Page 23 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

The man whose name I was still unsure of suddenly looked nervous, realizing he’d said too much. “Just how… lovely your company was,” he clarified, as if that made it any better.

“I see.”

We sat in an uncomfortable silence for only a few more moments before he excused himself, leaving his reason vague.

Good first conversation, I thought to myself.

I downed the rest of my glass before leaving in on a tray and exchanging it for another one. Should I have been slow and tried to keep out of trouble? Probably. I was cornered into coming here by drinking too much and putting myself in a situation I couldn’t get out of, so why would I put myself there again?

But halfway through the second glass was always when I let logic go to the wayside and started doing what I wanted. And I wanted to finish this glass, and probably have another, until I had a nice, comfortable buzz.

In between the drinks I had more conversations, now that someone had broken the ice. Mostly people fishing for something in the conversations—were my mothers’ planning to hand over the throne soon, plans for Sybil’s marriage, was Sorcha really happy in Valcor—though as the glasses continued, their exact reasoning started to get a bit unclear.

And at that point, I was ready to go dance. It was my favorite part of these gatherings, and with the gentle warmth of the drinks, I didn’t feel concerned about what people might think of me and was able to just dance.

When I entered the dance floor, I found a partner quickly and got lost in the music. It was upbeat and freeing, flowing through me easily. The steps were burned into my memories from years of lessons, letting me add my personal spin on them every once in a while and never worrying about missing a beat.

I was passed between partners, as the dance intended, until I eventually landed in front of a green pair of eyes I recognized well.

I was in Octavio’s arms, being spun around expertly. Everyone I’d danced with thus far knew the moves, but he seemed to be the aficionado, moving with a precision that made him a perfect partner.

When we were meant to switch partners again, he didn’t, sidestepping and keeping me in his arms, to the obvious annoyance of the man next to him.

“Looking to continue?” I asked.

“Best partner I’ve had all night,” he said. “How can I give that up?”

“You’re not bad yourself.”

“I’m excellent,” he retorted.

“And humble.”

“Always.” His smile was charming. I saw why Paige was interested. Hell, I was starting to feel interested, but that may have been that fourth glass talking.

We continued our banter and dancing for a bit longer, until I was breathless and told him I needed a break.

“I’ll come with you,” he said, keeping his hand in mine and leading me away.

“Thank you for the dance,” I said as we made our way to the outskirts of the group.

“No, it is I who should thank you for the honor.” He leaned down and kissed my hand.

It was probably just a polite gesture, but it felt a bit… forward. Though I could have been reading into it.

“This is an excellent party,” I told him. We ended up wandering towards the edge of the room, away from the swaths of people who had now mostly made their way to the dance floor.

“I’m pretty pleased with it.” We stood together, leaning against the wall next to each other.

“Are you excited for your grand tour?” I asked.

“I suppose,” he said.

I turned to him, spotting that pensive look on his face. “Who wouldn’t enjoy traveling the world?”

“Someone who knows what they’re coming back to.”

I turned to him more fully now. “What does that mean?”