In the end, it wasn’t the logic of her arguments that won me over—although she had been right. It was simply the sight of the dresses. Something in the troll blood made it hard to deny luxury, which was why we all had such a penchant for gems and jewelry.

But also, a part of me just really wanted to wear a gown that was made for a Queen.

I showered quickly but thoroughly—there was no way I was ruining one of Linnea’s dresses. Then I hurried back to try them all on and pick one.

While I’d been showering, Linnea had sent down a masquerade mask and a pair of pale sapphire earrings. The silver mask was gorgeous and delicate, its ornate flourishes encrusted with diamonds. Attached was a note that read, “Wear me.”

The difficulty of the choice was made easier by the fact that the aquamarine one was snug in the chest, squishing my breasts in a very unflattering and uncomfortable fashion. While the darker navy dress felt like heaven on my skin, the slit felt too high, and it also had a plunging neckline, a combination that felt slightly improper for this party.

The white one fit perfectly, almost like it had been made for me. The illusion neckline allowed a hint of cleavage, and it was open in the back, showing off a bit of skin. While the length was longer than I normally liked, it was light and flowed away from me, so I didn’t think it would be a problem to run or kick in if I needed to.

Once I’d finished with my hair and makeup, I went down the hall to admire myself in the full-length mirror of the bathroom.

Since I wasn’t doing anything other than looking at my reflection, I’d left the door open, which allowed Konstantin to pause and whistle at me.

“Well done, white rabbit.” He smiled crookedly at me, but his eyes were serious as they assessed me.

Something about the way he looked at me made my skin flush a little, and I turned to face him. “Thanks.”

“It’s kind of a shame I’m missing the party tonight,” he said.

“Why aren’t you going?” I asked in surprise.

Based on the way he was dressed, I assumed he planned to attend. He had on a simple black uniform, similar to the one that Ridley had worn as Kanin Överste, with epaulets on the shoulders, and a sword in a scabbard that hung from a belt around his waist.

While Ridley and Tilda had taken to wearing the shimmery blue uniforms of the Skojare, Konstantin had managed to dig up one that showed no allegiance. No color, no insignia, nothing to tie him to any kingdom.

“I’m walking the perimeter of Storvatten, along with some of the other guards,” Konstantin explained. “Since we don’t know when Mina and Viktor are going to strike, we’re keeping a lookout.”

“Damn.” I looked down at my gown, suddenly feeling very silly. “I should change and go with you.”

“No, no.” He shook his head. “We’ve got enough guys going out. You should go. You should be happy.”

I started to tell him that he should still come to the party if he got a chance, but he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there in my beautiful dress feeling flustered and alone.

FIFTY-ONE

dalliance

Given the short amount of time Linnea had had to put it all together, the ballroom looked especially impressive.

Under the dark canopy of night displayed in the glass dome, twinkling lights had been strung around the room. Along the walls, tables had been adorned with shimmering linens, crystal centerpieces, and mood-enhancing candles. A buffet of savory and sweet ran along the wall at the end of the ballroom, with an ice sculpture of a fish.

In the far corner of the room, a small chamber orchestra had been set up. When I entered the room, they were just finishing an old Skojare song I remembered my mom singing, then they switched to an ethereal orchestral cover of “Bulletproof” by LaRoux.

I’d arrived late, so the dance floor was already crowded, all the guests wearing masks equally as beautiful as mine. It was a veritable rainbow in the ballroom, and not just because of all the beautiful dresses. All the highest royals were in attendance, along with the Skojare guards dressed in their frosty uniforms.

Most of the allies that had come to the party from the Trylle and the Vittra were men, dressed crisply in their dark uniforms of emerald and claret, but the Skojare women were more than happy to dance with them. After years of living in the rather isolated Storvatten, new faces were exotic and exciting, especially when they had come to save the kingdom.

I stood in the doorway for a moment, content enough to watch so many trolls coming together like this. Talking, laughing, twirling around on the dance floor together. Even at parties, like at King Evert and Queen Mina’s anniversary party, everyone was still so segregated. Trylle danced with Trylle, and so on.

This was the first time I’d ever seen the kingdoms so commingled before. It was kind of amazing, and I wondered if Linnea’s masquerade theme had helped this happen.

“I wasn’t sure if you were coming,” a voice said at my side, and I turned to see that Ridley had somehow snuck beside me.

He’d forgone the Skojare uniform, unlike many of the other attendees, and instead wore a simple, surprisingly well-tailored suit. It was pure white, with a satin and diamond finish, and he wore it with a black dress shirt. Based on the exquisiteness of it, I realized that Linnea had procured it for him the same way she had gotten my gown for me.

Since we’d been in Storvatten, Ridley hadn’t shaved, leaving him with a light beard along his jawline and above his lip. His hair was only slightly disheveled, like he’d styled it perfectly but couldn’t help himself and ran his hand through it.

His mask was black and thicker than mine, more masculine, but just as gorgeous.

“I wasn’t sure you were coming either,” I admitted. Since we’d just been focusing on training and hadn’t had a chance to talk since our late-night rendezvous, I had no idea where we stood.

“I’d never miss a chance to dance with you.” He stepped back and extended his hand to me. He said nothing, but he didn’t have to. The question was in his eyes.

Tentatively, I took his hand and let him lead me out onto the dance floor. I wasn’t sure if the crowed actually parted for us, or if it just felt that way. Whenever I was with Ridley like this—when he was touching me, and his eyes were focused on me, and my heart was pounding so fast I felt dizzy and drunk—the whole world always seemed to fall away. Like we had become the center of the universe, and everything spun around us.

Ridley pulled me close to him and put his hand on my back—his hand warm and rough on my bare skin, thanks to the plunging back. We stayed that way for a split second—my hand in his, my body pressed against him, and him staring down at me.

I loved the darkness of his eyes. It seemed to overtake me.

And then we were moving. I let him lead me along, following his quick moves step for step. He extended his arm, twirling me out away from him and making my gown whirl out around me, before pulling me back to him again.

The crowd had definitely moved for us by then, creating a space in the center of the room where Ridley and I could show off the dancing we’d learned in school. All trackers learned it, but I had to admit that he was more proficient than most.

When he dipped me back, so low my hair brushed the floor, he smiled, and there was a glint in his eye. With one quick move, he pulled me back into his arms, holding me to him.

The song had changed, shifting to “Love Me Again” by John Newman, so we slowed. He kept his hands on my waist, and I let my hands relax on his shoulders. We were flirting, playing the way we had before, and it made my heart ache.

Because things weren’t the way they were before anymore. Not even close.

My smile must’ve fallen away, because Ridley looked concerned—his eyes darkening beneath the mask, and his steps slowing as his arms tightened around me.

“Why did you come back for me?” I asked him finally, referring to what he’d said when he first arrived in Förening. “Did you even come back for me?”

“Yes,” he said emphatically. “Of course I came back for you.”

“But why? Why, if you’re not even really here with me?”

“I am here. I can’t be with you more than I am right now.” His gazed shifted out to everyone else dancing around us. “This probably isn’t the best place to get into it.”

“There’s never a good time to talk, not with everything going on here. I just want to know what’s going on with us.” I looked up into his dark eyes. “Is there even an us?”

He took a fortifying breath. “I came back for you because you’re my first thought in the morning. Because you push yourself to be better, and in the process, you push everyone else around you to be better. You make everything better.

“You are far more courageous and stronger than anyone I’ve ever known,” he continued. “And I never thought you’d ever want anything to do with me. I was certain I’d never be good enough for you.

“But when we kissed for the first time, under the lights of the aurora borealis, everything I’d ever felt about you was proven true,” Ridley finished. “I came back for you because you’re all I’ve ever wanted or needed, because I want to be with you always.”