Page 54 of The Unseelie Wish
As the lead-in to the music finished, she began to sing. She just let the song take her, her fingers resting atop those proverbial keys. She didn’t press any of the keys, but that wasn’t to say she wasn’t tempted.
It’d be so easy. Just slam her hands down, and the whole room would look like the rainforest portion of a zoo. All the human lives would change instruments. Animals, plants—everything they weren’t meant to be.
The lyrics left her effortlessly as she sang the tune about a man who had done her wrong. All the while, the temptation was there. At some point, she had closed her eyes, though she wasn’t sure when, sinking fully into the music.
When the song ended, she blinked her eyes open. Everyone was watching her, mouths agape. Was she that bad?
Izael was the first person to break the silence, the first clap of his hands shattering the veil. Everyone in the room jolted, startled out of their daze, and began to applaud along with him.
“Damn, lady—” The pianist laughed. “You want a job?”
Chuckling, she smiled shyly at him and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Sorry, I’m moving out of state soon.” On the River Styx, but he didn’t need to know that. “Thanks, though.”
“Come sing with us anytime.” The man shook his head. “No offense, Bill, but damn. And she’s also prettier than you.”
Bill, apparently the name of their normal lead singer, looked just as stunned. He huffed a laugh. “Yeah, yeah.”
Walking off the stage, she waved at them. “Thanks, guys. Have a good night.” Everyone was staring at her. She headed back to the booth where Izael was waiting, his teal eyes locked on her as she approached.
It took everything in her not to scamper out of the proverbial limelight as she sat on the bench and let out the breath she had apparently been holding. “There. Happy?”
Izael grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to him so abruptly she squeaked in surprise. He pulled her almost entirely into his lap, muffling her protest with his lips. He kissed her fiercely, the suddenness of it making her head spin.
When he finally let her breathe, he placed his palm to her cheek and stroked her skin gently with the pad of his thumb. “I thought I could not ever love you more. I was deeply mistaken.”
She met his gaze, her eyes flicking between his. There was no deviousness in him, no wicked, illicit joy. Just love. Love…and awe. Of her. Of how he felt.
It caught her like a butterfly in a net.
“What?” He furrowed his brow. “Do I have lipstick on me now?” Turning his head to the side, he wiped his mouth with his hand and checked it for her crimson lipstick.
It made her laugh quietly, leaning her head against his shoulder. “No, you’re fine. I’m just overwhelmed. That was trippy.”
“I can imagine. You’ve never taken over that number of people before.”
“What do you mean, taken over?”
“You had them all. You were conducting an orchestra. Even if you didn’t screw with their physical forms, you were forcing them all to play their music your way. You hypnotized them. You could have commanded them to do anything you wanted. Riot. Murder. Chaos.” He growled. “Gods. That’s so damn hot.”
“I’m gonna pretend that’s not disturbing.” Reaching for his drink, she took a gulp of it.
“Which part?”
“Both.”
He snickered. “Come on. Let’s go home. I have a desperate need to do terrible things to you.” Izael let go of her, if clearly reluctantly, so they could both scoot out of the bench to leave the club.
The blast of cold air that hit her when they stepped out into the night air felt amazing. She hadn’t realized how hot it was in there until it changed. Shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath before slowly letting it out.
The stars were barely visible through all the light pollution. Just a few stray bright dots in a sky stained with the orange hue of city lights. It had no right to be as beautiful as it was. And it was going to be her last time seeing it.
Her last time on Earth.
Taking his hand, she led him down the street. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“Where?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m…just not ready to leave yet.”