“Have you been through this before?” I ask, my gaze darting to his lips. He loosens his hold.
“A few times, and by that, I mean all of them. Essos is like a brother to me. I’m happy to help out.” Before I can ask any more questions, the song changes, and behind me someone clears their throat.
“Might I cut in?” Essos asks, offering me his hand.
Finn instantly releases me and bows.“Absolutely. I need to ice my feet anyway.” He winks and disappears into the dresses and tuxes.
I glance around, realizing there is no way for me to get out of this. “I have to warn you, I’m not very good.” I take Essos’s hand. He rests his other hand on my shoulder blade, his fingers brushing my bare skin. A shiver runs down my spine.
“Cold again?” he asks, his voice velvety soft. I struggle to look at him, remembering the feel of the mystery man’s hands in my dream. How they tangled in my hair, and how they lingered on the inside of my thigh. I think about the feel of the man’s lips against mine, at first lazy, like we had all the time in the world, before growing more urgent.
“No, not now,” I whisper, finally meeting his eye. He leans in, his mouth beside my ear, and I can feel his warm breath on my skin. My thoughts are racing as fast as my heart at the thought of having Essos between my legs. Under my hand, I can feel the strength in his arms and shoulders, and I feel safer than I have in my entire life.
“Is this gown your way of saying you’ll trust me?” He pulls back to look me in the eye, a sort of desperation there.
I wonder if he knows about the dream—if he knows that he’s taking the place of the mystery man when I close my eyes. Have I lived my whole life just to die and be here with him? Has fate been a cruel mistress just to lead me to this moment?
The insane thought skips around in my brain.“Yes,” I whisper.
He nods. “Good. Then stop fighting and let me lead you.” His hand slides down, down, down to the small of my back. I nod as he pulls me closer and we find a cadence to our movements. We remain silent as we dance, and I give in to letting him lead me, so consumed by his proximity that I could hardly maintain a conversation if I tried. I wonder if his lips are as soft as those of the man in my dreams, and how it would be to kiss Essos like that.
I desperately want to find out.
Unexpectedly, he spins me away and then returns me to him, closer than before, if that’s possible. I hold his hand tightly as he smiles. I don’t fight dancing the way I did with Finn. My body wants to follow Essos’s lead.
“I think this color looks great on you,” he whispers in my ear, his hot breath caressing my neck.
“You should try it sometime,” I volley back at him with a smirk. I’m disappointed when the song ends. His eyes betray the same disappointment, but given that this is only the first night, it’s his duty to dance with everyone. He releases me then sketches a bow.
“Maybe I will.” He smiles and leaves me on the dance floor.
My gaze follows him as he approaches Zara and asks her to dance, and it’s almost painful to watch. I regret not talking to him more and want to kick myself.
Finn appears beside me with a glass of champagne in his hand.
“See? He didn’t have to hobble off to ice his feet after dancing with me,” I remark, taking the drink, just holding it as I watch Zara settle into Essos’s arms as close as she can get. She moves with grace, her feet barely touching the ground. He laughs as he tries to change it up with a faster box step, and she matches his moves easily.
Finn’s gaze follows mine, and he turns to face me, grabbing my upper arm gently. “Essos is too much of a gentleman to show it, even if he did. Why don’t we sit?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, leading me to the couches. We settle on one, and I can’t tear my eyes away from Zara and Essos. I can see them chatting as he twirls her, and when he laughs, an ugly feeling settles into my soul.
“Let me guess. These bruises you wear proudly are from your accident?” Finn asks, gesturing to my face and shoulder. I pull my shoulders back, adjusting my posture at his scrutiny.
“Yes, and I’ll let them heal naturally, thank you very much,” I retort.
Finn snorts and sips his whiskey. His golden-brown eyes study me closely.“There is nothing natural about the Calling, sweetheart. Why don’t you look at me and not them?”
I turn toward Finn fully so that I can’t see Essos in my peripheral vision. My mouth twitches as I try not to look again.
“Daphne, it’s going to be a very long three months if you don’t get used to this now. Essos has to go through this entire process to make sure he finds the right girl. Just know that it’s as tough on him as it is on you, and he has his day job to handle as well as you lot. Cut him some slack.”
I let out a breath, considering this.“So, what, you’re my stand-in for the next few months?” I take a sip of my drink, trying to pace myself.
Finn’s lips quirk, his brown eyes shining as he considers me.“Something like that. I need to get you into dancing shape, because the Calling Ball is no joke. There are going to be nasty people there who don’t want to see Essos happy. For them, keeping Essos down keeps them up, and I have no interest in letting this Calling fail.”
I look at him sharply, pulling my gaze away from where Cat is laughing so hard that she snorts. “Fail? Why would that happen?”
Finn shrugs, draining his glass as he prepares to answer my question. “There’s always one reason or another—none of the girls were a good fit, or occasionally rules get broken and it needs to end. I think one year he just dismissed them all right after they showed up. There was a lot of pushback when he did that. He has his reasons, but know that the ball is only the illusion of the finish line. After the ball, his choice has to contend with his family, and they are truly something else.”
I want to ask why he’s being so cryptic, but I get distracted watching Essos go outside with Zara. His hand is on the small of her back as they step into the fresh air. I regret sitting next to the windows, because all I can do is watch as she tilts her head up to him and presses her lips to his.