CHAPTER 2 THE PARTY
THIRD PERSON POV
The party was still mild and ongoing, but by now, Lyssia was tired of it all. This was supposed to be a rescue mission. But the way all of it was going, she didn't think they'd get to the rescue part soon. And she was not happy about that. She had things to do, for God's sake.
The ballroom was grand, she'd give it that. Chandeliers dripping with enchanted light that shifted between gold and pale blue, casting everything in this dreamlike glow that was probably meant to feel magical but just felt suffocating. The air was thick with expensive perfume and something older underneath it — something charged, like the room itself was holding a secret. Masked faces everywhere, silk and velvet and feathers, all of them performing for each other. Glasses clinked. Someone laughed too loudly at something that clearly wasn't funny. A string quartet played in the corner — soft, forgettable music that floated and then died without anyone noticing.
Lyssia noticed everything.
"Alright, I can't do this anymore. Even if we can't start the mission now, at least let's make the party interesting," she said to her partner for the night, Malia.
"No! That wasn't what Queen Mother said. It's just two more hours, so settle down for Poseidon's sake, Lys, and don't mess this up," Malia said, looking Lyssia in the eye.
"Oh, fuck what Queen Mother says. Her plan's too boring. Where's the fun?! Besides, the earlier we get those kids, the better. Every hour we spend at this boring, stupid party with these stupid gowns is torture and a waste of time," Lyssia retorted.
She thought that at least a party with all the supernaturals would be interesting, but they were all acting like stiff puppets. Fake laughs, underhanded comments, and whatnot. She wouldn't have bothered if they weren't here to save kids. Besides, she was always a "must" on every mission, being the most powerful siren in the world. Not that she'd mastered all that she needed to, but she still was the strongest. Everything about this night had been weird, though; she suspected that apart from the twelve targets that she had determined herself to find — even without Queen Mother's permission — they had other motives.
Her eyes swept the room again, slow and deliberate, like she was just casually people-watching. She wasn't. She was counting. One by the far pillar — a tall woman in a black gown who hadn't touched her drink once all evening. Two and three near the balcony doors, standing just a little too close together, speaking just a little too quietly. She'd clocked seven of the twelve so far. The other five were either hidden, masked too well, or hadn't arrived yet. Either way, she wasn't leaving without all of them.
She had to find it all out tonight. She had to make them all fall in love with her. And boy, was that her specialty, she thought, smirking —
"Are you even listening to me, Lys?"
Oh my, she totally forgot she was talking to Malia.
"Well, I heard you going on about nonsense. We're speeding things up. This is way too boring."
"No, we're not. With all due respect, Lys, you might be the Crown Princess, but you still have to follow orders from Queen Mother."
How many times had she heard this her whole life? She had to follow orders from Queen Mother… blah, blah, blah. She was tired. The girl was a bore anyway, she thought. More like the rest of them at this masked ball. She'd had enough.
"Well, suit yourself, princess. I'm switching it all up. I have my plans for tonight, too, apart from what MY MOTHER wants us to achieve. And you won't try to stop me, okay? That's an order. If you'll excuse me," she said, walking past Malia and getting to where the instruments were.
Another problem with this party: Who TF still uses elementalists? The owners must be mental. She couldn't spice up the party with just her voice, or that would attract more trouble. She needed the instruments, too.
What to play…she thought on her way to them. Hmm, something that'll make 'em love me. Oooh, I know just the one! she yelled in her mind. Finally getting to them, she smiled and nodded, meeting the eyes of the band leader, she guessed.
"Hi, good evening, gentlemen. The hosts of the party just said that it's far too boring and the party needed to be lively. So, I'm taking over from here. You'll follow my exact instructions from here on out. Are we good?"
They all looked at each other but ignored her and continued playing. Okay, rude, she thought. Well, she really didn't have time for this.
"Gentlemen, please at least give me the decency of looking into my eyes," she said in a sultry tone, which immediately made them look into her eyes while playing.
"Good boys. Now you'll listen to me and stop playing the garbage you are when I get to the stage. Play this instead." She took a paper from her purse and scribbled the song she wanted. "Are we good?" She smiled, glad she was still able to compel.
"Yes, my love," they all chorused.
That's more like it, she thought, and turned to walk to the stage. Immediately she climbed up, the instrumentals stopped playing, making the guests turn to look at them and then her. She smiled brightly.
"Evening, ladies and gentlemen. I can see the confusion on your faces as to what a beauty like me is doing up here. Well, the party is a bore and I haven't felt loved all night. So, I want us to dance, and for y'all to shower me with love and attention for the rest of the night. How does that sound?"
The guests started murmuring amongst themselves.
"Who let that… thing on stage?" a lady at the front whispered.
"She has some guts, trying to disturb Elder Faith's party like this."
"I wonder what Elder Faith will do when she comes down."
"Come down from there, princess, lest you get hurt."
"Girl's got guts, I'll give her that."
Lyssia rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the concern, everyone, but I've got it all covered. Now, what I would like for everyone to do is drop their wine. Give it to the waiters nearby. Also your purses or anything heavy — find somewhere to put them. Hurry, so we'll get this party started."
Everyone stared at her like she'd grown three heads and didn't bother with whatever it was she wanted to say, as they continued chatting, forgetting the music and her. Lyssia looked at all of them as they ignored her and tsked. She'd make them pay. It was worth a try, though. She couldn't exactly use her powers in front of all these people. There were laws against that and some might be able to stop her compulsion, so she couldn't risk it.
She was about to leave the stage when a voice rang out — low, but immediately the voice started talking, everyone quieted down.
"Do what the young lady says… NOW!"
Lyssia smiled and turned toward the voice, freezing. The man was standing at the front, staring at her. His eyes were red. No, not red, she thought, but fiery orange. His hair was scattered, giving off a lazy vibe. He was wearing a gold suit that was shining in the somewhat dark hall; the first button was open and she was staring at it as though she wanted to tear the cloth off him. She then looked at his lips and, whether intentionally or not, he licked them. By Poseidon, she knew that if it wasn't for her last shred of common sense that hit her as she suddenly became aware she was gawking, she would have lost it. She looked away. Damn, she thought, even though he was wearing a mask, he looked hot as fuck.
She met his eyes and saw him staring at her yet again with burning intensity. She smiled and winked at him, and he smiled, too. Was that a smile?
She walked back to her position on the stage. "Well, thank you to the hot gentleman at the front. I promise you a dance after this. Okay, back to our agenda. You heard the man — do as I instructed earlier and let's actually get this party started!"
They all did as they were told. Her eyes followed the man and saw him doing the same. But slowly. She followed his every movement with her eyes. He was going very slowly with it, and when he was done, he looked up at her. She quickly turned her face away as he smirked.
Everyone was done, too, and she nodded to the instrumentalists. She then looked around for Malia in the crowd and used her eyes to convey the message: Immediately everyone starts dancing, you sneak away. Grab as many IDs as you can, go through everything. We need a lot of information from this. Okay?
Malia nodded.
The instrumentalists started playing and Lyssia brought the mic to her mouth. The guitarist started and she started moving her hips to the song: "Leave Before You Love Me" by Marshmello and the Jonas Brothers.
Everyone was still looking at her. But she knew immediately that if she started singing, they'd start dancing. The man at the front was still staring at her with intensity. He couldn't explain it, but he felt drawn to her.
"I see you calling… I didn't wanna leave you like that… it's fiiiive in the morning… yeah, yeah… a hundred on the dash."
Soon all the guests started moving left and right like her.
"Cause my wheels are rolling… ain't taking my foot off the gas… and it only took that one night…" she said as she looked at the mysterious guy who still hadn't taken his eyes off her. Even to blink. "…to see the deep end of the line… staring deep in your eyes… eyes."
"Go!!!" she shouted, and everyone jumped in the air and started dancing for real. She started breakdancing while still maintaining eye contact with the mysterious guy.
"Dancing on the edge, 'bout to take it too far… it's messing with my head, how I mess with your heart… if you wake up in your bed… alone in the dark… I'm sorry, don't leave before you love me."
Everyone hit their hands on their shoes and they were laughing now and having fun. Even the mysterious guy started moving, too.
"Ay, ay… leave before you love me (x4)"
Everyone was cheering and singing along now after hearing the first "leave before you love me."
"I'm so good at knowing… of when to leave the party behind… don't care if they notice, yeah, yeah, no… I'll just catch a rideeeee."
She slowly started coming down from the stage, stalking towards HIM, the mysterious guy.
"I'd rather be lonely, yeah… than wrapped around your body too tight… yeah, I'm the type to get naked…"
Immediately she said that, she was in front of him, slowly twerking down while still maintaining eye contact. His eyes darkened with lust, turning full-blown red.
"...Won't give my heart up for breaking… 'Cause I'm too gone to be stayin', staying (dancing on)"
"Go!!!!" Everyone started singing and moving how they did when they heard this part the first time. She did the same in front of him, grabbing him by the tie and moving.
"Dancing on the edge, 'bout to take it too far… it's messing with my head, how I mess with your heart… if you wake up in your bed, alone in the dark… I'm sorry, gotta leave before you love me."
"Ay, ay, leave before you love me! Ay, ay, leave before you love me!"
She winked at him and started walking back to the stage slowly while moving her hips. This last time, she deliberately changed the lyrics for the mysterious guy.
"Dancing on the edge, take it too far… messing with your head, how you mess with my heart… I'm sorry, alone in the dark… I'm sorry… ay, ay, leave before you love me."
As she finished the last line, everyone did the dance. Then she bowed as they all started cheering and clapping. She winked at them all and the men cheered more. The mysterious guy's eyebrow shot up as he turned his murderous stare to the guys, especially the one who just whistled.
She walked from the stage and looked for Malia with her eyes. She caught her eye and raised her eyebrow, silently asking if Malia had gotten everything. Malia nodded.
And then, because Malia was Malia, she also had the audacity to look both thoroughly impressed and completely exasperated at the same time — like she couldn't decide whether to congratulate Lyssia or strangle her. Lyssia grinned. Yeah, yeah. You're welcome.
She smiled. Let's leave now, so we'll have thirty more minutes to plan properly, she said in her mind. Malia nodded, heading towards the door.
She was following, too, when her hand was grabbed. Sparks shot up from where her hand was, almost electrocuting her body. She shivered and looked up to meet the mysterious guy's eyes.
"I believe you owe me a dance, love," he said in his deep, velvety voice.
She shivered again and opened her mouth — and closed it. That was new. Lyssia didn't lose words. Lyssia always had something to say, always had the next line ready before the last one was even finished. And yet, standing here with his hand around hers and sparks still crackling up her arm, her very well-stocked arsenal of wit had gone completely, traitorously quiet.
She swallowed. Hard.
This man was doing dangerous things to her heart and body and she didn't understand what this was. She was a siren. She made people feel things. That was the deal. That was always the deal — she was the one who pulled, never the one being pulled. So why did it feel like there was a hook somewhere behind her sternum, tugging?
Wait.
Sparks. The overwhelming pull. The way her whole body had gone stupid the second he'd walked into her line of sight. The way she'd changed the lyrics of a song mid-performance and aimed them at a complete stranger like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Oh my gods.
Oh no.
Oh absolutely, catastrophically, NO.
Her soulmate. That was what this was. Like Queen Mother had always described — the sparks, the gravity, the feeling of being seen by someone who hadn't even learned your name yet. The mates at her coven had always gone on about it like it was the best thing that had ever happened to them. She'd always rolled her eyes.
She certainly was not rolling her eyes right now.
She was, in fact, experiencing something very close to the beginning of a full panic, which she was rapidly and forcefully burying under six feet of composure because there was absolutely no way she was letting this man — this masked, orange-eyed, annoyingly attractive stranger — see her fall apart.
Besides, Queen Mother had said she couldn't have a mate. Had been very clear about it, actually. So this was either a mistake, a fluke, or the universe had a very sick sense of humor.
Probably the third one, she thought.
She snapped out of it, hearing his deep, velvety voice again. "What's your name?"
"Ahem… my name, yes… how about we don't reveal our names?" she smiled.
"It'll make things more interesting, so yes. Can I have this dance, my masked princess?"
"Yes," she said, and he switched to holding her palm and took her to the dance floor.
The band had transitioned into a slower, more rhythmic beat, something with a heavy bass that pulsed through the floorboards. As they moved, he pulled her closer, his hand resting firmly on the small of her back. Lyssia felt like she was melting into the gold of his suit.
"You have a habit of taking over rooms, don't you?" he murmured, his breath warm against her ear.
Lyssia laughed, a genuine, light sound that surprised even her. "Only when the room is desperately begging for a savior. You have to admit, it was a morgue in here before I stepped up."
"I won't argue with that," he chuckled, spinning her expertly. As she came back into his arms, she looked up at him. "So, tell me, mysterious stranger — what does a man like you do when he's not commanding crowds to follow the orders of strange girls?"
"I look for things," he said, his orange eyes searching hers. "Rare things. Things that are hidden where they don't belong. And what about you? Is singing your only weapon, or just your favorite one?"
Lyssia smirked, leaning in. "I have many weapons. But I prefer the ones that don't leave a mess. I like to be… persuasive."
"I noticed," he replied, his voice dropping an octave. They moved in perfect sync, the world around them blurring into a haze of masks and silk. For a moment, she forgot the kids, forgot the mission, and even forgot Queen Mother's voice in her head. They laughed as he dipped her low, her hair brushing the floor before he pulled her back up, inches from his face.
"You're very good at this," she breathed.
"I practiced," he teased. "Usually, I'm the one avoiding the dance floor, but tonight felt… different."
She tilted her head, studying him through her lashes. "Different how?"
He looked at her for a long moment, like he was deciding how much to give away. "Let's just say I didn't expect to find anything interesting tonight. And then you climbed on that stage."
"So I'm a thing now? How flattering," she said drily.
He laughed — and oh, that was dangerous. Low and warm and entirely too easy on the ears. "You know that's not what I meant."
"Do I?" She spun herself under his arm without warning, just to catch him off guard, and he caught her waist smoothly like he'd been expecting it. She blinked. Okay. So he was good.
"Nice try," he said, that almost-smile back on his face.
"I was just testing you," she said breezily.
"And?"
"You passed. Barely."
He laughed again, and she felt it in her chest, which was deeply inconvenient. He guided her into a slow turn, his hand moving from her waist to her back, pulling her closer than strictly necessary. She didn't protest. She absolutely should have protested.
"You're doing it again," he said quietly.
"Doing what?"
"Looking at me like you're trying to figure out what I am."
She met his eyes. The fiery orange had cooled slightly, but the intensity hadn't gone anywhere. "And what if I am? Are you going to make it easy for me?"
"I could but….where's the fun in that?" he said, echoing her own words from earlier back at her.
She stopped moving for just a second. He'd been listening. Of course he had. She smiled slowly. "Touché, mystery man."
He guided her into another turn, this one slower, more deliberate. The music had shifted into something almost hypnotic now — low strings, a deep, rolling beat that made the whole room feel like it was holding its breath. He pulled her back in and this time, they were chest to chest, barely swaying. She could feel the warmth radiating off him through the gold of his suit.
"You changed the lyrics," he said, his voice low, close to her ear now.
She smiled against his shoulder. "You noticed."
"Hard not to, when someone is looking directly at you while singing about messing with your heart."
"Don't read too much into it. I'm a performer. I play to whoever's watching."
"And if I told you I don't believe that?"
She pulled back just enough to look at him. His eyes were doing that burning thing again. "Then I'd say you're very confident for a man who won't even tell me his name."
"You won't tell me yours either," he pointed out.
"Exactly. So we're even." She tilted her chin up. "Which means you have no business looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you already know me."
Something flickered in his expression — too fast for her to catch it. He opened his mouth to say something, and for one strange, breathless second, she actually wanted to hear it.
Before she could respond, she felt a sharp mental tug. Malia was standing by the heavy oak doors, her face pale and urgent. She caught Lyssia's eye and gave a sharp, frantic nod toward the exit. Time's up, Lys. We have to go NOW.
Lyssia's heart sank. The reality of the mission crashed back down on her. She looked back at the man, feeling the pull of the mate-bond like a physical chain.
"I have to go," she whispered, her voice tight.
His grip tightened on her hand for a split second, his brow furrowing. "So soon? The party just started."
"Duty calls," she said, regaining her composure and flashing him one last, lingering smile. "I hope I meet you again, mystery man. Try not to miss me too much."
She gently pried her hand from his — the loss of contact feeling like a cold shock — and winked then turned. She didn't look back as she hurried toward Malia, her mind already racing with the plans for the rescue, even as her skin still hummed from his touch.