Page 29 of Elemental Becoming

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “The council. The ball. Security.”

The words don’t land all at once. They pile.Council. Ball. Security.It’s like everyone’s memorized the script but no onetold me I was cast.

I drop the blanket so it only covers the lower half of my body as I sit up quickly. “I’m sorry—what?”

“A grand, royal, extravagant event to celebrate you,” Thane says flatly.

I blink. “A ball?”

“Yes.”

I stare at him. “No.”

“Yes.”

“Absolutely not.”

“It’s already happening. They’ve been planning it for weeks.”

“For weeks?!” I exhale sharply, still reeling, considering that ten minutes ago, we were doing . . . well, not this. “And when, exactly, were you going to mention it? I don’t know—maybe weeks ago?”

Thane shrugs, completely unaffected. “We had a lot going on.”

I groan loudly, flopping back onto the bed like the universe has personally wronged me. Thane watches me, too calm, too composed.

“That,” he says, dry as dust, “is actually what I came back to tell you.”

I sit up and look at him, still trying to process this disaster. “And you got distracted?”

His gaze darkens, dragging over my lips, my throat, down to where my nipples strain against the thin fabric of my gown, betraying just how much heat still lingers between us.

Then, he sits up. “Obviously.”

I make a sound, half-frustrated, half-something-else-entirely, and shove at his chest. “Unbelievable.”

“I don’t regret being distracted by you.”

I glare. He smirks, infuriating and perfect.

I groan, flopping dramatically onto the bed for a second time.“A ball?”

“A ball,” Thane confirms, sounding just as done with this as I am.

“When is this gods-forsaken ball?” I ask in disbelief.

“The day after tomorrow,” Thane responds evenly.

“You’re kidding! The day after tomorrow?” My voice reaches the rafters.

Thane huffs a quiet laugh. “Yes. The day after tomorrow.”

I stare at the ceiling, my brain still trying to process this absolute nightmare of a situation.

“Worse than the war,” I mutter. “Gods help me. A ball.”

“A ball,” Thane confirms, far too calmly for someone delivering this kind of news. He braces his hands on the bed, surrounding me, his presence impossible to ignore.

I sit back up, my pulse kicking up for entirely different reasons now. “And when exactly was someone going to tell me this?”