Chapter Forty-Four
ChApter
Forty-Four
By the time the musicians trade their lively reels for softer melodies, the night has settled into its steady rhythm.
Servants sweep in and out with practiced grace, refilling goblets, exchanging empty platters for trays piled high with sugared fruit and delicate pastries.
Dante and the king have made their rounds, exchanging pleasantries with nobles from every corner of the realms, while I’ve been passed from conversation to conversation like a particularly intriguing trinket.
The royals from the other courts have begun to loosen in their seats, the rigid formality of the evening giving way to easier smiles and low, comfortable chatter.
Even those who eyed me with cool curiosity at the start now seem more inclined toward warmth, their nods carrying less scrutiny and more familiarity.
I can only hope it means they’ve accepted the engagement—or at least decided it’s not worth challenging.
Out of curiosity, I glance at Princess Orida.
She is holding Lady Marette’s baby, deep in conversation with her cousin.
She doesn’t look upset anymore, and I can imagine that it isn’t in her manner to have an emotional reaction.
Maybe she had envisioned a future where a prince like Dante would be her partner, but it isn’t as if she is in love with him.
When I find the spot where Princess Rosemary is, I find her speaking with one of the lords from the Messanyan court. I bite back a laugh, wondering if she chose him to talk to because she considers him a fertile man.
Across the room, I spot a cluster of all the kings gathered near the far hearth, laughing over something shared between them, their jeweled goblets catching the firelight. It’s the perfect moment to slip away and look for Nadya, who mysteriously disappeared after dessert.
I’m a little surprised to find her perched on a velvet settee in the corridor just outside the ballroom. I thought she might have snuck off with one of the courtiers. Instead, she sits alone with her half-finished wine in hand. She perks up when she sees me, eyes bright despite the late hour.
“I wondered where you disappeared to. Are you all right?” I ask, taking the seat beside her.
“Don’t worry about me, my friend. I’m a survivor. I learn to adapt.”
“That is true. You’re the most adaptable person I know.” I give her hand a squeeze. “Still, you’re my best friend, and I want to be sure you’re fine.”
She swirls her wine, gazing into the liquid. “Do you think we’ll stay here? In Hedera? Or…” She lets the word linger. “Do you think there’s a chance to go back to Delasurvia?”
I blink at her. “What do you mean?”
“Well, technically,” she says, leaning in, “you could be coronated. Queen of Delasurvia in your own right. Especially now that the union is sealed. Dante would be king regent there, and Hedera would be… someone else’s problem.”
I laugh at her blatancy. “I’ve thought about it, but we went through the entire tour to declare him legitimate for Hedera, not to simply be a king consort.
Plus, it’s a little complicated at the moment, with the whispers of war, and the carnoraxis attacks spreading.
” My voice drops. “We need peace first. We need to make sure these other realms stand with us against the tsar. Then I’ll think about what comes next. ”
Nadya studies me for a moment, her expression softening. “Peace first,” she repeats, as if storing the promise away. Then her gaze shifts to something behind me.
When I follow her gaze, I find Dante leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest as he watches me.
“I wondered why the ballroom grew dimmer,” he says.
Nadya gasps, holding a hand to her heart. “Oh, gods, normally, I would gag at such terms of endearment, but I have to admit that was unexpectedly sweet.”
“Don’t be so sure,” I joke. “I suspect he’s pretending to be nice because he wants something.”
“Oh, he definitely wants something,” Nadya says under her breath.
I give a small laugh as I stand. “How may I help you, my prince?”
“If I have to endure another minute of small talk,” he begins, pushing off from the frame and taking a step toward me, “I’ll willingly throw myself into a hoard of attacking carnoraxis, just to escape.”
I laugh and shake my head. “And they say women overreact.”
He smiles, and I can’t help but notice how charming he looks.
“You want to get out of here?” His voice is low and husky, the timber making my stomach flutter.
“Won’t the king be upset to find you’ve disappeared?” I ask.
He takes my hand. “He’s probably on his twelfth helping of wine. He probably wouldn’t notice if I walked in there naked.”
I close the distance and interlock our fingers. “I highly doubt anyone could miss such a display. The other princesses, for example, would surely find it hard to look away.”
“Well, they’d be out of luck,” he says, running a thumb over the back of my hand, “since I reserve displays like that for one person alone.”
“And that’s my cue,” Nadya says, jumping to her feet. She raises her glass, backing into the ballroom. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Highnesses.”
I giggle as Dante takes off down the corridor, pulling me along.
We rush by Sir Holden and Sir Donovan, and I give them a wave. There’s nothing forbidding us from being together anymore, and no one can stop us.
By the time we reach my room, I can barely catch my breath.
“Did you see Indira’s face?” I hold my belly, speaking through my laughter.
He pulls me into his arms, letting out a chuckle. “She’s too young to have a heart attack, but she did clutch her chest and go pale.”
I look up at Dante as the last of my laughter subsides.
He reaches up and cups my cheek, then brushes his thumb across my bottom lip.
“Are you really okay with all of this?” I ask. “Or am I ruining your life?”
“Celeste,” he says softly, shaking his head. “You are my life.”
A sharp, aching warmth rushes through me, catching me completely off guard. Dante’s gaze remains locked on mine, the warmth of it an anchor, steady, certain, unwavering, and my throat tightens.
“I would go to the ends of the earth for you,” he says.
The words settle deep in my chest, breaking something loose inside me. My breath shudders slightly. He says it so easily, so surely, as if it were the most obvious truth in the world.
I do not speak. Instead, I let my body lean into his, let my fingers slide up to grab the material of his shirt, pulling his body against mine.
His focus drops to my tongue as I run it along my upper lip, and the hard length of his cock pressing up against me through our clothes tells me he wants the same thing I do.
Our lips press together, gentle, careful, but then my body reacts to him on its own. The yearning makes my skin hot, desire pooling between my thighs. His fingers tangle through my hair as a small growl forms in his throat and his lips grow hungry.
As his kisses pull me in, his hands move down from my waist to cup my ass. The feel of it sends goosebumps over my body. His mouth moves to my cheek, my neck, my collarbone, and his hands glide up my sides until his thumbs graze my pebbled nipples though my dress.
“Dante,” I whisper, his name a plea I can’t hold back.
We haven’t been together since that night in Mersos, and the heat from wanting him is building so intensely that I feel as if I were about to explode.
His palm spreads across my skin, and when he lifts his head, his stormy gaze locks with mine. I let my hands drift lower, dragging the smooth, black linen of his shirt free from his trousers. My fingers brush over the taut muscles of his abdomen, and I feel the shudder that runs through him.
His mouth crashes back to mine, his tongue sliding along mine.
The kiss deepens—hot, consuming—and then his lips trail along my jaw, each kiss slower, like he’s savoring every touch.
My breath hitches as his lips find the sensitive spot just beneath my ear, but my hands don’t stop, unbuckling his belt and undoing the button of his trousers.
He unties the back of my dress with lightning speed before pushing the material from my shoulders. I shake off the dress, letting it fall to pool at my feet. As soon as it does, he turns me around, devouring my neck while his hands greedily cup my breasts through my chemise.
I bite back a sigh as his fingers glide down my body.
With a breathy sigh, I press my ass back into him, until I feel his erection on my lower back.
Gods, I need him. He lifts my chemise, and then his fingertips skim over my underwear, circling my swollen nub.
I rock my hips forward, grinding into his hand. But it’s not enough. I need more.
He must sense it, because he guides his hand under the material and slips two fingers through the hot folds of my wetness, his thumb caressing my clit.
“So fucking wet,” Dante says, nipping at my earlobe.
I can only moan in response. He teases me with his fingers, gliding up and down my slick center before finally pushing a finger inside. I cry out when he adds another, stroking in and out of me, the sound of it filling the room.
I reach behind me as he fucks me with his fingers, and I slip my hand inside his open trousers and grip his length. He grows even harder in my fist, and when I circle his crown, he sucks in a harsh breath.
“I want to taste you again,” I say breathlessly.
His body seems to go rigid at my words, his fingers pumping faster.
“Cum for me first, little pirate,” he says, his voice a low growl. “Show me what a good girl you are.”
I melt against his chest as his fingers plunge into me, in and out, in and out, curling to hit that spot that makes my head spin.
I stroke him at the same time, but the ecstasy of his touch is making me lose focus.
Small whimpers escape my lips as waves of pleasure build and build, until finally my release rips through me, making me cry out.