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"Not you," Mira whispered. Rowan held out his arm with a raised eyebrow.
"Forgive me your highness, but I think Prince Ash asked Mira," Mira's mother cut in firmly. Mira shot her mother a relieved glance, and her mom gave her a tiny smile that said you're-welcome-but-you-still-have-to-explain-everything-later. Mira gave a tiny nod.
Ash swept her out the door and closed it. The knob froze over, and you could hear Rowan swearing as he rattled the door from the other side.
"Sorry about that," Ash murmured. Mira looked down at the floor.
"S'okay," She mumbled. The little voices in her head coached her on a million witty, smart things she could say, but she ignored them. An encounter with Rowan could dampen anyone's spirits.
Ash wove his fingers through hers. He looked at her as if for permission, and she tightened her fingers around his. Wordlessly, Ash led her down the hallway and pushed open a door, stepping aside so she would enter first.
Soft glows of blue and silver washed over Mira, and casted hazy shadows behind her. Unseelie fey swirled out on the dance floor in blurs of color. The unnatural beauty of it all was only ruined by the redcaps sitting in the corner of the room, dealing out cards, and swearing colorfully under their breaths.
Ash slipped his arm through Mira's, and Mira peered up at him shyly through her eyelashes. He was looking at her. Blushing, Mira let Ash lead her around the room to the other side, where Sage was.
"Late again little brother," Rowan smirked, melting out of the shadows.
"How did you get here so fast?" The question slipped out before Mira could stop it. Rowan chuckled.
"Miss me already?" He asked. Ash's arms tightened on Mira, and Mira shrank back. Something dark and predatory flashed through Rowan's eyes as he looked from Ash to Mira, then he gave a curt nod and walked into the dancing crowd. Sage watched Rowan go with bored eyes.
"Sorry about my brother. He's pretty-"
"Arrogant? Self centered? Has a big ego? Yeah, I know. I had to learn that the hard way," Mira said. She said the last part softly, staring down at the ground.
"The hard way?" Ash mused. Mira didn't say anything, and the voices had gone silent now. Finally, when the silence became unbearable, Mira explained.
"I was young and stupid, okay? No one ever told me I was pretty. Mom was never there. And then he comes suddenly, and gives me everything I wanted. I was silly, but I believed him when he said…" Mira looked away.
"You don't have to continue," Ash said quickly, looking at Rowan's direction murderously.
"I've never said it to anyone before," Mira said. She clamped down her mouth, but the words just tumbled out.
"He said he loved me. And I believed him," Mira said bitterly. Her hands flew to her mouth as she realized what she'd just said. Ash's hands stroked her hair gently.
"I really shouldn't have said that," Mira said. She noticed Sage standing quietly beside them, and groaned.
"Hey, I wasn't listening," Sage said. He offered her a small smile, and then frowned at Ash.
"Shouldn't you be..?" Sage motioned to the dancers. Ash held out his hand, and Mira took it, grateful for a distraction from her embarrassing confessment. The music swelled as they danced, and when it faded, most people were looking at them.
Ash guided her off the dance floor, and was swamped with other Unseelie fey. Mira wandered away from the crowds, picking her way through the frozen gardens.
"So you're Mira," a voice said from behind her. Instinctively, Mira's hand reached into the folds of her dress for her dagger. Her finger gripped the blade before slowly turning around.
A crowd of girls stood behind her, peering at her with large, doelike gray eyes. They all wore different colored variations of the same daringly low cut dress and strappy heels.
"Yeah," Mira said, unsure of what else to say. They smirked at her, and the tallest one – a stick thin blonde, tossed her hair before continuing.
"Let me make this perfectly clear. You touch my Ash, I slit your throat while I speak. Deal?" She held out her hand. Mira stared at her.
"No."
"What?" She asked coolly, eyes flashing. The voices swore colorfully in her head, and Mira raised her chin.
"No."
"You ruin Rowan, and you want to ruin Ash as well?" Another girl demanded. The rest of the group pressed in like wolves, snarling and glaring. One of the girls' hand shot out meaning to push Mira, but Mira twisted away. As she twisted, another girl tipped her drink onto Mira's dress, leaving a long, dark stain across the front.
"Oops," She said. They pressed in, and Mira had no where to go. No space to move.
"Still no?" Another girl asked. Mira just glared at her, and the next thing she knew, she was pushed headfirst into the frozen ground.
The voices in her head screamed, reminding her that she had a knife in her dress, and to use it. But darkness began clawing at her vision, and soon she was tumbling down a black chute, and into inky nothing less…