Chapter 22 #2
“These trials, they’re all about making sure I’ll have the right queen beside me to rule the realm for exactly that reason,” Azurill said softly, something shining in his eyes that made my heart stutter in my chest. “One who can hopefully be more than an ornament to look pretty and give me heirs. I want a partnership like the ones my parents had.”
“My parents had that too.” The words came out of my mouth like spilled ink, my head too foggy to stop it as memories assailed me. “They worked together, ensuring the people were happy and safe. That they were thriving. Until…”
“Your parents live in Ruby Court, don’t they?” he asked, his brows creasing as he considered my words.
“Oh, of course.” I laughed, but the forced sound did little to cover my panic as I realized that I’d massively fucked up.
Thankfully, we were distracted, as at that moment the people in the tavern began pushing tables aside, and music filled the air.
Couples stood up and began dancing to the tune, and I looked to Azurill, his brows creased as he clearly tried to make sense of my words, so I quickly stood, grabbing him by the hand.
“Come on, Veri.” I smiled wickedly, “Time to dance like a normal person. If that ego of yours can take it, of course.”
He chuckled, shaking his head as he gave up trying to figure out what my slip-up meant and instead gave in to being dragged to the floor.
As promised, the dancing was very different from the kind done at court.
Commoners didn’t dance the way nobles did, structured and precise.
No, they were wild and free, able to let loose with no constraints.
I loved all types of dancing, and had missed the regimented dancing of my youth that I now got to experience again at court, but I had thrived for years by dancing the way other peasants did.
I threw myself into it now, and Azurill quickly caught on.
His effortless grace was almost infuriating, but he made for a good enough dance partner that I couldn’t be too upset.
He spun me around, my hood flying off and my pink hair tumbling around my shoulders as I twirled, before he pulled me sharply back into his body.
Chest to chest, our eyes locked as his other hand found the small of my back.
We danced in a circle as we followed the beat of the music, but our eyes never left one another.
I felt consumed by him as he surrounded me, leaving me thankful for the fresh breath of air when he spun me back out.
As the song ended and moved into the next, I grabbed both of his hands with mine, pulling us toward one another again and back out, before we both spun with our hands crossing.
As we came to face each other once more, the smile on his face only fed the one on my own like tinder to a fire.
I couldn’t deny this was actually…fun. Dancing with him to the wild beat of the music allowed me to let go of all my reservations for a moment and just enjoy getting to dance with this charming, powerful, handsome-as-sin man.
As the next song began, with a slower, sultrier beat, Azurill pulled me into his body, enclosing me in his arms. His hard body was an illicit thrill against my softer one, and I suddenly ached to press more of me against him to see what reaction I could get.
As I looked up into his eyes, I was surprised to find them lit up with an emotion I’d had yet to see from him.
He looked genuinely happy.
It was shocking enough that I was forced to realize I was feeling something similar. Which was not good. And even worse, as our eyes remained connected, he leaned in…
My heart beat like it was about to skip out of my chest entirely, and my soul felt torn in two, half of me desperate to experience what was coming, and the other disgusted with myself for it.
Teal consumed my vision entirely until my eyes fluttered shut and then…
his lips sent sparks flying through my body, and I found my own responding without thought as I gave in to his kiss.
My hands snaked up his tattoo-covered neck, over the shaved sides of his head, to grasp at the hair on top and tug, making him groan into my mouth.
He pressed me closer to him as his hand wound into my hair and returned the favor, making me moan and nip his lip in retaliation.
His tongue danced with mine as his body did, and I eagerly met each motion with every part of me.
His hand gripping my hair came to rest on my neck instead, curling around it, and his fingers trailed across my skin, leaving fire in his wake as he touched me.
I could only think of ice and fire meeting, and the immediate spark precluding the melting of the ice.
For I was assuredly melting into him, and I didn’t know where my head had gone, but it was a losing game trying to figure that out.
It was only when another patron bumped into us and we were jostled apart that I blinked dumbly up at him, satisfied to see he at least looked as wrecked as I was by the experience.
I’d set out to seduce Azurill for my own ends but had somehow tripped myself up into forgetting the reason I was here, what I had to do, and mostly… that this had an expiration date.