Chapter Twelve Ivan
Chapter Twelve
Ivan
Ilooked in the floor-length mirror in our bedroom a few days later, preparing to attend this unnecessary ball.
I was covered in bites. This was not a complaint.
My wife had marked me, in her own way. When we were together years ago, she’d given me a nibble or two during her heat, but never anything to this level.
She’d broken skin. I had bites on my shoulder, thighs, chest.
And I loved it.
In fact, I was kind of sad they were healing so fast. A testament to my dragon healing abilities, but this time, it was annoying.
Although I knew we weren’t bonded, it felt like we were every time I looked at the marks.
Maybe I was demented like some others have said, but I smiled whenever I looked at them.
And with Jalisa holding up to her end of the deal by not mentioning that this marriage was fake, I could fully believe that our reunion would be real.
She didn’t know it, but my plan was working perfectly.
She couldn’t hide that she was falling again for me.
Her body missed me. Her omega nature wanted us together.
Otherwise, why would she have marked me so much?
I just had to make it safe for us so that she could be comfortable with us being together.
Going to this ridiculous ball was not going to help in that endeavor.
We needed to maintain a quiet presence. Going to a ball would put too much attention on us, which I suppose was the purpose of the invitation.
Alpha and omega pairings were always a thing of scrutiny, and since Jalisa’s status as a noble was now exposed, more eyes would be on us.
Especially since she broke her engagement to that noble alpha.
People didn’t understand, and despite my above average looks, they felt like she’d taken a downgrade.
I was a soldier, higher ranking but not the highest, and I came from the working class, although few knew I was a dragon, which would have made it worse.
Not to mention my troubling memory issue.
The doctors stated there was nothing they could do, but they were starting to be concerned about the increased forgetfulness.
I should have been getting better, not worse.
I was driving myself to distraction and the growing anxiety from the memory loss.
I could do nothing to stop it, and any loss memory of Jalisa was like losing precious jewels. I was going bankrupt before my eyes.
The goal tonight would be to keep this short. Make our presence known to the court and then leave. I didn’t need any negative attention on me. If I didn’t recall something, I’d have to pretend I remembered to avoid concern.
The bathroom door opened behind me, and I spun around, a grin instantly spreading across my face.
Jalisa stood in the doorway. She was a vision in a sparkling lavender strapless gown that complemented the glow of her brown skin.
The front dipped low, highlighting her lovely cleavage.
The bottom half was slightly flared but still fitted to her hips and perfect ass.
Her reddish-brown curls were piled at the top of her head with select pieces framing her lovely face.
I inhaled deeply, her cherry almond scent wrapping around me, soothing me.
It was amazing how she could be my calm without even trying.
“You look breathtaking,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.
She walked over to me and adjusted my tie. “Thank you. You look very handsome, although I still can’t believe you haven’t learned how to wear your formal tie correctly.”
I shrugged. I didn’t have many tailored suits, and ties were never my thing. I looked fine in my simple navy blue suit with gold trimmings and hoped I was not impacting her look with my own understated attire. “Maybe I should have gotten a purple suit.”
She chuckled. “We don’t need to match.”
“Then how will people know you’re mine and I’m yours? They can’t even see the marks you gave me. What if other women are inappropriate with me?”
She narrowed her eyes and tightened the tie, constricting my air. My eyes bulged as she gritted her teeth. “If another woman gets inappropriate with you, I will remove your balls.”
I shouldn’t have enjoyed that threat so much, but it did make the pit of my stomach heat. “Why must I get disfigured for the behaviors of others? Although I think I like possessive Jalisa.”
She loosened my tie. “Oh, don’t let this get to your head. It’s a matter of respect. No one should be confused if you keep your ring on.”
I took her hand and kissed it. “I’d walk around with my shirt off so everyone could see my bites. The only woman I want to be inappropriate with me is you.”
“I really wish you’d let me heal those bites. I’m so sorry about them.”
I placed my hand on her lower back, pulling her to me. Then, without pausing, I pressed my lips to hers, taking in her sweet taste. I wasn’t sure there’d ever be a time I would tire of her. “I should get these markings tattooed.”
She pushed against my chest but not with much strength. “Please don’t. Just be normal tonight.”
I scrunched my face. “Normal? What’s that? I know not of the word.”
She plucked me on the arm, a slight smile on her lips. “Just watch what you say. As long as you stick with me or Aaron, I won’t worry.”
Still holding onto her, I forced myself to be serious for just a second. “I think, after this ball, we should go on a little trip.”
She eyed me suspiciously, ever the smart one. “Why?”
Because I love you and I want to take you on what Lila called a honeymoon.
Where newlyweds went somewhere nice to have sex, drink, eat, and relax, repetitively.
That’s what I wanted to say, but I knew despite our progress, it was wise to take small steps with Jalisa.
“Because I need to find a way to fix my head.” I tapped my skull with my knuckles.
“The healers can’t fix me here, but maybe another part of the realm or even the human realm could.
Although I doubt humans, even witches, are more powerful than us. ”
She touched my cheek, a look of concern in her eyes. “Alright, but we have to be thoughtful about where we go because the court will be suspicious if we’re gone too long, and we have to think of our families.”
I sighed, dropping my hands. “Ah, fuck the court.”
“Ok, honey, but also, let’s not say that out loud again.”
“Well then fuck whoever laid that ward.”
“Now that I can get behind. We need to be on high alert tonight. So no getting drunk.”
I lifted a shoulder. “Maybe a little drunk.”
She rolled her eyes. “What is a little drunk?”
“Like slightly tipsy but you remember the events of the night before. I think that’s the sweet spot.”
She patted my shoulder and turned away. “Ok, fine. Someone’s trying to kill us, and the court is suspicious of our marriage, and you want to get tipsy. I guess I’ll be on high alert on my own tonight. You are a man-child.”
I followed her to the door. “I’m joking, love.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“That would be wise.”
***
The ball was bullshit. I loved a good party, but this stuffy affair was hardly my idea of a good time.
It was just a bunch of snooty, high society fuckers judging others and engaging in one-upmanship.
Not to mention I was so paranoid about someone trying to murder us in some creative way, I couldn’t even drink like I wanted to.
We were in a large room, with shiny white floors and walls that looked as if they were painted in gold with extravagant crown molding.
Velvet black curtains hung over floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides.
A band played music on a stage near the back of the space, across from the entrance, and circular tables covered in golden cloth with black suede chairs were scattered about the perimeter.
Many attendees were spread throughout the room with some dancing closer to the band.
In between the crowd, were servers with trays of small bites and drinks.
Off to the left center sat the king and queen in grand golden thrones.
A long line of fae waited to speak to them.
There were so many people, it was hard to keep an eye out for possible attackers.
Xander strolled over to us, looking just as bored as I felt. “Keep this close to your chest, but we’re going to have a proper gathering after this back at the house. One where we like the people around us and the liquor is stronger.”
I slapped him on the back, a renewed excitement growing. “I like the sound of that. When can we leave?”
Jalisa sucked her teeth, eyeing him disapprovingly. “Why are we only now getting an invitation? We are the fun ones.”
This was news to me. I always enjoyed time with my Sunshine, but I would have never categorized her as the life of any festivities. I side-eyed her, and she caught my glance. She then rolled her eyes. “Fine, Ivan is the fun one. I’m fun adjacent.”
I nodded in agreement with both her points. “She’s right. Why’d we get the left-over invitation?”
Xander snorted. “It was just decided thirty minutes ago. Our housekeeper is getting things set as we speak. We’re leaving in an hour.”
“Good, that’s when we’ll leave.”
Jalisa sighed. “We can’t leave until we meet with the king and queen. It’ll be rude not to greet them. But they’ve been surrounded by other fae all night.”
“Well let’s elbow through them and give our hellos and go.”
“That would also be rude.”
“You nobles and your rules.”
Xander ran a hand through his black hair, looking around the grand space with pensive eyes. “By the way, friend, you need to apologize to Yosef after what you said to him the other day. He can be uptight, but he is our captain.”