“Of course,” Forneus said, extending a hand to her. “What good is a ball without a little music? Care for a dance?”
Gwen could feel herself blushing from her roots down to her chest, the corners of her mouth curling into a shy smile of their own volition. She was just accepting his hand when another came to rest on top of hers, a familiar golden tan.
“May I cut in?”
It was hard to say who was more shocked; Gwen, or Forneus. Phenex quirked an eyebrow at her, his eyes dancing with mischief as he took her hand in his.
“Um, okay. Sure,” she stammered, her face growing hotter. She shot Forneus a surprised look, earning a chuckle from him as Phenex led her away to the centre of the room, where others had already begun swaying to the music.
“Relax Gwen, I’m not going to bite you,” Phenex chuckled, his breath warm against her cheek.
“I…I’m not really good at dancing.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but neither was it the whole truth. Feeling her pulse jumping at the base of her throat, she tried to steady her breaths, afraid he would notice.
Yes, because the blush isn’t a dead giveaway, or anything.
“It’s okay, just follow my lead.” Phenex placed both hands on her waist, his touch so gentle she could barely feel it through the taffeta of her gown.
Tentatively, Gwen reached up, encircling her arms around his neck, doing her utmost to keep her touch as light as his. “I’m actually kind of surprised,” she admitted, finding she was unable to look at him when they were this close.
“What, did you think Forneus was the only one who’d learned ballroom dancing over the centuries?” Phenex asked, his tone light and teasing.
Gwen suppressed a giggle. “No, it’s not that. I just thought,” she cast around for a reason, her face burning again. “I just didn’t think you’d want to.”
“Well, since I’m here, I may as well play the part, right?” He dropped his voice to a whisper, warm breath tickling her ear. “Besides, it would be a waste to get you all dolled up like this, just to not show you off to this crowd.”
“And show them what, exactly?” Gwen laughed, allowing him to lead her in a slow circle. “How I’m about as graceful as an elephant in a china shop?”
“I think the expression you were looking for was ‘bull in a china shop’,” Phenex replied, grinning. “And don’t sell yourself short. You’re doing better than you—ow!”
As if on cue, Gwen stepped on his foot. “Sorry,” she said, smothering a giggle. “I told you I’m not very good at this.”
Phenex released a huff of laughter, his breath causing a few loose tendrils of hair to tease her neck. “Lucky for you, I heal fast. Just try not to break anything, okay?” he said, pulling her closer so that she was forced to rest her head against his collarbone. “Broken toes are some of the worst for healing.”
Gwen paid less attention to the words themselves than the rumble through his chest when he said them, warmth filling her cheeks in a near-constant blush. This close, she could smell the subtle aroma of whatever cleaning agent the servants had used on his tux, intermingling with the tangy warmth of cinnamon. Was this Phenex’s natural scent?
The thought alone made her face burn more, and in that moment, she was glad she was so close to Phenex that he couldn’t see the effect he was having on her. Silence fell between them, with only the chatter of the guests and the sweet, symphonic notes of the orchestra drifting over them. Gwen concentrated on the music, listening to the rise and swell of the violins, the jaunty way they sang and then dipped into slow, melancholy notes that filled her chest with a bittersweet ache.
“It sounds so sad,” she murmured. “I wonder what it’s about.”
By this time she was so lost in the music, she’d begun to relax in Phenex’s embrace, the movements that had seemed impossible to follow before becoming second-nature as he guided them through a slow, continuous twirl.
“It’s been a long time since I heard it,” he said, nearly startling Gwen from her reverie. “But I think it was inspired by one of Apollo’s many failed romances. You know, before the High Council was formed and he realized love between gods and mortals would forever end in heartache.”
“That’s awful.”
She felt Phenex shrug, slightly disrupting the warmth of his hands against the small of her back. “Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is. Gods can live forever, so long as no one equal in power tries to take them out. Humans, on the other hand…” He trailed off, a slight strain in his voice.
Gwen barely noticed. The hopelessness of her own feelings settled over her, the beginnings of tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. If love between gods and mortals had ended so tragically, then what hope did she have with…
But no. She had resolved to never pursue anything between them; least of all because she had known from the onset that things between them could never work, and most of all because she still hurt for Astral. At that moment, Gwen would have given anything not to feel at all.
As if sensing her distress, Phenex gave her a sudden, speedy twirl, nearly lifting her feet off the ground. Gwen let out a little squeak of surprise.
Phenex laughed. “Cheer up, will you? Apollo’s happy enough now, if you hadn’t noticed,” he declared, the wryness in his tone enough to tell Gwen he was grinning. “And he has all the company he could ever want, philanderer that he is.”
Gwen tried to smile, but it felt false, the corners of her mouth too tight to really mean it.
“Don’t make me tickle you.”
The threat had the desired effect. Gwen stiffened slightly, pushing away from him just enough to look up at him. “You wouldn’t dare…” She smiled in spite of herself, genuinely this time.
“That’s more like it,” Phenex said, chuckling. Holding her close once more, they resumed their dance.
Gwen lost all sense of time, the music continuing on in a melodious cadence that wrapped around her and filled her up inside with warmth, the dizzying motion of the dance, slow as it was, filling her with a sudden rush of euphoria. All of her senses seemed to be in overload; sounds were louder and more beautiful. Colours were more vibrant, the scent of cinnamon and the savoury aroma from the buffet filling the air. The feel of Phenex’s arms around her, so warm and comforting…
All too soon, their dance reached its end, the reality of why they were really here hitting her like a douse of cold water. Phenex gently disengaged from her, his expression suddenly alert.