Zolani’s POV
I followed Cassian down the stairs, each step heavier than the last, the noise and music swelling louder with every descent.
The deep bass vibrating through the stone, laughter rolling, voices overlapping in a dozen accents. My heart was trying to punch its way out of my chest, so I focused on breathing, in through the nose, out through the mouth, slow, and steady, like the therapist had taught me years ago when the anxiety attacks started.
It wasn’t working. My palms were slick, my stomach a knotted mess, and the sapphire dress suddenly felt like it was painted on, every sway of my hips, every flash of thigh through the slit, screaming look at me.
I hesitated on the landing, one hand gripping the banister like it could anchor me. I needed a second. Just one second to rem
