Leonora drew in a sharp breath, and Drake could feel a tremor surge through her. Answering her silent call, he pulled her closer, slipping her arm through the crook of his, assuring her that he was there. Never would he allow anything to happen to her.
Earlier this night, when Drake had donned his own mask, Leonora standing in front of him, her blue eyes watching, he had seen the way she had inhaled a slow, but shuddering breath. Her eyes had been fixed to the black mask, to the holes through which his eyes had looked back at her. He had sensed her apprehension, seen the memories that had drifted to the forefront of her mind.
Drake had known then that he ought to have refused her request.
And yet, he had not.
The men passed them, laughing and chatting with one another, their comments crude and unfit for a lady’s ears. Again, Drake doubted his sanity. Yes, he should definitely have refused her request. “Even if you see him here, you will not recognize him.”
For a moment, Leonora seemed absent, her mind lingering elsewhere. Then she turned to look at him and heaved a deep sigh. “I suppose that is true. Still, I find myself walking these halls whenever I close my eyes. Perhaps it will help to look upon reality once more. Perhaps it will help chase away the exaggerations my mind conjured.” She looked around, her eyes sweeping over the winding staircase, as they headed toward the arched doorway leading into the ballroom where a large crowd danced to a hauntingly beautiful melody. “Yes, it is dark and frightening, but…”
Drake was about to ask her to continue when she suddenly moved forward, all but pulling him along, her arm still curled around his. Her gaze slid over the many faceless people before them, dancing and laughing, and to his utter surprise, he found a small smile tease the corners of her mouth upward. “There’s nothing wrong with the way they enjoy themselves,” Leonora mumbled, and Drake knew that she was not talking to him, but herself. “They came here tonight to be free of society’s shackles, to do as they pleased without repercussions. Yes, dark souls might hide amongst them, but most of them are here simply in order to find themselves freed for one night.” She turned to look up at him, her blue eyes searching his behind the mask. “What would you do if you could be free for one night? If you did not have to worry about consequences? If you could simply do as you pleased?” Something almost daring lingered in her gaze, and Drake knew not what to do with it.
Of course, he knew what he would do if he did not need to worry about consequences. He knew quite well what he wanted, and at that moment in the shadowy darkness of the ballroom, the urge to do so, to simply whisk her into his arms was almost overpowering. Yet, he reminded himself that even a night such as this would always hold consequences. It was an illusion to think that one could act without thinking about the next day.
Drake averted his gaze. “I should take you home.”
Her jaw seemed to tense. “Then why did you want to come here in the first place?” she demanded, a sharper tone to her voice than before. “It was your idea, was it not?”
Regarding her carefully, Drake pulled her aside. “I intended to come here to gain a better understanding of the situation you faced that night. I did not for a second believe I would be able to unmask your attacker. My investigators are still working on that. They are here this very moment.” Although Drake had to admit he could not tell where for their identities, too, were hidden by masks.
Heaving a deep sigh, Leonora briefly closed her eyes. “I’ve come to realize that we are fooling ourselves thinking that we will ever be able to learn his identity.” Although sadness lingered in her blue eyes, her chin was raised in a way that spoke of strength and courage. “I came here tonight to put the past behind me, to finally find the courage to move on. I will never know who it was or why he did what he did.” She shrugged, her hand still heavy upon his arm. “I need to make my peace with it, and so do you.”
Drake felt his teeth grind together, every fiber of his being unable to accept defeat. How many times had he challenged men who had committed crimes against those they were meant to protect?
Countless times.
And yet, here, now, where Leonora was concerned, when it mattered the most, he was unable to help. Unable to make a difference. Unable to protect her.
“Will you come with me?” Leonora asked, her voice suddenly fainter than before.
Drake frowned. “Come where?”
Instead of answering him, Leonora simply tugged on his arm and led him back out of the ballroom. They turned down a long, darkened corridor where only a few people lingered. Most hastened back and forth, slipped into deserted rooms and disappeared from sight.
Leonora’s steps became hesitant, and Drake felt her tremble as they moved onward. He gazed down at her and saw her chest rise and fall with each rapid breath. Her teeth gnawed on her lower lip as she cast her gaze from side to side, clinging to his arm as though it were a lifeline and she in danger of being swept out to sea.
Drake felt an ice-cold shiver dance down his spine when he realized where they were headed. “You don’t need to do this.”
“Yes, I do.”
Agonizingly slow step by agonizingly slow step, they moved onward until they reached a corner that was almost pitch black, heavy curtains covering the windows and an alcove tucked away behind one.
Here, Leonora stopped, her face hidden from his eyes by the dark. Still, Drake felt her tremors and heard the rapid in and out of her breath.
This is where it had happened. He knew it beyond the shadow of a doubt, unable not to imagine what had happened here. How she had been attacked. How she had fought to free herself.
Outrage, murderous in its intensity, surged through his veins, and he knew that he needed to get away from this place, or before long he would lose control. When he tried to pull her away, though, back down the corridor, she dug in her heels and held him back.
What happened next happened in the blink of an eye, and for a long moment, Drake was not certain if he had simply lost his mind and allowed himself to be dragged into some kind of daydream.
One moment, Leonora had stood at his side, her arm slung around his, holding tight, and the next, he felt her hands sliding up his chest, snaking around his neck, her body swaying against his.
“Leo—?” was all he managed to utter before her lips closed over his.
Drake froze, shocked to his very core. For a moment, he could not move, his mind racing to make sense of what was happening. Yet, other parts of him responded with greater ease, and before he knew what he was doing, Drake was kissing her back.
His arms closed around her, pulling her tighter against him as they stumbled backwards. He felt her hands upon his face, tracing the line of his neck, her fingers slipping inside his collar. At first, she had seemed uncertain, hesitant in her kiss. But she did no longer.
Leonora pulled him toward her, sinking into his arms as he walked her backwards, his right hand outstretched until he felt the smooth, hard surface of the wall cut off their retreat. He leaned her against it, his hand settling upon her waist, holding her close, as he kissed her the way he had wanted to for far too long.
All thoughts of caution disappeared in the shadows as he felt her warmth, her responsiveness. There was no fear or apprehension in the way she reached for him, clung to him. For a moment, Drake allowed himself to believe that she wanted this as much as he did, forgetting about tomorrow.