Chapter Thirty-Five #2
When I finally caught up to her and slid into a seat next to hers at the bar, she motioned toward the barmaid before us.
“Dimitri, this is Red. This is her tavern, but her favorite role to play is the best barmaid I’ve ever met. She serves up a mean mixed drink,” Val said, speaking loud enough to be heard over the music as she introduced me to Red, the tavern being her namesake.
To nobody’s surprise, the female behind the counter had an unnatural shade of red hair, as though she’d found some way to dye it—though maybe the lights in there were messing with my vision a little too much.
Her skin was pale enough that I imagined she didn’t leave the tavern much, and her wings were a deep brown.
She was pretty enough, though my eyes didn’t linger on her.
“Nice to see you again, Valenia. It’s been a while.” Red smiled at Val as she leaned on the other side of the bar from us, then cast her gaze my way with a wink. “Though I see why you might’ve been busy.”
I shook my head at the implication, but Val swept in before I could respond.
“Actually, I serve our king here now as his Right Hand. Tonight is the first night since he’s taken me on as such that I could get him to loosen up and live a little,” Val explained, nudging me gently.
Yet she didn’t move away after like I thought she would, and I could feel the heat of her skin through the fabric of my clothing.
Red whistled as her eyebrows raised, looking at the two of us in a new light.
“Well, good for you! And you,” Red fixed me with a pointed stare, “are fortunate to have her.”
“I am,” I confirmed, nodding my agreement.
Val looked at me with a hint of surprise masked on her beautiful features, but I carried on.
“Could you get us two of whatever Val’s regular is?” I requested, placing a few silver coins on the bar and sliding them Red’s way—more than enough to cover whatever we wanted.
“Be back in a moment,” the barmaid said, snatching up the coins before the generous offer was retracted.
“So?” Val asked once Red had walked to the back of the bar. “Isn’t it awesome in here?”
“It’s definitely much more different from what I’m accustomed to,” I said, glancing around again. The space was mostly full of packed tables, but over on the opposite side of the tower I could make out couples dancing to the music that seemed to be originating from over there.
“Hopefully a drink will help you loosen up.” Val shook her head. I had to adjust my seat to be closer to hers in order to hear her, just a breath of space between our forms at that point.
As if on cue, Red returned with two short glasses of a honey-colored liquid.
“Let me know when it’s time for the next round!” she called out, then turned to tend to other customers.
Val clinked her glass against the one I held, then smiled up at me before she took the first sip.
“Perfection, as always,” she confirmed. “Try it!”
Following her lead, I took in a mouthful of the liquid and was pleasantly surprised. It had just enough fruit juice and syrup in it to take the edge off the aged alcohol, tasting much more satisfying than the alcohol I used to steal from Father’s private stash.
“That’s delicious,” I admitted, taking another full sip.
“I hope you have a good tolerance built up if you’re going to down it quickly,” Val warned. “Red is known for the strength of her drinks, even if it doesn’t taste like it.”
“I promise I do,” I reassured her.
I’d just downed my second cup when Val had finally finished her first. I’d learned that she didn’t have nearly the kind of tolerance for alcohol like I’d imagined for somebody that frequented a tavern like Red’s.
Once she placed her empty cup on the bar, I hopped to my feet. I was careful where I stood so as not to stumble. My mind felt a little foggy, but I much preferred that over the restless voices I’d heard on repeat for most of the day.
“Come dance with me,” I requested, holding out a hand toward Val.
If she was surprised, she didn’t show it as she placed her hand in mine and said, “I thought you’d never ask.”
Feeling freer than I had in ages, I smiled mischievously at her before turning and leading us through the crowd toward the small dancefloor.
As we stepped onto the middle of the dancefloor, the song—which I’d heard before in passing—was reaching its climax.
Just as the first verse was through and the chorus began with a beat drop, I shifted my feet swiftly in order to trip Val—then I caught her all in one swift motion, my arm wrapping around her lower back.
The position we ended up in looked as though I’d dipped her, but her soft squeal of shock gave us both away.
At her reaction, I laughed, and it felt like something that belonged to a version of myself from another life—but laugh I did.
Val, whose arms had quickly wrapped around my neck as I’d caught her, looked up at me in awe as I smiled down at her.
Standing us up straight as the song continued, I held her close as we danced, though she still looked star struck.
“What is it?” I asked her, moving my head closer to hers so we could hear each other.
“You’re even more devastating when you smile,” she answered, still peering up at me, though I couldn’t seem to read the look twinkling in her eyes.
I flashed her a teasing grin just for the fun of it as one song bled into the next, the melody shifting to a faster pace.
We danced for what might’ve been hours, as I lost track of the number of songs that flowed between and around us.
I simply let them take me and direct me in my movements, guiding Val through every motion and step.
We glided together on the dancefloor the same way our forms moved in unison—silky smooth and without a flaw.
Together, the two of us laughed and smiled and danced freely, the alcohol allowing us just enough relief to leave the weight of our responsibilities behind for the night.
There in that tavern, there was no war, no anxiety, no crowns or titles; it was just me and Val—two fae dancing until the end of time.
As the night went on, the crowd thinned out and the music slowed down. Once the moon could no longer be found through the thick, colorful glass overhead, the music faded out, signaling it was time to go.
As the last few notes played, I spun Val around so her back was pressed flush against my front. Leaning my head down so my lips lightly touched the shell of her ears as I spoke, I said genuinely, “Thank you.”
“For what?” I couldn’t ignore the chill bumps that erupted across her skin as my lips grazed her ear every time I talked.
“For pushing me to come tonight. I didn’t realize how much I needed this.”
“You’re getting soft on me,” Val teased. As the final song ended, she stepped out of my grasp, a small smile still playing on her lips, leaving her cheeks and ears a bright pink. “Let’s get you home, Dimitri.”
I imagined I could bribe the musicians and Red to let us stay longer, but Val was already taking my hand in hers and guiding me toward the exit.
After a rough and slow flight back to the castle, and a loud, laughter-filled walk toward the royal wing—where I’d also allowed Val a room down the hall—we finally came to a pause before the doors to my chambers.
A beat of silence followed our last bout of laughter as we caught our breath. Val was looking toward the doors of my chambers, but I only seemed to have eyes for her tonight.
It struck me as odd how quickly things could change. I’d once thought I would spend my life with a different female, and that I had found the love everybody seemed to spend their lives searching for. But if I thought I’d felt love before, then what was I feeling tonight?
I reached toward Val, wrapping a strand of her short, chestnut hair around my finger.
She turned her face back toward me, looking up as our eyes met. Whatever she saw there made her breath come faster, and I couldn’t help the way my eyes left hers momentarily to peer down at her perfect lips.
“Dimitri…” she said, and if it sounded like a warning, I wasn’t heeding it.
Not tonight.
I let go of the strand I’d been holding in favor of sliding my hand fully into her hair at the base of her head, cradling her.
I gently tilted her head back as my other hand found her hip, pulling her even closer.
I could smell her sweet scent all around me, hear her heavy breathing, and as both of our eyes slid shut, I leaned down, ready to taste and devour and conquer.
But when my lips were a mere breath away from Val’s, a clattering sound rung out from the opposite end of the corridor, as if multiple objects had fallen.
Pulling my head back, I peered toward the source of the noise. Then, in an instant, I was backing away from Val as if touching her burned me.
“Dimitri,” Aurora gasped, her voice full of disbelief that I could hear despite the distance.
“Aurora, I…” I trailed off, looking between the two females before me.
Aurora, who I’d thought I’d been in love with for years.
The female I’d been holding out for, in the hopes that she’d come around to the idea of an us.
And she had almost done so—right before I sent her to the South to warn Aviva months ago.
Though, when things hadn’t gone according to plan, I wasn’t sure if she’d be coming back at all.
As it turned out, it looked like she’d hatched a plan of her own.
And she was back.
She’d returned, and yet when I looked at her, none of that desire I’d felt for years was there anymore. What I’d felt for Aurora paled in comparison to what I’d felt tonight with Val.
But Aurora had scrolls, journals, and maps at her feet—the items she’d dropped. She looked like she’d flown straight there with all of it in hand.
And if Aurora’s heart was what I needed to keep intact to win the war, then I could live with breaking Val’s.
At least, I wished to the Stars that I could.
Glancing at Val, she was staring at Aurora, her gaze cold—absent of any and all heat I’d seen just seconds ago.
It seemed Aurora had returned with something in hand, after all. I’d hoped months ago that she’d return with my twin, but what lay at her feet might be even better suited for me now.
Although her timing could’ve been better.
Clearing my throat, I slid on the kingly mask I’d worn for so many years now—numb, disconnected, empty.
Like Father.
“Valenia, you’re dismissed,” I said, my voice as cold as the look she had trained on Aurora.
“What?” Val’s gaze snapped to meet mine. Where she’d appeared cold and callused to Aurora, when she looked at me, an ember of that heat remained.
“Shall I repeat myself?” I questioned, placing my hands behind my back to keep myself from reaching for her.
She was who I wanted.
Who I needed.
And yet, there I was, pushing her away in favor of winning the war.
Conquer them all, Father’s voice demanded. It echoed in my mind as I watched Val stiffly dip her head and mechanically walk away, passing Aurora without a glance. Val’s posture was rigid, even as she rounded the corner and walked out of sight, heading deeper into the castle without another word.
And for the first time in a while, my heart ached as she left my sight.
Taking a deep breath, I focused on what I had to do next.
“Come,” I said to Aurora, opening the door to my private chambers and motioning for her to follow.
A moment later she filed in behind me, using her foot to shut the door behind her. She crossed the space to the large table I stood beside, dumping the contents in her arms carelessly onto the table.
She was upset—I could see it in the tension in her shoulders—but I didn’t have time for that right then.
“Where are they heading?” I asked her, glancing at the many items atop the table.
“It seems random,” she shook her head. “They’re aiming for some spot just outside of Neokell, but—”
“Neokell?” I asked, needing to be confident. “You’re sure?”
I’d never shared all that I’d discovered with Aurora. I had wanted to spare her the horror of our reality.
And the horror of the real me.
The same one Val had seen, and had not backed away from.
“Yes,” Aurora snapped as she unrolled one of the maps and pointed to where a sloppy circle had been drawn around where the old mines were.
And where the encampments were now.
Somehow, my twin had figured out exactly what I—and Father—had tried so desperately to keep hidden.
“They’re coming soon,” she warned, rolling the map back up.
“We have to act,” I stated, my heart pounding as my mind reeled with the newfound information before me.
“Better do it sooner rather than later,” Aurora said as she headed for the door.
She was upset, and likely needed space—I wasn’t going to force her to stay if she wanted to leave.
But she didn’t.
I watched as she slid the lock on my chamber doors into place, then turned back to face me, her voice slightly quieter.
“And Dimi?” she inquired, slipping another folded sheet of parchment out of her dress pocket.
“Hmm?” I hummed, tilting my head at her.
“There’s more.”