Chapter Nineteen
Vanessa
It startled me how quickly Vil could switch, acting like nothing was wrong. The way he’d returned his focus to me, in a most personal manner, had caught me by surprise in multiple ways, not just by the intensity of his desire.
“How can you be so calm about this?” I asked as he slowly guided me around the floor to a stately piece of classical music I didn’t recognize. I kept my voice low so that others wouldn’t overhear our conversation.
His hands were the perfect gentleman, holding my hand in his and gripping the small of my back without going too low. There was no tension in his body or his movement. Vil stepped gracefully and with ease, which was necessary because my body responded like it was full of lead.
“Am I calm?” he asked, pulling me in tighter and surreptitiously pressing my fingers to his neck.
There, I felt the sudden beating of his heart. I looked up at him a little sharply.
“They expect me to act like I’ve done nothing but assert myself.
That everything is okay, the issue is settled and that nothing will come of it,” he explained.
“So I’m giving them what they want. What they need.
There’s no point in my people worrying about any issues of leadership.
That’s not helpful to anyone. So we dance.
And eat. Laugh. Do all the things they would expect to see us do.
And in private, I will consider my next moves. ”
He was faking. None of his outward emotions were real. They were an act designed to help calm his people. I could respect that. I did respect it. But that left me with a giant question.
“What about me?” I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer, though I absolutely needed to.
The music ended, and Vil guided me toward one of the tables full of food.
“What about you?” he asked, leaning over to speak softly in my ear.
“You’re putting on a show for your people. But what am I? Am I part of the show?”
A displeased rumble echoed deep in his chest. “You think because I’m faking it for them, I’m faking it for you.”
“Or you’re faking me for them,” I said.
“Nothing I do for you is faked. Everything I have ever said is true and real, to the best of my knowledge,” he said, speaking like he was swearing an oath. Which perhaps, in a way, he was.
I snatched up a hot crusty mini-bun and slathered it in what looked to be a cheesy-butter combination.
“Ermagurd,” I moaned around the delicious morsel as I chewed.
“Good, isn’t it?” he chuckled.
I nodded and finished chewing. “That was delicious!”
A few more of those, followed by some bites of meat and a splash of wine later, my stomach felt less rebellious.
“I just don’t know what to believe,” I told him as we stood to one side, momentarily devoid of people coming up to introduce themselves. Vil had told me not to bother memorizing their names, so I hadn’t, simply making polite talk for the ten seconds they spent around us.
“About what?”
“You. All of this. Us. Everything,” I said heavily. “It’s a lot to take in, Vil.”
“That’s because you’re fighting it,” he said. “If you stop resisting and let the river take you where it wants, you will see we’re two leaves floating in the same current. Destined to take our journey together. Hand in hand.”
“I don’t know.”
He stepped closer. “I know you feel the pull toward me, my mate. When you’re ready to let yourself believe that fate is a thing, that this is where you’re meant to be, then it will all make sense to you.”
“And what if I don’t?” I asked, finally voicing my biggest fear. “What if I decide I don’t want to be with you?”
Vil was quiet. “Then I will renounce the throne and let you go.”
I frowned. “Now, why on Earth, or … here, whatever, why would you give up your title?”
He smiled warmly, without malice. “Because only a dragon and his true mate are allowed to sit on the throne. I will never take another as a mate if you do not want me. Therefore, I will not be fit to rule.”
“You don’t sound sad about this,” I pointed out.
He grinned at me, a combination of confidence and wicked intent. “That’s because I believe in faith, and I know that you cannot, and will not, resist me forever. You, my soon-to-be princess, want me just as much as I want you. The difference is, you aren’t willing to admit it to yourself yet.”
My pulse quickened. I tried to clamp it down, but it was hard with Vil in my personal space, a constant reminder of what I could have, of what my body wanted. All I had to do was stop fighting it. Give in to temptation, to thrill, to desire and lust. Just accept it. Enjoy it.
It would be easy. Perhaps too easy.
I shivered. Excitement? Fear? Both? I wasn’t sure what brought it on.
It was all too much to think about. A wave of fatigue swept over me.
“Vanessa? Are you all right?”
I nodded. “Yes. Just … tired. This is a lot to handle in a very short time.”
He looked at me closely, then grunted. “I understand. Come, let us retire.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “We’ve barely been here half an hour. Won’t they get mad at you for leaving so soon?”
Vil chuckled, casually taking my hand in his and tugging me toward the exit. I noted how his fingers and mine intertwined naturally, fitting perfectly together. My heart pulsed a bit faster as he squeezed it tight in reassurance.
“I am the prince,” he said. “They will deal with it.”
“But what if Adamantine and his fellows come back?” I didn’t want to be the reason that they caused more trouble.
“They won’t. They’ve flown off with their tails between their legs. They won’t be back.” He grunted. “Tonight, at least.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I let him lead me away. Maybe after a good night’s sleep in a bed, I could tackle all these changes in my life with a better frame of mind.
We walked the fortress’s corridors in silence, just the two of us, comfortable in our thoughts.
Vil, I was sure, was lost in thoughts of the Nine and the troubles they were causing.
I didn’t know much about dragon politics aside from what I’d witnessed, but I was sure a lot more was happening than I was aware of.
“Thank you,” Vil said out of nowhere as we stopped in front of a door.
“For what?” I asked, confused but also eager to get into my room and sleep. I didn’t want to appear too hurried to get inside, but I doubted I entirely hid it.
“Your actions at the ball,” he replied, running a hand absently down the side of my gown, admiring it. “You acted the part of a princess without trouble. That helped immensely, and I’m grateful for it.”
“Oh, you’re welcome,” I said, trying to yank my focus away from the touch of his hand against me, dulled by the layers of cloth between us.
And that’s how it’s going to stay. Don’t you go and invite him in just because you want his body. There are so many nuances you have to consider.
Not that I was worried about such a thing happening. I wasn’t ready to bare it all before him—or anyone, for that matter. Though I wanted to. Just the fact that I was thinking about it, however, meant I was looking for ways to try to justify giving in if Vil made a move on me.
As if reading my mind, he made a move.
It just wasn’t the move I was expecting. I frowned as he reached out and opened the door, preceding me into the room.
“That’s a bit presumptive, don’t you think?” I said a bit snippily to his back.
Vil turned to face me, his expression confused. “What do you mean?”
I laughed. “Did you just presume I would invite you in? Usually, it’s polite to be asked to enter. And I most definitely did not give you an invitation to my quarters tonight, Anvil.”
His look of confusion slowly turned to a mischievous smile. “Now, who’s the one doing the presuming?”
I blinked, my heart starting to race. “What are you talking about?”
“These aren’t your quarters,” he said, breaking into a wide grin.
“They aren’t?” I stammered, feeling lost.
“No. We’re mated, remember?” he said. “These are the royal suites. They’re our rooms.”