CHAPTER XV #7
“Twelve,” he says quietly, hand tightening around the back of my
neck.
“Twelve?”
Keane nods and leans into my ear with a whisper. “Twelve, Alexis.”
A shiver runs down my spine at the closeness of him.
“This will be the twelfth time I’ve wanted to take you fully, Alexis, without regard to who or what is around us…”
I nearly groan.
“I’m still counting, Lady,” he continues quietly, “you want to see me standing under the Great Oak in Bardot? Then I’ll give it to you…. because I want to see you there, too. I want to hear you scream my name until it echoes through the halls. You’ll be naked and mine under that tree.”
I shift in my seat and press my thighs together, unable to stop the rapid beating of my heart. Keane releases my neck and skims his fingers down my back with a smirk, eyes holding mine with such an intensity that demands I hear every one of his words.
“Twelve,” he affirms as the Prince he is.
Fuck me.
I need to get away. Need to run far, far away from this man before I let him take me here in front of the full of his court. There’s no resisting Keane when he’s like this… no resisting the power he commands over my body. I’m absolutely burning up.
I hastily lean away and stand up with a heavy breath, pushing my chair back as Keane follows my every move.
“Excuse me,” I stammer.
Keane watches me with a knowing glint behind his eyes, watches as I grab a drink from the serving boy’s hand and tip it back in a quick fashion. I ignore his gaze and quickly walk down the table towards Cal and Alanna, the Prince’s chuckle following at my back.
“Can I join you?” I ask flushed, standing between Cal and Alanna.
I didn’t exactly think this through, but Alanna takes one look at my face and scoots over in her chair, her cool grey eyes knowing as we share her seat.
“Have you eaten?” she asks with a narrowed gaze.
I shake my head.
She grimaces and pushes the rest of her plate towards me as Cal stands up from his own seat. He walks over to occupy the empty chair next to the Prince as Alanna pushes her hips against mine and urges me to take his seat.
“Eat,” she scolds when I reach for Cal’s ale.
She takes the drink from my hand just as Stormfall glides down the table, the Bird of Ash landing on my shoulder with a strong grip.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Alexis,” she whispers.
“I don’t,” I shake my head desperately.
My heart is still pounding from his words, from the overall presence of him.
“It’s him,” I whisper in a soft plead, willing her to understand.
Alanna nods quietly, watching me with small concern. “I know.”
I sigh and look down to the plate in front of me and take a bite, letting the cool Discerni watch over me until I finish the remainder of her dinner.
“Alanna…” I turn to her.
Her cool grey eyes meet mine as I consider my next words.
“I don’t know if Cal has told you yet, but we plan on traveling to Woodlands after we finish our meetings in Bardot…”
Alanna narrows her gaze as I continue, “have you thought more on the idea of traveling with us? Will you join?”
Her eyes dart across my face before she gives a hard nod.
“I will, Alexis.”
The rest of the night continued in typical Warrior fashion.
The barrels of toddy and ale were rolled into the room and the settees were spaced around them to create the centralized hub.
Everyone became more and more raucous as the night went on, the copious amounts of drink and smoke bringing on a boisterous atmosphere that was just down-right infectious.
After making a few rounds around the room with Cal, Holis and Mana, I found myself seated in a thick haze of smoke with a number of ladies of the court.
We’ve been passing the shisha around for some time, the lot of us keeping the conversation friendly and light as we enjoy the rabble of the room around us.
“Gail?” a beautiful Discerni woman asks me, repeating the young girl’s name to memory.
“Gail,” I nod with a broad smile, “her workshop is somewhere in the same hall as the kitchens. I’m still not used to the layout of this castle, but I do know that she’s on the same level as the chef.”
“I know of the room,” another Discerni nods to me, “her workshop’s much smaller than Kemari’s down on Fire Front.”
“Fire Front?” I exhale in curiosity.
The woman smiles, “a thread road in the main city. All of our most experienced seamstresses set up shop there.”
“And the boots?” another asks, eying the soft suede that juts up my thigh.
“Gail as well,” I smile, passing the shisha in her direction.
The ladies all look at eachother in consideration. I know full well that each of them will be knocking at Gail’s door tomorrow morning and smile at the thought.
“Are any of you familiar with her?” I ask in more curiosity, “how she came to have her own set up here in the castle?”
The beautiful Discerni woman sitting next to me nods over her ale, “her mother was a human seamstress in Gaumond who passed three years ago. I think that would have made the girl around twelve or thirteen when it happened. It’s a terrible story with a happy ending...”
“How so?” I ask.
“Didn’t Kemari and a few other of the women help settle her in the castle?” another woman inquires.
The Discerni at my side nods, “yes. The girl was too young to take over her mother’s business and had no inkling on the bills that were needed for their home.
Kemari and Anna helped her sell both places for a reasonable sum, then petitioned His Highness for a room and work here.
She’s safe and well cared for, and by the looks of it, flourishing in her mother’s footsteps. ”
I turn towards the barrels for the first time tonight, my gaze landing directly on the Prince.
It’s been a tortuous evening being in the same room as him and trying to avoid his gaze, and it’s taken everything in my power to evade the sheer presence he commands.
But I let myself take him in now, feeling a deep appreciation for whatever role he played in young Gail’s life.
Of course he extended his generosity to an orphaned human girl. I have no doubt about it as I stare at the tall and strong man who stands so proudly in the middle of the crowd, completely in his element.
“Do you have any suitors at home, Lady Alexis?” a cool human woman asks from across our group.
I peel my eyes away from Keane, catching her narrowed gaze on mine. Her hair is as black as the night sky above us, her dark eyes staring straight into mine as she raises a brow.
“I travel too much to have a suitor,” I reply with a shrug.
“On behalf of the King?” she inquires.
I nod, not offering any other explanation as I take a drink of ale.
The woman takes a deep inhale of the shisha, her next words dripping in sarcasm, “with a status of employ under His Grace, surely you’ve caught the eyes of other Knowledge men at your court. Someone other than our Prince?”
“Come off it, Danicka,” the Discerni woman sitting next to me quips, her own eyes narrowing on the dark haired woman across from us.
Danicka shrugs, “I’m just curious as to why she spends so much time here and not in her own Court.”
“Lady Alexis just got back from court in Red Falls,” the woman next to me states, “are you going to accuse her of seducing the men there, too?”
I turn to the Discerni next to me, taking in her light brown hair and soft features, committing her to memory. Her brows are furrowed and looking squarely at the woman across from us, seemingly not as impressed with Danicka as I am.
“Perhaps,” Danicka shrugs, taking a drink of her toddy.
The balls on this woman.
I hold back my scowl and remain unnerved.
The Discerni woman next to me laughs, “oh, Danicka. Don’t take your anger out on Lady Alexis because our Prince has never laid eyes on you.”
Danicka sends her a hard look and stands abruptly, walking away from our group of Ladies.
“Ignore her,” the woman besides me laughs again, brown eyes finding mine with a smile.
“I don’t think we’ve formally met,” I extend my hand, watching her smile widen.
“Jaclyn.”
“Jaclyn,” I repeat, nodding in thanks as she tips her mug in salute. We both promptly finish the rest of our drinks together, our grins wide as we look at the other in approval.
“A drinker after my own heart,” she laughs, “shall we get another?”
“Without a doubt,” I stand up with a nod.
Jaclyn snakes her hand through my arm as we walk to the barrels in the middle of the room.
“I saw you tilt against Lady Alanna the last time you were here,” she smiles, “I hate to admit that I was surprised when you beat her.”
“As was I,” I laugh in response, the two of us making our way through the crowd and taking our empty mugs to the barrels.
“Your dress truly is amazing. I have no doubt that your seamstress will be receiving new orders for the rest of the months and beyond.”
“She deserves it,” I smile and grab two empty glasses in front of the toddy barrel. “Will you indulge me if I ask you to drink this straight?”
Her brown eyes sparkle as she tips her head in a nod, “of course.”
“Cheers,” I grin.
We clank the glasses in another salute and down the amber liquid in full.
“Can you indulge me in something else, Lady Jaclyn,” I ask, extending my hand for her empty glass.
Jaclyn smiles and reaches over for our two empty mugs, filling them up to the brim, “what’s on your mind?”
We both turn back to the boisterous crowd, watching from the barrels as we sip from our drinks.
“This may seem a bit random, but I’m actually curious about Lord Daniel. He was present during our travel to Pyre and it’s been a pleasure getting to know him over the last few days. He’s an exceptionally kind Lord…”
Jaclyn nods to herself with a small smile, “I think you mean to ask how a Discerni man as handsome and polite as him is unwed?”
“Well yes,” I shake my head, still completely baffled.
Jaclyn takes a hefty drink of ale, considering the answer herself.