Suddenly, for the first time in a long time, everything I’d ever wanted was well within reach.
I was a teen.
A beautiful teen just like my sister.
And also like my sister, cute boys were now making their way across rooms—willing to look like fools just to be near me.
I was the star of my very own fairy tale.
It was too good to resist.
So I didn’t.
“Please, not to worry—it is nothing like that,” I assured him, my gaze shyly meeting his. “It is only that I …” I knotted my brow, unsure of what followed. My voice sounded odd, containing a strange sort of lilt I didn’t normally posses, never mind the words I’d just used.
Dacian crinkled his brow, took another step forward until he was standing so close I could easily make out each individual golden fleck in his dreamy brown eyes. The sight of his nearness causing me to chew my lower lip, my fingers grasping the folds of my skirt, twisting and turning the fabric until it became crumpled-up bunches I held in my fists. Vaguely aware of the voice in my head that continued to prod me toward … something, I was no longer sure what it could be.
The only thing I knew for certain was that Dacian stood before me, his grin sweet and open—his gaze charmingly hopeful—the rest was a blur.
He blinked, smiled, waited for me to finish the thought, so I cleared my throat and dove in, trusting the right words
would find their way out. My voice lighter, girlier, miles away from my usual rasp, sounding just like Aurelia’s when I said, “It is only that I …” Dacian nodded, urging me to finish. “Well …” I pressed my jeweled fingers to my lips, holding back a giggle that didn’t quite feel like mine. “Even though I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, I must confess that I’m not really accustomed to …” boys looking at me, flirting with me, talking to me … my mind spun with the long list of possibilities. “Well, the truth is, I’m not really accustomed to these sorts of parties, ” I stammered, feeling a rush of heat rise to my cheeks, knowing that while it barely covered my long list of things I’d yet to experience, that didn’t make it any less true.
Dacian leaned toward me, brow rising in surprise. “You mean to say this is your first time at the games, then?”
I nodded, trying not to squirm under his scrutiny while I twisted the rings on my fingers, hoping he would find my confession to be far more charming than pathetic.
“You did see the gladiators, though? Before they headed back down the stairs to the ludus ?”
The stairs.
The words nudged at me, prodded me. As simple as they seemed on the surface, I couldn’t help but feel that they somehow went deeper, held significant meaning.
“I hope that at the very least you were able to view the
champion, Theocoles, the one they call the Pillar of Doom? Although he’s considered to be favored by the gods, one must never forget that they all fall eventually. Who knows, this may have been your last chance to view him. Though I suppose tomorrow, we’ll know for sure.”
Theocoles.
The Pillar of Doom.
The words set off alarms in my head. Like the sound of hands clapping, fingers snapping, it was as though I’d been awakened from a very deep sleep.
Or, more like a trance.
Suddenly the magnitude of what had just happened became all too clear.
Suddenly I was all too aware of what’d happened to all of those poor Soul Catchers before me.
Messalina’s world was tempting, alluring, offering the immediate promise of everything one could ever long for that seemed just out of reach. She’d enchanted me, just like she had them. She’d given me the life I’d always dreamed of—and in turn distracted me from my own plans.
Despite Bodhi’s warning, despite knowing the risks, as it turns out, I was no different from the rest of my fellow Soul Catchers. I’d barely arrived, and I’d already caved.
If I had any hope of saving Theocoles—not to mention saving myself—then I had
I was a teen.
A beautiful teen just like my sister.
And also like my sister, cute boys were now making their way across rooms—willing to look like fools just to be near me.
I was the star of my very own fairy tale.
It was too good to resist.
So I didn’t.
“Please, not to worry—it is nothing like that,” I assured him, my gaze shyly meeting his. “It is only that I …” I knotted my brow, unsure of what followed. My voice sounded odd, containing a strange sort of lilt I didn’t normally posses, never mind the words I’d just used.
Dacian crinkled his brow, took another step forward until he was standing so close I could easily make out each individual golden fleck in his dreamy brown eyes. The sight of his nearness causing me to chew my lower lip, my fingers grasping the folds of my skirt, twisting and turning the fabric until it became crumpled-up bunches I held in my fists. Vaguely aware of the voice in my head that continued to prod me toward … something, I was no longer sure what it could be.
The only thing I knew for certain was that Dacian stood before me, his grin sweet and open—his gaze charmingly hopeful—the rest was a blur.
He blinked, smiled, waited for me to finish the thought, so I cleared my throat and dove in, trusting the right words
would find their way out. My voice lighter, girlier, miles away from my usual rasp, sounding just like Aurelia’s when I said, “It is only that I …” Dacian nodded, urging me to finish. “Well …” I pressed my jeweled fingers to my lips, holding back a giggle that didn’t quite feel like mine. “Even though I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, I must confess that I’m not really accustomed to …” boys looking at me, flirting with me, talking to me … my mind spun with the long list of possibilities. “Well, the truth is, I’m not really accustomed to these sorts of parties, ” I stammered, feeling a rush of heat rise to my cheeks, knowing that while it barely covered my long list of things I’d yet to experience, that didn’t make it any less true.
Dacian leaned toward me, brow rising in surprise. “You mean to say this is your first time at the games, then?”
I nodded, trying not to squirm under his scrutiny while I twisted the rings on my fingers, hoping he would find my confession to be far more charming than pathetic.
“You did see the gladiators, though? Before they headed back down the stairs to the ludus ?”
The stairs.
The words nudged at me, prodded me. As simple as they seemed on the surface, I couldn’t help but feel that they somehow went deeper, held significant meaning.
“I hope that at the very least you were able to view the
champion, Theocoles, the one they call the Pillar of Doom? Although he’s considered to be favored by the gods, one must never forget that they all fall eventually. Who knows, this may have been your last chance to view him. Though I suppose tomorrow, we’ll know for sure.”
Theocoles.
The Pillar of Doom.
The words set off alarms in my head. Like the sound of hands clapping, fingers snapping, it was as though I’d been awakened from a very deep sleep.
Or, more like a trance.
Suddenly the magnitude of what had just happened became all too clear.
Suddenly I was all too aware of what’d happened to all of those poor Soul Catchers before me.
Messalina’s world was tempting, alluring, offering the immediate promise of everything one could ever long for that seemed just out of reach. She’d enchanted me, just like she had them. She’d given me the life I’d always dreamed of—and in turn distracted me from my own plans.
Despite Bodhi’s warning, despite knowing the risks, as it turns out, I was no different from the rest of my fellow Soul Catchers. I’d barely arrived, and I’d already caved.
If I had any hope of saving Theocoles—not to mention saving myself—then I had
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