But then, there’d been so many questions.
It didn’t feel that way tonight.
Tonight, it felt as if we’d been lifted.
Elevated.
Exulted above the mess to delight in what we’d been given.
It was half an hour to midnight, and the revelers had turned rowdy. Drinks flowed free as everyone cut loose the weights and worries of the previous year in anticipation of the new.
It sent excitement billowing through the cavernous space.
He edged back to gaze down at my face. “Look at you beneath all those lights, still shining brighter than anyone.”
“I think I’m just reflecting off you.”
“Hardly.”
Our words were barely audible above the din, but we felt them, our spirits swimming together in a sea of exhilaration.
I wanted to stay there forever.
But I was jostled back and out of the dream when the crowd was suddenly torn apart. People scrambled to get out of the way as six big bodies busted through.
Panic.
Fear.
Hate.
They burst in my blood.
No.
Eyes wide with shock,I fumbled back.
No.
My papa was at the helm of the men I knew had come to drag me away. His expression was contorted in disappointment and rueful discontent.
Jarek was at his side, venom in his eyes and vileness in his presence, the man slicked in a sweat that reeked of malevolence. Four men surrounded them, three that I recognized as Jarek’s guards and one of my father’s.
Violence bristled through the air, and Logan stepped in front of me to create a barricade. Hostility burned from his being.
This man a hedge of protection to shield.
But continuing to hide wasn’t going to get us out of this.
The mass continued to throb, oblivious to the ground that had been ripped out from under my feet.
“It’s time to leave. Now.” Jarek’s vicious voice curled over the music.
“That’s not going to happen.” The words speared from Logan’s mouth. I could feel his control fraying in every tremor that rocked through his body.
“I thought by now you would have remembered who you’re dealing with,” Jarek spat, taking a step forward. He lifted his chin in arrogance, his power gained in the men who surrounded him.
The crowd parted again, a wave that undulated from behind to give way to Jud and Trent, plus Milo and Kult and three other bouncers who came up behind us.