CHAPTER XV #9
Certainly not for me.
“Your bird,” he looks out past the stables, “was he with you on your first visit here?”
A cool breeze of air rushes past us, my arms tightening across my body as I shiver.
“He was not.”
Lord Tadeo takes a step closer to me, his shoulder brushing against mine in a gesture to fight the cold. I still at his closeness, still not appreciating how easy he is with his movements, and ignore the friendly smile he sends my way that holds too much smugness behind it.
“A new friend then,” he nods, eyes darting to the steps below us and to the open doors at our back, “and your Golem? Does he still travel with you?”
I turn to Tadeo with a questioning frown.
Why is he interested?
“I suspect he is somewhere in the room with the rest of the court.”
Tadeo nods again, that smile never leaving his face. I shiver once more, not at the cold this time but at his eerie presence.
“We should get you inside, Lady,” he puts his hand on the small of my back and leans in, “it’s too cold for you to be out here, especially with what you’re wearing.”
I take a small step to the side when his eyes move down my body. My mind screams at me in warning, hating the way Tadeo ignores my discomfort and keeps his hand on my back, fingers trailing along my skin in faux warmth.
“I’m good outside,” I drop my hands from my chest and turn away from his touch with narrowed eyes.
“Hmm,” Tadeo smiles, “it is a beautiful night. But you do not need to stand out here in the cold waiting for your bird.”
The Lord reaches for my hand, giving it a small tug as if wanting to lead me personally back into the castle.
I frown at his hard grip and take a tentative step behind him, not wanting to be dragged in his hold as he walks us to the side of one of the large doors.
The little corner area is still out in the open but covered in shadows, the small niche hidden perfectly but resting to the side of the entry as the warmth from the castle flows out to greet us.
“Is this better?” he saunters close to my back, his voice low and sending a chill down my spine, “if not, I can always provide some warmth while you wait.”
I grimace and pull my hand out of his, needing to put a stop to this, quickly.
“I apologize if I’ve given you some sort of impression, Lord Tadeo, but whatever you think this is, it’s not.”
Tadeo smiles, his brown eyes still shining with faux friendliness as he takes a small step into my front. “You are a beautiful lady who gives the impression of being cold. I only wish to warm you up…”
He lifts his hands up to my arms and moves them down in a way I’m sure he thinks is comforting. I narrow my eyes on his and bring both of my own hands up to his chest, pushing him back a step and shaking my head.
“I do not need that, Lord, but I appreciate the thought.”
Tadeo scowls at my small rebuff, and fuck me, I have to navigate this carefully. The Discerni is a Lord of this Court, not to mention ten times stronger and faster than I am.
“You’re not cold?” he chuckles, that scowl quickly disappearing again behind another smile.
“You look cold,” he continues, bringing both hands back to my arms, “I have a fireplace in my residence. We can head back and sit next to the warmth.”
I’m sure you have more than just sitting on your mind.
My body tenses at the thought, my mind screaming and reminding me of all the things this man can do to me if he gets me truly alone.
“That is not necessary,” I give him a brief smile, head darting over my shoulder to look for Storm. The Bird of Ash is still nowhere to be found, so I silently begin to weigh all of my options.
Tadeo keeps his grip on my arms, gently caressing my skin in a way that makes me want to hurl.
I hide my glare at his obvious smugness and the audacity of him to continue touching me even after I’ve declined him multiple times, and slowly take a step into him, wanting to wipe that grin straight off his face.
The Lord smirks when my chest brushes against his, not noticing the boot I now have firmly planted next to his.
He leans into me and drops his hands to my hips, gripping them tight as his lips angle for my neck.
I quickly hook my boot around his ankle before his lips even come close, pulling it out from underneath him as my hands push hard against his chest. Tadeo stumbles back, caught by surprise, and snarls when I quickly dip down for the dagger strapped to my thigh.
“Fucking tease.”
All friendliness disappears from his features. The Lord quickly grabs my hand before I can get a grip on the handle and squeezes hard. I yell out in pain and feel him back both of us into the wall.
“You are far too improper with your advances, Lord Tadeo,” I breathe out heavily.
“Oh?” he brings an elbow up to my chest, pinning my upper body between him and the black granite, “the women here usually love my advances, just as you will learn to, Lady.”
Everything about me is fuming, my eyes narrowed in a glare as his right hand reaches down to my waist and hip.
He flattens his palm against my upper thigh and reaches for the slit, quickly pushing it to the side as I shove against his heavy arm.
The Lord only chuckles and presses into me harder, maneuvering his full weight against my body as his hand continues to press beneath my skirt.
“Get off me, Lord Tadeo,” I seethe.
I furiously jerk a knee upwards, but the Discerni anticipates the move and angles the side of his thigh to take the blow. He chuckles again, eyes lighting as if he enjoys the struggle, and angles his lips for my neck once more as his fingers graze too close to the inside of my thigh.
My mind rears in panic, taking stock of his heavy build and the way his arm and elbow are still pushing against my chest. I can feel the heat of his mouth next to my neck, feel his fingers inching closer to my center as my body recoils.
I grip both hands to his arm and pierce him with my nails, my knee coming back up only to be stopped again.
“You won’t be fighting me once I to touch you, Lady,” he smirks to himself, “I promise to make it feel good.”
My panic turns into frustration, wishing I had the strength of a Discerni to fight back.
And when his fingers nearly brush against my clit, the touch sends me into such a wild frenzy that I set myself up for a maneuver that’s going to land me in lot of trouble.
There’s no delicate way to do this, but I don’t give a damn any more about harming a Lord of Keane’s court, so I thrust my head forward so violently that my forehead cracks against the side of his nose and breaks it with a loud crunch.
“You bitch!” he cries.
His arm on my chest leaves as he instinctively reaches for his nose. I swiftly bend down and yank my dagger from my thigh without hesitation, pressing the bladed side straight against his neck.
“I’ll do it,” I whisper to him anger, shoving the blade harder and drawing a sliver of blood, “I’ll break the damn Ancients rule for you.”
Tadeo looks down at me with wide eyes, his own hatred emitting from his body as he considers my words.
“Try to touch me again and I’ll show you just how good I’ll make this feel for you.”
“Alexis!”
I turn my head to the sound of my name, watching as Barnett stops in front of the double doors in shock.
His gorgeous hazel eyes take in the two of us in surprise, his gaze quickly moving between me and Tadeo and the dagger I have drawn against his neck.
That shock is quick to disappear as he reaches for the sword at his hip, his eyes trailing on the trickle of blood that is falling down the Lord’s neck just as Tadeo chuckles.
“You’re in for it now, you dumb bitch,” Tadeo sneers, “no human attacks a Lord of the Court and gets away with it. Perhaps you’ll accept my warmth when you’re crying tonight in a cold, dank cell.”
I turn back to the Lord and slick his neck, reveling in the tiny whimper he lets out as Barnett starts walking towards us.
“Take her below, boy,” the Lord snarls, one hand still holding his bloodied nose, “you will be my witness to this foul use of agate.”
“I think not,” Barnett replies with a hardness in his voice.
I don’t dare take my eyes off Tadeo, but my heart does skip in my chest when I see Barnett point his sword at the Lord. “You will both be brought before the Prince, Lord Tadeo.”
The Prince?
My mind reels.
No. Absolutely not.
“No, Barnett,” I shake my head and smile coolly at the Lord, “I think the Lord here understands my point, doesn’t he?”
I press the blade harder into his skin, drawing another dash of blood.
Lord Tadeo watches me with all the hatred he can muster. I smile back at him and his heavily bleeding nose, smirking when he pinches the top of it in attempt to stop the outflow.
“It is our way, Lady Alexis,” Barnett steps closer, “he must be brought before the Prince.”
The solider levels the tip of his sword under my blade, pushing it away with a new gentleness behind his voice. “Drop your dagger, Alexis.”
I finally take my eyes off Tadeo and step back, turning to look at Barnett. He has his own gaze firmly planted on the Lord with his sword still raised high, his hazel eyes never leaving Tadeo’s as he nods to me from the side.
“The dagger, Alexis.”
“What’s going on out here, Barnett?” a man asks from the entry.
I look behind Barnett’s shoulder to the small crowd that is now gathered in front of the doors. The man who just walked outside is another soldier, his body tensing as he grips the sword at his side.
Lord Tadeo steps away from both our blades, also noticing the small audience in front of the castle. I lower my dagger slowly when the second soldier walks over to the Lord quietly, both his face and Barnett’s cold and impassive.
“With you, Lord,” Barnett glares at Tadeo, urging him to walk.