Sin Incarnate

She's the type of flower,

That can still grow after a forest fire.

—Acrewss

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

As they had entered, Eva could see that people had already started dancing without hesitation. Her eyes traveled to each masked man and yet she still couldn't find him. Vanessa noticed her looking around and asked,

"Are you looking for Lord Ken? There he is, coming right in our direction I think."

Eva would have ducked if she had seen him earlier. But there was no escaping that dance she had promised him. As he approached, the three ladies bowed in respect and looked up.

The man seemed to be amazed as he lay his eyes on Eva and scanned her from head to toe. His eyes lingered on her hair longer than her body this time. "You look gorgeous tonight, Lady Eva. You both do. How have you been doing, Mrs. Blythe?" he questioned, after bowing to her mother.

"I have been very well, My Lord. It is a pleasure to meet you here."

It would not have been such a pleasure, Eva thought, if they only knew the words he had spoken about them so rudely.

"May I be honored to dance with such a beautiful lady?" A man suddenly approached their group and placed out his left hand as an offer. Vanessa looked at his face with a smile and placed her hand in his.

"It would be a pleasure, Sir?"

"Aldrich. Lord Aldrich." and with that, the two walked off to the dance floor hand in hand leaving Eva, Mrs. Blythe, and Lord Ken behind.

"Eva, darling, I have spotted Mrs. Martin standing in a corner and I will go to offer my company. Will you be okay with him alone?" her mother whispered into her ear and Eva hesitantly nodded her head.

She was not going to be okay.

Mrs. Blythe dropped a kiss on her cheek and bowed to the Lord before leaving in the direction of her friend. The two were left standing by themselves by the bottom of the staircase.

"Are you ready for our promised dance?" he asked, and it had been easy to recognize him in the crowd because of the small mask he wore that only covered one of his eyes.

None of the people of her village could be identified in the mass of gowns, dresses, and masks which hid half or sometimes all of their faces. Eva knew she couldn't refuse him the dance and she wished she could've been better at making up excuses like her sister. Vanessa knew how to get out of a dance when she didn't like her partner.

"Yes, I am," she replied and placed her trembling hand in his outstretched one.

Lord Ken smiled before leading her to the dance floor where mostly all the pairs had been formed and assembled. As they approached, many eyes caught sight of her silver hair which was spread over her back and on one side of her shoulder. Eva tried her best to hide her face by lowering it down and staring at the greyish marble floor.

She took her place in front of the Lord and the pairs bowed to each other before music swelled through out the hall, straightening her back. Her eyes landed on her sister who had already started dancing with her partner and was now busy conversing with him.

Lord Ken drew closer to her and placed his arm on her waist while the other held her hand. His hand was too low on her back and she shifted uncomfortably as her hand was positioned on his shoulder.

They started moving slowly before the music resumed at a faster pace than before. She twirled around and once again drew nearer to her partner.

"Have you considered my request again, Milady?" he asked, making her spin again.

Eva dodged the question with a small laugh, "I still need a little time, My Lord. I have promised to give you an answer by the end of the month."

"I can hardly wait. Only a few weeks are left before I receive your approval." his tone was confident as if he was sure that she would agree to marry him.

Eva smiled and felt her mouth getting tired with the continuous smile that hadn't left her face ever since the dance began.

The dance finally ended and the partners bowed to each other. The Lord approached her and bent down to place a kiss on her hand which lasted longer than it should have. Eva smiled at him before taking her leave not noticing how his smile fell as soon as she departed.

Vanessa had started dancing again with another man this time so she could not go to her for company. Her mother was busy in the society of Mrs. Martin still and so Eva was left alone in the great ballroom with nobody to go to.

She was content with not dancing. She took her place near the stairs and watched the dancing from far away happily.

It was all going perfectly as it should have until Eva felt that familiar dark aura in her surroundings. She looked around hurriedly but there was no sign of that face anywhere. She knew she could not mistake his face for anybody else, nobody had a face similar to his!

Her dark brown eyes nervously surveyed each and every male's face around her and finally landed on a man who was busy staring in her direction.

He was wearing a unique Venetian mask that covered his whole face, only revealing a pair of shady eyes that she felt were the darkest in the whole room. Eva wanted to take a step back but her feet seemed to have gotten stuck to the floor, making her unable to move. Her body refused to step back this time.

She couldn't describe the color of his eyes, but they ignited a fire under her skin, and it was like he knew when his black eyes glittered with a harsh look. He was tall and muscular judging from how his clothes fit him perfectly, dressed in darkness from his inky hair to his black suit.

Her throat went dry and she was suddenly uncomfortable. She fidgeted and crossed her legs, instantly regretting the move, because the man's gaze fell there and held for a moment before sliding back to her face with a glimmer. The fire he'd ignited under her skin pooled low in her stomach, reminding her of how empty she felt, how desperately she needed to be filled up.

Who was this man, and how could she possibly feel this way about a stranger? She knew who he was. She was feeling the same as she did in that dream and she could recognize those eyes anywhere in the world no matter what.

He had found her and all Eva knew was that she needed to break this link that had created this tangible, suffocating energy between them.

He was sin incarnate as he walked towards her and Eva couldn't drop her gaze from his. Her blood heated to an impossible level, making her hot all over. She squeezed her legs together and clenched her hands into fists to keep from fidgeting under his gaze.

Soon, he was standing only two steps away from her and Eva saw him place his palm in front of her.

"Can I have this dance?" A voice asked from behind the mask. It was a deep rumble she felt in her chest.