Evaline:
The fork froze halfway to my mouth and the omelet slipped back onto the plate as my hand fell limp. I blinked at River, his words still echoing through my head like they had been spoken in another language.
You will be attending the Ball with me tonight.
I stared at him, unmoving, unbreathing, the silence stretching between us like a tight wire threatening to snap. Then it hit me.
"What?" I said. Or maybe I choked. I couldn't tell. It was hard to think when my heart was punching against my ribs.
He just sat there, looking as composed as always, calmly sipping his black coffee like he hadn't just dropped a bomb in the middle of breakfast. My body went rigid. Confusion warred with disbelief, then gradually twisted into irritation… and then anger.
"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered, slamming my fork down way harder than I intended.
His gaze slid lazily from his coffee to my face, one brow raised. "I'm not."
