Chapter 30 #3
“It is your eyes that seem to be wandering, Captain, not mine,” I said and his gaze snapped onto me instead of the count, seeming taken aback by that.
“I am merely assessing the competition, your highness. It is my duty to take in the cut of these men, my opponents. There is nothing wrong with some healthy observation, be it here, or in the bathhouse. There are weaknesses to be found on a man’s flesh that can only be noticed when he is bare, his guard down as he washes his powerful body, his muscles lax and gleaming…
” He trailed off, looking over at the young Prince Gurvine, and I took the opportunity to dart away.
I didn’t get far before the demonic Count Cartoum descended on me like a bat from the rafters, his dark cloak swinging out behind him and startling me.
“By the Fallen, where did you come from?” I held a hand to my heart and Cartoum took in a rattly breath which seemed to involve a lot of his tongue, like he was tasting me on the air.
“Forgive me for frightening you, your highness,” he said in a raspy tone that set the hairs rising along my arms. He reached out to caress a gold pendant hanging on the necklace around my throat with the emblem of Osaria imprinted on it.
His long fingernails scraped over the metal and I winced away, but his long arm kept extending unnaturally far so he could continue touching it.
“Pretty, pretty,” he purred. “Such pretty things for a pretty princess. I shall get you more pretty things when I am your husband, my lady. I shall drape you in gold and it will make your blood taste all the sweeter-”
“Blood?” I balked.
“To the, er, mosquitoes, your highness. But do not worry, I have an Affinity for scents. I brew perfumes made from the rarest substances across the land. I can gift you a bottle of dandelion brew which will repel them from biting you.” He stepped into my personal space, shutting his eyes and sniffing long and deep, wafting his hands towards his face as he breathed me in.
“Your scent could be bottled and sold for countless coin, my lady. It is best extracted from the very heart of the source…” His fingers curled around my wrist, his palm cold and clammy against my flesh as his long fingernails scraped against the vein on my inner wrist.
I shuddered from his touch, snatching my arm away and Count Drake Nazari was suddenly there, his hand pressing to my lower back as he steered me away from the creep.
I was so relieved to escape his presence, that it took me a second to realise how inappropriately the count was touching me, his hand so low on my back that he was in danger of brushing his fingers against the curve of my arse.
I shifted away from him as we made it to the edge of the balcony and Drake leaned against the stone railing, taking in the view with a lock of dark hair falling forward into his eyes.
He’d pushed his tunic sleeves up in what I assumed was a reaction to the heat of the day and I couldn’t help but stare a little at his strong forearms and the tattoos which caressed them, the patterns somehow captivating me more than any design I’d ever seen before.
It wasn’t really proper of him to reveal his flesh like that, but I got the feeling this man wasn’t a fan of the rules he’d been born into.
Case in point – he was here and yet hadn’t made a single attempt to come speak with me until now.
But he still didn’t voice a single word.
If he wasn't interested in me then why had he come here?
Maybe it was about power for him...a man who looked like that probably had a hundred mistresses.
A flush bit into my cheeks as I considered that, my gaze sweeping over these men as I wondered how many women they’d taken to their beds in their lifetimes. What would they expect from me on our wedding night? How roughly would they take my virginity from me?
With these huge men flocking around me, their large bodies pressing close and the lust in their eyes all too clear to see, it was hard not to think about that dreaded night.
Would it hurt? Would they be gentle with me the way my maids promised they would be, or would they be rough the way that guard had been with the kitchen maid when I’d spied on them?
The slap of flesh against flesh, heaving breaths and cries of pleasure echoed through my memory as my skin burned at the thought.
I’d lost Zira among the crowd and could see Magdor was now occupying her time by having her serve drinks to the men. So I was alone with Count Nazari, and the more the silence stretched, the more irritated I became.
“Well?” I demanded and he pulled his gaze from the view, arching a brow at me like he’d just noticed I was there.
“You seem flustered, princess. I do tend to have that affect.” The corner of his lips tilted up in amusement and he looked back at the view, leaving me with a snarl forming on my lips.
“The last thing I would be flustered by is a man like you.”
“A man like me?” he scoffed, looking to me again as I finally drew his full attention. “Do not judge me by the low standards of the men you have come to see all too much of while locked up in this pretty palace, princess. You know nothing of men like me.”
“I know that your arrogance knows no bounds, that you believe the world is your orchard to pick the ripest fruits from whenever you like, and I know that you are here to claim my empire and add me to your conquests.”
He released a breath through his nose as if dismissing my words, casually looking back at the view again. “The world has offered nothing to me. I have seized everything I have through brute force, hard work, cunning and determination.”
“Then you are even worse than I thought, which is saying something,” I said derisively, turning to leave but the count stuck his arm out to block my way on.
He didn’t touch me, but between his arm and the potted palm beside me I would have no choice but to press my body against him if I intended to leave, meaning I was effectively trapped in his company.
“Why would the gods have put all those shiny, priceless stars up in the sky if they didn’t want us to try and claim them?” he mused and I scowled, giving up on trying to leave as I stepped closer to him instead, refusing to balk.
“And did you ever think to ask the stars what they want, Count Nazari?” I growled.
He frowned in confusion. “Call me Drake. And they’re stars, princess. Things. Dust and beauty all tangled into something I really want to put in my pocket.”
“Well, I am not a star,” I hissed. “But I will remain as unreachable to you as they are. Count Nazari.”
“Drake,” he insisted. “I’m not fond of titles.”
“I will call you a count without the O if you do not let me leave,” I growled.
He chuckled as he dropped his hand, allowing me to pass without the indecency of having to tolerate his touch at least, and I marched away from him before he could say anymore.
I was soon forced to interact with the rest of the strangers who had come here to win me like a prize pig at a fair.
The time rolled by, and the heat of the day intensified, until I was soon tired of stilted conversations with men who dismissed my snide comments as nothing more than jokes and hysteria from the summer sun.
Or quite likely paid no attention to my words at all, neither caring what thoughts were in my brain, nor minding which of them spilled from my mouth. I was only a prize to be won after all.
I was relieved when my father finally called an end to the Unveiling and the suitors were ushered away by his guards.
I waited to be dismissed too, noticing that Drake remained in place, folding his arms as he watched the other suitors depart the balcony and leaning back against the low wall with the clear intention of staying precisely where he was.
“Time to go,” Magdor said to him, her tone sweet.
Even she was sucked in by that face. I wondered what it would have been like to be him.
Your looks could be a blessing if you were a man in Osaria.
Hell, just being an ugly man in Osaria was better than being a woman.
They had endless options simply because of a lump of meat which hung between their thighs.
“I haven't finished speaking with Austyn,” Drake said, shrugging one shoulder and I fell still in surprise at his audacity of addressing me by my first name while he just stared the empress down, looking like he didn’t give a single fuck about who she was, or if he might have been in danger of offending her.
And I had to admit, that was pretty damn attractive.
“Let the man have another moment with her,” Father muttered from his seat, making my heart lurch in surprise as he involved himself in this and I looked to him curiously as he pushed himself upright.
Two guards moved to helped him out of his seat and I could tell he was feeling weak today as he allowed them to support him.
My heart crushed in my chest as I watched them guide him away.
How long was Magdor's cure going to take to find?
He needed it sooner rather than later if his declining strength was anything to judge by.
As he passed me, I reached out to touch his hand, but his fingers didn't even twitch in response.
“Do you even notice I'm here?” I blurted and Father blinked as he looked down at me in surprise. “Do you care what's happening right now? Your daughter's being sold. Me. Austyn.” I squeezed his hand and his eyebrows arched, clarity seeming to come to him for a moment.
“Austyn,” he sighed, and I swear I could feel his presence at last, rising from the depths of his eyes to truly see me.
“Yes,” I breathed, but Magdor got herself between us, knocking me back with a flap of her hand.