Chapter 90 Audrey

As soon as the stranger's lips met mine, my first instinct was to pish him away. Who did he think he was, kissing me like that in front of everyone!

But as the kiss lingered, something familiar washed over me. The warmth, the pressure, the taste... I knew these lips. My body relaxed involuntarily and my wide eyes fluttered closed, my muscles melting into his embrace as the rest of the world around us faded away into nothingness.

Yes. I knew these lips. Edwin's lips.

The kiss was deep and passionate, the sensation of his tongue gently pushing into my mouth sending the most delightful shiver down my spine. His warm hand came up to cup the back of my neck, his fingers gently tangling in my hair.

For a moment, I forgot where we were, who we were, too lost in the sensation to notice anything else in the entire world. I didn't know left from right, up from down, east from west. I just knew, somehow, that it felt right-like coming home after a long journey or feeling the sun on your face for the first time in far too long.

But then, all too soon, it was over-just like that

The strange man-no, Edwin, I was sure of it now-set me back on my feet, and by the time I opened my eyes, he was gone, disappearing into the sea of masks and glittering gowns like a shadow on the wall. Audrey!" the sound of Tina's voice cut through my daze, "Oh my Goddess, are you okay? Who was that?"

I blinked as I struggled to clear the fog from my head. I hadn't realized it, but the winners' dance was over. My friends had swarmed around me, their faces a dizzying combination of concern, excitement, and confusion. The orchestra was playing an upbeat piece now, but I could feel the eyes of the other partygoers on me, too intrigued by whatever had just happened to pay attention to themselves.

"L.. I'm fine," I managed, still scanning the crowd for any sign of the mysterious man in the blue mask. Edwin. It had to be Edwin. But how! Why was he here?

"That was so romantic!" Betty gushed, grabbing my arm. "Like something out of a movie! Was that tongue? It looked like there was tongue!"

I felt my checks burn at her insinuation. "Betty!" I hissed, my face likely as bright as a ripe tomato.

Gavin stood off to the side with an unreadable expression on his face, although I could sense that seeing me kiss someone else likely stung for him, even if only a little.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, c**g his head. "That seemed pretty... intense."

I nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Really."

Avis raised an eyebrow. "That was hot. Did you know him?"

hating the lie even as it left my lips. "No, I..." I thought quickly, then came to a decision. "It wasn't a real kiss. We were just pretending, you know... For the showmanship of it all." My friends blinked at me, clearly grappling with whether to believe my lie. But if

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Chapter 90

fanning herself dramatically.

definitely gonna wind up on

That was just what I needed-to go viral kissing a stranger at a masquerade ball. More unwanted attention. Couldn't I just have one good

He seemed like a real

and the knowledge that I shouldn't. If it really was him, why had he run off? And if i wasn't... Well, that was a whole other problem. Because

don't know." I said, biting my

push. "Go after him." She lowered her voice then: "You could use a distraction from

just needed to find a quiet place to get some

Tina grinned. "Go

direction I thought I had seen Edwin disappear. I found a small door toward the back of the ballroom, which was slightly open. Glancing over my shoulder to make sure security wasn't watching. I pushed through the door and shut

I found myself in a hallway that was lit only

dress and began making my way down the corridor. The plush carpet m**d my

for a minute

softly, not wanting to draw attention from any other partygoers who

quiet, the only sound that of my own ragged breathing and the rustle of my dress. I was about to turn

end of the hallway, stood a small gray wolf. Its

wasn't a costume or a trick of the

took a step forward, its claws clicking against the hardwood floor,

the wolf behind me, its heavy reathing and the scrape of its claws getting closer and closer

П

unanswered through the empty halls. "Somebody, please!" I turned corner after corner in a flurry of green skirts, getting more and more lost with each one. The mansion seemed to go on forever, a labyrinth of identical hallways

way

was the that my lungs burned and my legs ached, but I didn't dare slow down. The growls behind me were getting closer, and every so often, I could practically feel the wolf nipping at my heels before

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