CHAPTER XVI #12
“Lady Alexis,” King Zander nods, his blue eyes as kind as I remember.
I avoid the other blue gaze and the small smirk from Troy, that violent tug in my heart rearing again and wanting to slap that smile right off his face.
Zander frowns just slightly, his grimace nearly unnoticeable as his gaze darts to Troy down the table and then back to me in an instant.
Fuck. Did he just hear that?
“This court has surely missed your presence,” he continues, “we are happy to have you back.”
“As we are glad to be back, Your Grace,” I give him a proud smile as our full group bows deeply before him. Sera, Alanna and I keep our heads low and angled to the floor in curtsies.
“You enjoyed your travel to the Court of Warriors, then?” Zander asks, taking in the mixture of black and green around me. My eyes dart slightly to the right, catching Keane’s brown gaze for a brief moment before my heart thuds in my chest.
“Immensely, your Grace.”
The King nods with a smile, eyes darting over Sera and Alanna still bowed, “please, ladies, enjoy yourselves tonight. We have a table set and ready for your group.”
The three of us follow the rest of the men who are walking towards an empty table at the front of the court. Cal pulls out a chair next to me, as does Holis, while Alanna sits next to Cal with Barnes next to her. The rest of the Warrior soldiers, Sera and the twins complete the circle.
“Whiskey or ale, Lady?” a serving boy greets us from behind.
“One of each, please,” I reply as Cal chuckles next to me, requesting the same. Alanna follows suit, as does Barnes.
“So it’s going to be one of those nights?” Sera looks over the table in laughter.
Our whole group looks at eachother with wicked grins.
It’s definitely going to be one of those nights.
Mana’s hand reaching under the table catches my eyes.
He squeezes Sera’s thigh and leans behind her chair to whisper something to his brother, the two of their gazes narrowing on the delegation of Leviathans up ahead.
Holis nods at something he says as I pointedly look away from the five Leviathans, my eyes darting across the beautiful room to the other tables as drinks start being handed out.
I vaguely hear Cal ordering another round of small whiskeys for us before smiling at a table that hosts a number of the current Queen’s Ladies in Wait.
One of the girls catches my gaze and waves from afar, her gaze darting over to her father at the table next to her in a huff as she rolls her eyes in annoyance.
I laugh and glance at that table, recognizing the older set of Discerni men with their wives, men that I often found myself smoking with when the end of the night comes.
“Not much has changed,” Cal chuckles next to me.
“No,” I frown in thought. Not much at all.
Everything is exactly as it always is, except tonight I’m doing a double take at all the tables. Most of them are divided between humans and Discerni, separated by race.
Ancients, it’s been right in front of me this whole time.
I scowl at the sight, wishing that I could see the camaraderie of thighs being pressed together under tables and hands being clasped on shoulders. The friendly companionship from those at Warrior is glaringly absent, and I now find the room to be too formal and proper.
I quickly glance towards Keane and catch his brown eyes staring straight at me.
He nods in my direction from afar, silently affirming that he’s been watching me come to the small realization this whole time.
I flush under that intense stare and force myself to look away, smiling at what does feel normal as I take in the mix of Knowledge and Warrior around me.
Cal pushes a whiskey into my hands, his voice carrying over the tables next to us as he gives a toast.
“To whiskey and Warrior friends,” he lifts his drink in the air, “welcome to Knowledge!”
Our group salutes in cheers, pulling even more eyes from the tables around us as people look on in curiosity. We all grin and down our drinks without care, Alanna and the men from Warrior slamming their glasses on the table as they always do when they’re empty.
Our group is certainly the liveliest bunch as we move into the early night.
We keep the drinks flowing and the conversation going, all of us laughing and enjoying the dinner as we continue to garner stares from the tables around us.
I find that I welcome the looks and half whispers as the night goes on, and take pride in our group of humans and Discerni, male and female, Knowledge and Warrior.
Everyone at our table is just appreciating the company of the other, the ten of us just enjoying the moment without any expectations as to what ought to be.
“He skipped?” Sera laughs.
“Skipped,” I nod, my grin wide, “a few long steps. Even added a little twirl at the end before he fell to the ground.”
“I will kill you,” Cal groans into his whiskey.
“At this point you might as well own it and move on,” I shrug, “it’s only funny because I see how uncomfortable the story makes you.”
“Was it like this, then?”
Cal stands up suddenly, his big body towering over the table as he takes a few steps back. He hitches his legs in front of him and sways his arms at his sides, the full of him looking absolutely ridiculous but making our table burst out in laughter.
“Definitely more graceful tonight, I’ll give you that,” I smile as he sits back down.
“You’re sure he fights hand to hand?” Alanna leans towards Holis with a cool grin, “that guy?”
I snort into my ale as Cal sighs heavily.
“Who did I piss off in life to have the two of you ladies so prominent in it?”
I reach up and pat Cal’s shoulder, “better yet, where would we be in life without our big man friend who likes to skip?”
“I think I should like lessons,” Alanna pushes her shoulder into his with a grin.
“Kill you both,” Cal grumbles.
I laugh and look back up to the King’s table, my gaze instantly landing on Keane.
He’s watching me again, brown eyes finding mine with a mischievous glint flashing behind them. He sends me a smirk before bringing his own whiskey up to his lips, the curve of his smile drawing me in as I stare openly at him from my seat.
I sigh and bite the inside of my lip, hating that he’s so close and yet so far. I just want to touch him, to take him back to my room and show him just how much I’ve missed the two of us together.
Keane nods as if reading my sigh, his brown eyes piercing mine from across the room as he leans back in his own chair with a grin.
He looks absolutely regal tonight, the full of his presence and his dark attire giving him the air of a King.
His broad and sculpted chest still peeks out from that cut in his satin shirt, and I can’t stop from biting my lip again when I see the hint of his black chain hanging low around his neck.
He looks too damn good here, sitting in Bardot’s Court as a Warrior and the rightful heir of Disce. I can’t tear my eyes off him.
Keane stares back at me and runs one of his fingers around the rim of his whiskey glass.
The movement is slow and deliberate, teasing me from afar as I envision that finger on my back as he does in Gaumond.
I shift in my seat and watch him chuckle in response, the Prince knowing exactly what kind of effect that single movement has on me right now.
Damn him.
I tear my gaze away from his glass and hold his brown eyes in challenge, a smirk of my own playing at the corners of my lips. Keane’s eyes widen just slightly when I bring a hand daintily up to my chest, my own fingers grazing softly over the curve of my breasts as if I’m adjusting my dress.
Trouble, he mouths.
I give him the smallest of nods and watch him cover his next smirk with his drink.
I dip my fingers lower and grin when his eyes follow their trail down the middle of my dress.
Keane grips his whiskey tight when my hand disappears beneath the table, the intensity behind his gaze making me shiver and press my thighs together.
I can feel his desire from across the room, can see the narrow look in his eyes that tells me he wants to take me away.
Every angle of his body is pointed directly towards mine, and I have no doubt that if anyone followed where his eyes are now resting, they’ll see me angled just the same at him.
I take a steady breath and avert my eyes with difficulty.
If only…
If only the situation of him was different and I could have him next to me, his hand and arm snaked around the back of my chair as his fingers played against my skin. If only we were in Gaumond where he felt comfortable enough to touch me, regardless of whatever our relationship may be.
To be fair to Keane though, he did have Desmond warn me. We were no longer traveling and no longer in his Court, and he had to play Prince Heir tonight.
But damn, if only.
If only he was looking at me like that from across the Warrior room in Gaumond. I would not let anything stop me from standing up and walking straight to him, nor would I hesitate to sit myself perfectly in his lap and let his hands rake across my body in front of the full of his court.
I smirk at the thought and slowly glance over to Keane again.
The Prince still has his brown eyes fixated on me, his own grin no longer hiding behind his drink as he gives me a small nod, almost as if knowing where my thoughts have led me.
I shake my head with a smile and bask under his gaze, my cheeks remaining unashamedly flushed throughout dinner as his eyes rake over my body.
“Ooo!” the crowd standing on the veranda cheers.
“Amazing,” someone says with awe.
“Truly beautiful,” a woman claps.