My arm is threaded through Cassio’s, with Bishop on my other side, as we follow behind Dad and Mom into the ballroom, which used to be the main hall of the church.
All of the pews have long since been removed, and the floors were replaced with black and white tiles.
The platform remains at the front of the room—minus the pulpit—where a band currently plays soft classical music.
The stained-glass windows depicting angels and the heavens are original.
Dead center in the middle of the high ceiling is a large mural of the archangels Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, and Saint Raphael.
There are round tables placed closer to the walls, and a couple of bars sit off to the north and south ends of the room.
Clusters of people in expensive finery holding champagne glasses mill around the room.
I spot Emersyn right away from the jade satin dress she wears. She’s standing across the room with her mother and father.
“I’m going to go say hello to Emersyn,” I tell my family as I release Cassio’s arm.
I walk across the floor, smiling at several people I know, and stop at Emersyn’s side. I touch her elbow when she doesn’t notice my presence at first.
She turns, and I get my first glimpse of her mask. It covers the top half of her face, the jade-colored lace and beads almost an exact replica of her eyes.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” I say, lifting a finger to one of the feathers that fan out from the sides of her mask.
She eyes me up and down, taking in my black sequin and silk, strapless evening gown, before settling on my mask. “So do you. That mask is stunning. Where did you get it?”
“Would you believe me if I told you I bought it from a kid at the market?”
Her eyes widen behind her mask. “Seriously?”
I laugh. “Yes. Somehow it ended up in a thrift store, and the girl’s mother bought it for her.”
She dips her head closer. “Those are real black pearls, aren’t they?”
“They are. They had no idea the value of such a piece until I told them. I offered twice what it was worth because I knew I had to have it.”
A waiter stops by and we both grab a glass of champagne before we turn to face the rest of the room, checking to see who’s in attendance.
An array of different colors from the women’s elaborate gowns and dramatic masks cluster throughout the room.
Many of the men wear expensive black tuxedoes.
I recognize most of the people here. Of course, it’s easy to do since I’ve been here since birth.
A lot of people here grew up on the island.
I bring my glass to my mouth, but before I can take a sip, something knocks into my elbow. The glass tips to the side, spilling its contents, thankfully missing my dress.
“I’m so sorry, miss,” a horrified voice says.
I look over at the young waitress. She looks to be about my and Emersyn’s age and appears flustered at her blunder.
“No harm done.” I turn to face her, offering her a smile. “See? Not a drop on my dress.”
By the reddening of her cheeks, she doesn’t seem to be appeased. “Please allow me to go fetch you another drink.”
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Serafina.”
“Another drink would be great. Thank you, Serafina.”
She dips her head and takes the empty flute from me before turning and walking away.
“I don’t think I’ve seen her before,” Emersyn comments as we watch her disappear into the crowd. “Have you?”
“No. I guess she recently moved here.”
We turn back to the dance floor for more people watching.
“Your brothers are looking fine tonight,” Emersyn remarks, looking across the room to where my brothers stand talking with Braxton and Ryker.
“You should ask one of them to dance,” I suggest.
My brothers are two of the only men that Emersyn doesn’t actively flirt with.
She may remark occasionally on their looks, but she doesn’t act the same way she does toward other good-looking, single men.
I think it’s because she grew up around them and thinks of them more as brothers than possible bedmates.
“Maybe I will,” she replies, giving me a cheeky grin.
A prickling sensation hits the back of my neck, like there’re eyes on me. I swivel my head around, taking in all of the people throughout the room. Everyone is in their own bubble, paying no attention to me, but I swear someone’s watching.
I’m just about to ask Emersyn if she feels it too, but a large body steps in front of us. It only takes me a moment to recognize the eyes through the holes in his mask.
“Hot damn, Tomas,” Emersyn says, running her eyes over his body. “You look absolutely fuckable.”
She’s not wrong. My best friend in a black tuxedo and black silk mask looks drool-worthy.
I laugh as he gives her a twinkling smirk. “And it hurts knowing it’ll never happen.”
She winks. “Never say never.” She grabs his hand and begins tugging him away. “Come on. I was saving my first dance for you.” She looks at me. “Grab a guy, Sav, and let’s get this party started.”
Tomas has no choice but to let her pull him to the dance floor. It’s amusing to watch her throw herself at Tomas, knowing that he would never touch her in any way sexually. She doesn’t have the right body parts to interest Tomas, and she knows it.
Instead of looking for a dance partner, I opt to watch the two of them.
She smashes their bodies together and throws her arms around his shoulders.
He loosely wraps his around her waist, and they begin to sway.
I laugh when Tomas twirls Emersyn around and she purposely comes back in so close that her boobs are smashed against his chest. If given half the chance, I don’t doubt that Em would let Tomas fuck her, but she knows her chances are slim to none.
The thing is, I can’t tell if her antics are genuine and she has real feelings for him.
If that’s the case, I feel sorry for my best friend.
That sensation of being watched again slithers up my spine, and I glance around.
Once again, I don’t find any eyes on me.
My gaze comes to a stop on a group of men across the room.
My brothers are there, and even from across the room, and despite the mask covering half of his face, I know one is Ryker.
Bennett, another member of The Raven Group, stands beside him.
On an island full of people who know everyone well, the masks don’t really hide identities. It’s more the tradition of wearing them is why it’s still done each year.
There’s another man in the group. One I don’t recognize, and I wonder if it’s the new guy Dad said he’s bringing into The Raven Group.
He has dark hair, nearly black, that’s cut close to the sides of his head and a bit longer on top.
He’s about the same height as the other men around him.
His shoulders are wide set, and going by the depth of his chest, he’s packed with muscles.
His mask covers half of his face, and below it, his cheeks and chin are covered in a clean-cut beard.
My eyes move to the last man, and when our gazes clash, Braxton smiles. Without looking away, he holds his champagne glass up for Ryker to take. Once he’s free of the flute, he starts walking my way.
“Savina, you look stunning tonight,” he says once he’s in front of me. “Not that I expected anything less.”
“Thank you,” I reply. “You look pretty handsome yourself.”
He runs a hand down the front of his suit jacket, and a dimple pops out on his right cheek when his smile widens.
“Would you care to dance?”
I hate dancing, but I don’t want to be rude, so I hold my hand out to him. “I’d love to.”
His hand engulfs mine and it’s warm and slightly callused.
He leads me out to the dance floor, where he spins me around and pulls me forward into his arms. Our hands stay clasped together, and I set my other on his shoulder while his free one goes to my waist. I’m tugged close, but not enough to where our full bodies are pressed together.
A slight hint of sandalwood hits my senses.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asks once we’re swaying to the slow music.
“We just got here, so that’s yet to be determined. And you?”
“I always enjoy myself at these things.” He grins. “But then, I enjoy myself no matter where I am.”
I laugh. “I believe that. You always have a smile on your face anytime I see you.”
“I’ve learned working for The Raven Group that I need to take pleasure where I can. Otherwise, the shit that we do and the shit that we’ve seen will swallow you into a black hole.”
My smile fades some. He’s right. To work in this business, you have to have a certain outlook on life to be able to handle the stuff we deal with on a daily basis.
Because if you don’t, it will pull you under and hold you captive.
PTSD doesn’t just affect those who experience heinous acts.
It can also impact a person who witnesses them, or the loved ones of victims.
“I saw one of your art pieces in a gallery in the city last week,” Brax says, spinning us around.
I blink and look up at him. “You did?”
“Yes. It was of an apple tree in full bloom, but the apples were black and dripping black goo.”
“Ahh… yes. My tree of death. One of my favorite pieces.”