Chapter 31
My eyes roll down, my arms humming with power. I swear for a split second, my skin appears indigo blue like the night sky, dusted in clouds of pink, magenta and flecked in starlight.
I blink to reveal my olive-colored skin is now back to normal but gleaming with new golden markings.
Two thin lines glide across my arms, crisscrossing.
My shoulders are adorned with mirroring crescent moons, the bows of which curve along the apex of my shoulders.
My hands are adorned with the crisscrossed streams of gold from my arms, creating a curved V that meets at my middle knuckle.
Each finger is glazed with a golden star—an eight-pointed star for my middle fingers and four-pointed stars for the rest. I turn my hands over to my palms, thrumming with energy.
Each one marked the same: a golden eight-pointed star in the middle with one orbital swirling around it.
On the right side, there are two four-pointed stars; on the left lower side, one four-pointed star, speckled with gold flecks.
This is far more ornate than any Arcane Glyph pattern that’s ever been recorded in the books I’ve read.
I whip around to hurl a scowl at Calais.
“What is this!? Why is it so big? And how does it mimic the markings of my skin?”
“Are all Ellian Knights so indignant to their bonded creatures? A powerful Arcane Glyph takes up more space. You should be bowing at my feet, but I will accept a simple thank you.” A menacing growl rattles me as she lowers her head above me, heat radiating from her blue-lit mouth.
“Since you’re in my head, you know that I never wanted these golden markings. Couldn’t you have just given me something small and simple?”
“Your birth markings and the new ones are a blessing. You should flaunt them instead of hiding them like a coward. Stop acting like a prattling brat.”
She bends her legs and blasts off. The powerful gust of her wings catching me off guard, knocking me on my ass. I guess that conversation’s over.
“Well, there’s no hiding my markings now, is there!” I huff loudly in her direction.
“Sometimes, I wonder if you are part dragon. You certainly seem to think you can blow fire with your words, Nebulight,” Calais’ voice growls through my mind.
“Who knows, maybe once I master my Chaos Magic, I will.” I motion a lewd gesture towards her flight path.
“Careful, Neubulight. Until you can, I’d hate to burn off those pretty markings on your fingers I just worked rather hard to imbue. Mind your manners.”
She’s right; I am acting like a petulant child.
The strength of her magic vibrates through my bones, like I’m a tuning fork.
She’s given me a powerful gift, and I should be thanking her rather than focusing on what others will think of my new markings.
I’ve just spent so much of my life trying to fit in.
To blend in. Now that seems impossible. I guess at this point, I should stop trying and take the hint: blending in beyond shadows was never meant for me.
“I don’t think you were ever meant to blend in, Luxsula,” a familiar, smoky voice whispers in my ear as a shimmery shadow wisps away from my shoulder.
He’s doing that thing again, making his voice appear close while he’s far away. Never mind the clear invasion of my thoughts. With the sun set behind the horizon, I’m at the mercy of his darkest powers now. His whispering shadows, or whatever he calls it.
I gaze up to see Seraphina’s blue war braids whipping in the wind, standing next to S?las. His white-blue eyes needle my heart. It’s possible he’s even more beautiful at night. Darkness becomes him.
“Damn! Look at you, tatted up. Lookin’ good. I may even have to put up a fight with S?las to get you into the bedroom.” Seraphina’s eyes flare neon blue, a wry smile hooking up the corner of her lips.
S?las elbows her hard in the side, rousing an audible, “Oomph.”
I wink and blow a kiss her way, just to ruffle his feathers.
Her eyes blaze neon cerulean at the suggestive thought clearly crossing her mind.
I jump my gaze over to S?las, whose arctic-blue eyes are brimming with smoke.
His jaw clenching so tight, I’m almost certain the muscles in his neck will rupture.
I do enjoy being a tease. So, I walk over to him and run my newly tattooed finger down the chest of his slightly unbuttoned shirt.
“Jealous thing, aren’t you?” I purr.
He growls in response. I’ve clearly struck a nerve. A pleasant and delightful distraction from the magnitude of what he has been asking me for. His pulse quickens as I circle him like prey. He doesn’t seem to mind being hunted by me.
“Settle down, you two. I’m still here. Unless you’re gonna let me join?” Seraph chuckles at S?las’ lancing glare. “We need to find the others. There are celebrations to be had.”
“I should probably change before we—”
All three of us are surrounded in shadows before I can even finish my sentence.
His velvety touch wraps up my legs, cascading over my breasts, my neck, across my lips and eyelashes.
Finally, it tangles through my hair; I can’t help but let out a small whimper at the sensation.
The shadows become more chaotic at the sound that escapes my lips as they begin caressing and teasing my skin.
Wild thoughts consume my mind. If he can do this in public, what can he do to me behind closed doors?
“Your thoughts are tame compared to what I would really do to you, if you let me have all you.” His smoky voice is startling as the shadows retreat, swirling back into S?las’ chest. Part of me longs for control, like he has over his powers, while the other craves to lose exactly that with him.
I don’t fail to notice his eyes darken as he takes me in.
My eyes flutter down to find I’m wrapped in a black velvet evening dress that cuts deep down my chest, ending just before my navel.
There are cutouts in the shape of eight-pointed stars along my hips, with a shimmery mesh that reveals my markings.
A long slit slashes up the side, freeing my legs for movement.
My wrist is adorned with a black diamond bracelet—I assume matching what I can feel on my neck.
I realize Pip must have sensed the change of attire and turned into the bracelet to go with my outfit. A dragon with style.
I lift my hands to my hair, feeling it pinned up to fall on one side of my head.
S?las snaps his fingers; a tall, golden mirror appears before me.
I can see I’m right about the necklace. He’s even done my makeup, eyes shadowed in smoky black with a gilded finish, matching my obsidian eyes flecked with gold. Kohl lines my bottom eyelashes, curling up at the ends. My lips are black with a thick golden line down the center of my bottom lip.
I look fucking good, despite less clothing, more jewelry and makeup than typical for me. Yet taking in the whole ensemble, he’s somehow made my gold markings appear at home on my flesh. For the first time in my life, I’m not ashamed.
He snaps his fingers again. He and the mirror are gone. His presence pushes in behind me.
“You look ravishing.” His voice growls in my ear, “Let the world fall beneath your feet as they gaze at you. Let the sight of you hold their very breath your captive prisoner.”
My cheeks heat. Deep down, a part of me feels like I can be as beautiful as his words tonight. Rather than slinking into the shadows to hide, I can emerge from them anew.
A low whistle from Seraphina drags my eyes to hers.
She clearly approves of the outfit as well.
She’s in a black shirt with the first three buttons undone.
Her black leather pants are held up with coal leather suspenders, two leather straps crisscrossing her abdomen.
Her long, powder-blue war braids and neon-blue eyes gleaming amidst the sea of black.
My gaze drifts to S?las as he falls into step beside me.
I swallow in the heat of him. He’s dressed in a midnight, three-piece suit.
The top buttons of his shirt are lazily undone, revealing the shadows dancing along his skin.
Gold embroidery glints across his lapels, mirrored eight-pointed stars.
His eyes, pale as starlight, flicker like Celestial temptation against the void.
There’s clearly a matching theme between our outfits, even though I haven’t given in to his reckless demand for all of me.
He’s playing a dangerous game with this facade—a claim—as if I am already his.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say beyond jealousy, you have some possession issues. Both our outfits echoing my new markings?” I throw him a coy smile.
He slides his hands into his pants, arching a brow at me.
“Sometimes my shadows have a mind of their own. Even if you won’t give me what I want, it doesn’t mean I am not yours to keep.” He shrugs.
The air rips from my lungs. I never asked him for this. He is not bound to me just because he requests all of me.
Mine to keep.
No one has ever been mine. And he—he wasn’t supposed to mean it when he said he would spend a lifetime unravelling my walls barricading me with hesitation.
As much as I want him, I’m not so selfish that I wouldn’t let him move on to find another suitable female to fall for.
Although something deep inside me screams at the thought of his hands roaming someone else.
“Fucking stars above, S?las. I forget how much of a hopeless romantic you can be. You’re gonna scare her off with that mushy shit.”
“Trust me. She doesn’t frighten easily.”
“You’re bloody fucking incorrigible. Sometimes I don’t know how I’ve put up with ya for so long.
” Seraph laughs. “Save the romance for someone who won’t stab you with it, will ya?
” She nudges him in shoulder before starting to walk up the hill.
“Let’s go! I should be halfway to passed out drunk by now. ” She waves us on with a fiendish grin.