She didn't want to lose her chance to know more about him, pushing her luck further.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked.
His face was void of any emotions. “Sometimes balls were boring or I just wished to be somewhere else but mostly I didn't mind spending my evening in the crowded ballroom,” he stated, as their legs kept moving, following the placid melody.
“Couldn't you just not go there?”
“My family wouldn't let me do so.”
He didn't talk about his family before, she was surprised he mentioned them.
Her eyes sparkled in the dark, lashes fluttered. “Was it mandatory for your family?”
“Pretty much.”
Again this dry answer, she needed to get something else out of him.
“So what did you like about balls then? Don't tell me it was dancing.”
“Why not dancing?” The corner of his lips slightly lifted upwards.
A joyful shrill sound filled the room. She needed some time to stop laughing, finding it hard to imagine Dante would be such a romanticsoul and between all of the joys ball could offer, he'd choose dancing.
She cleared her throat. “You are not looking like you'd enjoy dancing.”
“Maybe, but I liked pretty girls I was dancing with,” his mouth turned up in a sinister smile.
“I am not surprised then,” she jeered. “Is this the real reason why you're giving me a dancing lesson?”
His smile widened and his fingers squeezed her waist tighter. Violette tensed under his touch as he pushed her closer to himself, so close that she felt the warmth of his solid chest against her face.
“And what if so?” The warm breath tickled her ear as he lowered his head.
Violette's heart skipped a beat. Maybe two. His voice did something strange to her, she could feel it in her bones – the sudden heat. And so she pulled away just a little bit to raise her gaze to find his dark eyes looking at her under the black long lashes. At that moment, she could swear she had never seen anything more beautiful than his face, his arms wrapped around her. In this darkness, where only a glimpse of light behind him illuminated the room. And it doesn't matter how cold he looked, being able to turn the candle flame into ice; how dark his eyes, how sharp his face was – Violette felt like he could set the room on fire just by his words and the way his voice sounded. The way helookedat her. The way he was standing there. And she had no idea why the sudden moveof his fingers on her waist made her feel this particular way.
Was she staring too long? Doesn't matter because he was staring at her all this time too. But what was he thinking? She wanted so badly to take his mind apart to the smallest details to finally put the puzzle together she was trying to solve all these days. And she didn't know why she wanted to do it but she felt like it was a vital thing to do.
“You've been silent for too long,” his words cut the air. “Relax, Little Witch. If I wanted to spend time with you I'd choose something more interesting, perhaps something that would not make you get dressed.”
She narrowed her eyes, her brows knitted. “Like I would let you. This,” she pointed her finger at him measuring the distance between their chests, “is the closest we'll ever be.”
He hummed under his breath with a provocative smile and then spun her so her back hit his chest. What was that tingling down her spine about?
His chest heaving against her back as he lowered his head to her ear with a soft smile on his face. “Don't worry about this, Little Witch, romance is the last thing on my mind. Even with such a beauty like you.”
And then he turned her back to him, one hand behind his back and the second connecting with her palm. After making a half circle he stepped back, slanting his head to the side.
Violette's cheeks flushed as she escaped Dante's gaze, still feeling his touch on her waist, leaving a peculiar trace deep down inside.
“You are not as bad with dances as I thought,” he voiced. “Now, do you know what to speak about?”
His words pulled her out of her thoughts. “Well, we need him to show me the map, so I guess about magic.”
“Not exactly. You need to start from something less provocative. The conversation on such an event usually starts from the weather, compliments and other boring stuff,” he waved. “Start from complimenting his manor but don't be too generous with your words, you're a duchess after all.”
Violette looked to the side, thinking about what to say.
“The evening is quite…nice?”
