Chapter 44
TREW
The ballroom was too bright, too loud, and it smelled of roasted meat and ambition.
Hundreds of torches and suspended enchanted lanterns gilded the marble floor in a warm gold, highlighting the carved ribs of the vaulted ceiling two stories above.
The musicians in the gallery threaded a dance into the air, their strings weaving with the low, steady heartbeat of the drum.
The long windows on the far wall stood open to the courtyard, letting in a slip of moonlight and a whisper of night air that carried a floral perfume from the gardens.
I stood near the dais at the far end, a vantage point that allowed me to see everything. My formal blacks had been cut close, embroidered in storm-gray threadwork, a pattern only worn by the crown.
My gaze drifted often to the ballroom doors.
Gavelle had perched near the wall and in the shadows, his ember-gold eyes unblinking as they swept the crowd.
The first floor had been secured an hour ago. I’d done my own sweep, stationed my guards, and made sure no one without authorization would get anywhere near the crown or the new warriors. Which meant there was no reason for me to keep my post here except—
“Your Majesty.”
Kira’s voice slid in from my right, smooth but with the faintest rasp.
She wore a gown as black as a starless night, cut to flatter her figure and her copper hair.
The neckline dipped enough to be noticed.
I’d seen her in armor more times than I could count, but tonight she’d chosen her weapons differently.
She stopped beside me. “Surely you’re not working tonight?”
“Does a king ever not work?”
She shrugged.
“I’m breathing tonight,” I said without looking at her. “That’s enough.”
Her mouth curved, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I thought you’d take the opportunity to relax. Dance.”
“I’m here to ensure the warriors remain safe.”
Kira’s gaze flicked to the single white bloom I held in my hand, a camellia I’d plucked in my own personal garden. Her eyes narrowed before sliding back up to my face.
The music shifted key, and her expression tilted with it into a half-smile. “Pretty flower.”
“It is.”
She gave me a look full of envy and accusation.
She’d wanted something from me since she arrived at my court, but I’d never given her a reason to hope.
And tonight, I suspected she knew who the camellia was for.
The waltz swelled again as the ballroom doors opened.
And there she was.
Flanked by Lexie on one side and Kerralyn on the other, Isi stepped into the light as if she’d been born from it. My vision tightened until the crowd became nothing but shifting shadows. The hum of conversation fell away, replaced by the faintest echo of her laugh in my memory, low and bright.
Her green gown clung to her body as she stepped inside, the golden stitching catching the torchlight in ripples. Gold also glimmered through her hair as if each curl had been touched by the sun, and it had chosen to follow her inside. Her pale blue eyes searched the room.
For a heartbeat, I forgot the music, the people I should be speaking with, the entire room. The court’s hum, the clink of goblets, even Gavelle’s sharp gaze all fell away. There was only her, stepping into my sight as though she had been conjured from every secret wish I’d never dared voice.
Power stirred in my chest in the same way it had when we’d worked with her magic earlier.
Gavelle rustled his feathers, his head angling in Isi’s direction. He released a single, knowing sound.
A flicker of Isi’s magic, unseen by anyone else, drifted across the edge of my senses. It was like fire teasing paper, both a promise and a warning.
I forced my feet to remain in place. Forced my hands to stay still when every bone in me wanted to cross the marble floor, take her hand, and show the court exactly who she belonged to.
The green fabric swayed around her legs as she descended the shallow steps, drawing glances from every person in the room. She didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe she did, and she simply didn’t care.
My pulse drummed harder, each beat loud enough to drown the music.
I had no trouble keeping an eye on her. Isi’s hair caught the chandelier’s light every time she moved.
And the others had noticed.
A pair of merchant lords turned their heads, their mouths half-hidden behind jeweled goblets. One of the younger envoys let his eyes linger far too long on the line of her back as she leaned to say something to Lexie.
Possessiveness coiled in my chest.
Pherin chirped before hopping off her shoulder. Her wings caught the light as she glided above the crowd, landing beside Gavelle with a fluff of feathers.
The cinderhawk tilted his head at me in silent amusement.
Maddox stood near the food tables, his stance deceptively casual. But his gaze flicked toward Isi more than once. A predator watching prey. I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“Keep an eye on him, please,” I said under my breath, sending the thought to Gavelle along our bond.
A pulse of assent came back, and I got the impression that if Maddox tried anything, Gavelle would pluck his eyes out.
Such a tempting offer.
I pushed off the column, and the crowd flowed away from me as I moved, a few whispering behind their hands.
Isi’s chin tipped upward as I reached her. I didn’t speak. Just extended my hand, my palm up, an invitation I prayed to the fates she’d accept.
She placed her hand in mine, and the contact sparked across our skin. Her magic slid along mine, making my pulse thud. I forced my expression to remain casual.
If she noticed, she didn’t show it.
“For you.” I held out the flower.
She took it from me and delicately sniffed the petals. “Thank you.”
There was so much I wanted to give her. Soon…
“Would you like to dance?” I asked.
“Of course, my king.” She dropped into a deep curtsy.
It was all I could do not to grin at the mockery in her tone. She wasn’t as far off as she believed.
One day, I would be her king.
“You kept me waiting,” I said as I led her toward the open floor.
“You deserved it.” Her sweet-sounding words came sharp enough to bite.
I huffed a laugh. “For what, exactly?”
Her brow arched. “Do you practice looking this ruthless, or does it come naturally?”
I angled my head, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “Only for you.”
The music swept up around us, a hum of strings and the light tap of drums. I drew her into the first turn. Her magic brushed against mine again, and the sensation was lethal, foreplay disguised as a dance.
“You’re lighter on your feet than I expected,” she said, adjusting her hand at my nape, the flower I’d given her tickling my skin.
“And you’re even more exquisite than I remembered.” I tightened my arm around her waist, pulling her closer during a spin. The movement broke every standard of propriety in this room, and I didn’t care.
“Thank you again.” Her eyes lifted, catching mine, this time defiant and aware. She knew what I was doing, and I loved that she wasn’t going to back down. “You’re staring.”
“I cannot look away.” I leaned closer, brushing her ear with my lips. “Careful. If I keep looking, I might forget how to stop.”
She shivered. “Then perhaps you should look. I don’t mind a little danger tonight.”
Every part of me wanted to keep her this close, to keep testing how far she’d let me go before pushing back. But I also knew how quickly she’d retreat if I overstepped.
So I danced with that thin edge between us, my hand firm at her waist, my magic brushing hers in lazy, deliberate arcs, until the rest of the world ceased to exist.
The music slid into something slower. We stepped into the rhythm, me spinning her around and around until she tipped her head back and laughed.
Someone passed too close on a turn. I shifted, sweeping her to the side, not breaking the pattern of the steps.
“You’re doing that protective thing again,” she said.
I let my mouth tilt into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Maybe I like keeping you close.”
She didn’t answer, but the corner of her mouth curled up before she glanced away, pretending to be fascinated by the glittering torches.
Gavelle watched from his perch with Pherin beside him, her as tiny as an ornament, him inclining his head toward her like they were exchanging secrets.
Isi saw it the same moment I did. Our eyes caught, and her mouth twitched, like she was about to laugh but didn’t want to give me the satisfaction of hearing it.
We moved through another turn. The world could’ve burned down around us, and I wouldn’t have cared. I couldn’t stop watching the way her gaze darted between my eyes and my mouth, the way her fingers flexed against my palm when I pulled her even closer.
The music wound toward its last notes. I should let her go. Others would want to dance with her as well. Instead, I kept her hand in mine, running my thumb over her knuckles.
She could’ve pulled away. I would’ve let her. But neither of us made a move to end contact.
We drifted to the edge of the room, where the torches burned lower and the shadows pooled deeper. Gavelle ruffled his feathers in greeting when we came close. Pherin gave a flick of her wings before hopping to Isi’s shoulder, chittering something that made Isi laugh under her breath.
It was ridiculous how much I wanted to be the one who earned that sound.
The ball continued on without us, but here, with Isi leaning against the stone column nearby, it felt like a different world.
I braced one hand against the pillar beside her head, close enough that my palm touched her hair.
“I’m staring again,” I growled. “Who needs the stars when they can look at you instead?”
Her lashes swept up, and the smile she gave me made everything inside me still.
This quiet back-and-forth and the constant, wordless pull was going to be my undoing. And judging by the way she didn’t step away from me, it might be hers too.