CHAPTER XV #8
“Lord Daniel is rather quiet when he’s at court, but he has always made his rounds and engaged with everyone on the nights he spends here. He’s hard to read, if I’m being honest,” she tilts her head in thought, “but he has had a few suitors in the past. Nothing of late.”
“I truly can’t envision why,” I take a drink of my own ale.
“Are you looking to pursue, Lady Alexis?” she asks me quietly, eyes sparkling over her mug.
I give her a genuine smile and shake my head again, “no. He’s become a good friend in the short amount of time I’ve gotten to know him. I think I should like to see him find someone of his own. He deserves it.”
Jaclyn nods with another smile, her eyes telling me that she agrees.
“Alex!” Cal’s slightly drunken voice booms from the crowd. I turn to my friend with a grin, watching as he makes his way in our direction with another man at his side.
“I have a bet,” he announces, hand reaching up to his beard to hide a little smirk.
“Is that so?” I cock a brow, smiling when he reaches a hand out to Jaclyn.
“Cal, meet Lady Jaclyn. Jaclyn, Cal.”
Cal gives her a friendly smile and then looks back at me, “my bet…”
“Let’s hear it then,” I laugh, “how much coin are you going to win now?”
Cal swings an arm around the man’s shoulder, “well, I bet Marcus here that you would lose in a tilt.”
“Oh,” I reply mockingly, “so you aim to lose your coin tonight.”
“Hear me out,” my friend beams, dragging the grinning man between Jaclyn and I. She gives me a questioning look that I just have to shrug to, truly not knowing what my big friend is doing.
“Alex,” Cal hands me another full mug of ale so that both of my hands are now full.
“Cal,” I roll my eyes.
“You’ll like this,” he chuckles, “because I bet against you in a tilt against me.”
I laugh out right, thoroughly enjoying how Cal’s eyes sparkle with mischief when he takes my first ale from Jaclyn and hands it back to the Discerni lady.
“Let’s see if what I’ve taught you over the past couple of years has come to bite me in the ass,” he winks.
I roll my eyes again but bring my mug up in a salute to tell him I’m game.
“Do my ears deceive me?” Keane saunters over to our small group, eyes playful and dancing between me and Cal, “Knowledge against Knowledge? This should be interesting.”
I narrow my gaze on the Prince before turning back to my friend. Cal’s eyes are alight and a little tipsy, watching me with a competitive glance.
“Are you sure, Cal?”
“I have to know,” he grins, pulling his arm off the man next to him to take a step closer.
“Your loss, then,” I laugh.
Keane comes to stand between the two of us, his own eyes alight in amusement, “you both know the rules. On the count of three…”
Cal grins just as I nudge my shoulder under Stormfall, warning him that this may get messy.
“One…” Keane takes a step closer as Storm caws, leaving my shoulder for his. I give the two of them another small scowl before turning back to Cal.
“Two…” Keane’s hip brushes against my bare one, his hand reaching out to touch the skin of my thigh in an open and sensual advance.
“Three,” he pushes the slit back ever so slightly, revealing more of my hip.
I gasp at his touch, startling as Cal and I tilt both of our ales back and begin drinking.
The drink falls quickly into my mouth, the liquid running down my throat as Cal’s head and mug tilt upward as well.
I watch as some of the ale sloshes down his beard, the two of us drinking as quickly as possible.
My eyes land on the Prince’s when I feel his fingers reach just under the slit on my leg, his heated touch making me scowl at the pure rush of fire that pulls between my legs.
I shift away from his tantalizing fingers and take one last drink, throwing it to the ground just as Cal does the same.
“A tie!” Keane yells to the now formed crowd around us. I pretend to fiddle with my dress and reach down for his hand to not so gently remove his fingers from my leg. Keane just looks back at me impressed, his brown eyes scorching into mine.
“I’ve taught you well, Alex,” Cal beams.
I give the Prince one last warning look before I turn back to my friend with a grin, “you have.”
Cal’s hands land on my shoulders with a squeeze, his eyes looking at me with affection as he shakes his head in mock apology. “But I cannot end this in a tie.”
“Again!” he yells to the crowd.
“What?” I take a step back, watching as Cal turns to the crowd to rile them up even more.
“Cal!” I laugh, “I cannot. You’ll get me properly drunk.”
“Good,” he turns to me with a wink, “maybe I’ll finally hear your singing voice tonight.”
“Joke’s on you, Cal, because my voice is amazing.”
“So you keep telling me,” he laughs.
Keane lifts a brow at my side as the sound of coin being passed around the barrels calls attention to the room. The group of Warriors circling around us is even larger now, with everyone placing their bets and gaudily chatting about the first tilt.
Cal eyes me with persistence and holds out two new ales in front of him. I take a deep breath and look at the golden liquid within, knowing full well that I’ll need to stick to water for a long while after this next drink.
“Alright, Cal,” my grin is sly as I reach for one of the mugs, “once more.”
Cal gives a hearty laugh as the crowd around us begins to cheer.
“Where is this competition within my own court?” Keane yells out to the crowd, eyes narrowed in mock disappointment, “two Knowledge humans showing more spirit for drink than any of you out there! Such shame.”
The crowd laughs as a voice reaches us from somewhere in the circle, “my coin’s on the big man.”
“No way, that human woman has been swinging back toddies all night. She knows what she’s doing.”
“She bested Lady Alanna the last time she was here.”
“The big man will surely outdrink her.”
“We’ll see if either of them can hold their drink after this one…”
I turn to the man in crowd at that last comment, my brows raising in challenge for openly questioning if we’d be able to hold our drink.
He and the others standing around him all look at me with wide eyes before they begin chuckling, their hands slapping at each other’s backs at my challenging gaze.
“Alexis…”
The Prince’s sensual voice pulls me back to him and Cal, his eyes glittering with mischief as he watches me interact with the men of his court. I do my best to ignore that gaze and reach my mug up to Cal in a final salute.
“On the count of three,” the Prince announces, stepping between us.
Cal gives me a wink over his mug as I roll my eyes again.
“One…” the crowd begins counting with the Prince.
“Two…” Cal I shift on our feet.
“Three!”
The voices around us roar as we both tip back our mugs and begin drinking.
The ale is warmer this time against my throat, the liquid dipping low into my belly with each gulp.
I tip the mug back farther just as I spy Cal doing the same, our drinking matching the other’s in a matching cadence.
There’s no way I am going to let this end in another tie, but the way Cal is drinking so fervently has the two of us tipping the drink back farther and farther with eachother, neither of us giving up.
My eyes dart to Cal, noting that’s he’s still got another large drink to go as I ready myself to throw my mug on the ground. I decide to slow my own drinking in that instant and let Cal finish his ale, his hand dropping to the ground in triumph as mine follows not far behind.
The crowd yells in celebration as ringing cheers fill the room.
“To the big man!”
Hands begin slapping Cal on the back, his grin beaming from head to toe as I shrug in humble defeat. He gives me a look that says maybe next time and then turns to the crowd, accepting their happy chatter as he disappears to enjoy his night.
“You let him win,” Keane lean down next to me, his voice whispering in my ear.
I can’t stop the chill that races down my neck. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Your Highness.”
“Mhmm,” Keane straightens at my side with a smirk, “I’m sure you don’t.”
I shake my head with a hidden smile and look at Storm on his shoulder.
“Come on, Storm. Let’s go get some air.”
Stormfall jumps off Keane’s shoulder to mine.
“Would you like some company, Lady Alexis?”
I pause before I can even get a step away from him, my heart racing in my chest. I ache for his company and to have his hands all over my body, but my mind is thankfully level-headed enough to deny.
I turn away from the Prince without a word, knowing that my lips would betray my mind. His gaze follows my back with every step I take out of the boisterous crowd, his eyes never once leaving until I make it out into the Great Hall.
The smoky haze of court clears as I start walking towards the double doors leading to the entry of the castle.
Storm immediately notices the yard ahead and pushes off to fly into the cool night air, melding into the dark.
I smile at him and stop at the top of the stairs, crossing my arms over my chest to the slight chill as I watch Storm fly into the night sky above.
His long black wings glide past the stables and towards the small woods that rest around the castle, disappearing from sight.
“You seem to be fitting in quite well here, Lady Alexis,” a sly voice greets me from behind.
I grimace at the voice and turn in small greeting. “Lord Tadeo.”
“Warrior Court suits you, Lady,” he continues with a smile. His dark blonde hair is pulled behind his neck in a tie, that overly friendly grin on his face making me cringe.
“Thank you,” I nod and turn back around to find Storm. The Bird of Ash dips through the small woods behind the stables before I lose sight of him again.
Lord Tadeo moves to my side on the castle steps, his shoulder nearly brushing mine.
“Will you be here for another extended stay?” he asks.
I shake my head, “not this time. We head back to Knowledge tomorrow.”
The Discerni shifts on his feet, still grinning. “A pity.”