18. Dance Floor

|| Lilac’s POV || Elara grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she danced beside me. “See?” she said, her voice filled with glee. “This is exactly what you needed.” I nodded, a small smile playing on my lips. “You were right,” I said, my voice filled with reluctant amusement. “I did need this.” We danced for what felt like hours, the music and the alcohol fueling our energy as we lost ourselves in the moment. The world outside the bar ceased to exist, the worries and fears that had been plaguing me fading into the background. But as the night wore on, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. It was a subtle sensation, like a shadow lingering at the edge of my vision, but it was enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Before I could turn to scan the bar, a pair of strong arms grabbed me from behind, pulling me closer with an almost possessive urgency. My back bumped against a muscular chest, the warmth of his body seeping through the thin fabr