With Enough Time #2
I’d missed him too. Before everything. And even now, something within me craved to be nearer to him.
I wrestled the thought away. He was forcing me into a life I wasn’t choosing for myself, and he was dragging my family into this mess. It was unforgivable.
Right?
Even if it was for the greater good, for preventing war, for ushering in a new era, this was still wrong.
But his hands, they moved across me with just the right pressure, they cupped me in all the right places. As if I were the ocean and he could command the tides. The dance we performed felt so effortless.
Rhazien must have noticed it too because he didn’t portray a distant, level-headed ruler. No. He resembled a hungry predator. The greens of his eyes looked like a forest at dusk. Full of beasts and secrets.
I looked at him through heavy, daring lashes as he spun me once and then dropped me into a dramatic dip. I let my neck fall completely backwards. Gasps and murmurs from the crowd spun together, weaving webs of delighted gossip amongst the crowd.
When he pulled me back into his arms, he lifted me so my face was even with his.
“You—are—” he whispered against my lips.
“What? Majesty…what am I?” I breathed. A pulsing warmth wanted to order the guests away.
Damn these gems. Damn this distance. I wanted him. And…it didn’t make any sense.
Rhazien’s body stiffened against mine. The evidence of his want pressed between our melded bodies.
My arm swept wide, part of my performance, and the audience was in the palm of my hand.
I was to perform, not just for my own safety, but for that of my family as well.
The objective of the evening was to parade me in front of his citizens and all the other nobles and notables from the other courts.
I was his jewel. His prize. His future.
Unbitten.
But not untasted.
Rhazien drew me back into him. One hand found its way beneath my knee, lifting my leg to curl around his. Our foreheads pressed together and his exposed fangs reflected the light from the enormous chandelier dangling above us.
“You’re torturing me.”
A satisfied sound rolled behind my painted lips before they parted, giving him a mischievous smile.
The music beckoned for us to separate in time with the next crescendo. My body whirled away but our hands were joined, his arm like a tether. At that moment, when I was most extended, most parted from Rhazien’s frame, I looked to the crowd. There, in the back of the room, I saw him.
Heated, darkened eyes. Tense jaw. Tormented amongst the shadows. Dommik watched as I danced with his regent. And my heart completely stopped.
I wanted to go to him. Speak to him. To tell him this was an act. Something I was doing to save his life.
But a revolting jolt echoed through my bones in response to the thought. Acid swirled in my gut and I realized I’d felt this way before. The heightened want for Rhazien. The repulsion from Dommik. It wasn’t my own.
The realization was an unrelenting landslide.
As we finished the dance, applause spread throughout the room. Rhazien stepped back, bowing to me before applauding as well.
I clasped my hands and feigned appreciation for the swell of cheers. Nods of approval bobbed throughout the crowd. When I looked to the alcove where I’d seen Dommik, it was empty.
Rhazien captured my hand again, startling me slightly. I peeled my eyes away from where I’d last seen Dommik.
Rhazien walked me in a large circle like he was showing a prized mare before escorting me to the two ornamental thrones that had been custom constructed for the Solstice events.
The wood was so dark it looked like ebony with matching black velvet tufts and cushions.
Gems inlaid into the wood made them glisten beneath the warm candlelight.
“Your dancing was absolutely devastating, my love,” Rhazien growled into my hair.
“Devastating?” I gave a regal nod to a guest with a familiar face as we ascended the stairs to the thrones. “You make me sound like a destructive storm.”
We stood atop the dais and he took my hands in his.
“Perhaps it’s the most fitting word,” he stated before leaning down. “The Four know you’ve completely ruined me.”
His words were flattering, but he’d said pretty words before. He’d shown me off. Spoiled me with gifts. This felt repetitive. Like I’ve already lived this life with him. And I would keep living it, again and again, if it meant it would save lives.
The impending monotony of it was a serpent determined to suffocate me.
I can do this. I was determined to focus on the positive rather than the constant creeping sense of doubt and fear.
We took our seats and soft melodies swept away the ceremonial silence.
A hum of conversation spread across the ballroom.
Guests were permitted to promenade past the dais but were not allowed to linger.
It was part of the security protocol. With the ceremony mere days away—and the recent abduction attempt—Rhazien demanded additional precautions be made.
During a gap in salutations, I took the opportunity to ask, “When were you going to tell me that you spiked my wine with your blood?”
Rhazien—who had been mid sip—slowly lowered his own goblet. “You are especially perceptive. An excellent trait for a future queen.”
He winked. I stared.
“When?” My tone was as cold as the icy caps of the Irriset.
“Preferably never. I’d hoped it would have been diluted enough that you would have just had an evening where you naturally looked at me like you…like you used to.”
I enclosed his free hand in mine. “If you want me to respect and trust and…love you…you have to stop manipulating me.”
Rhazien stiffened at the word love. His goblet landed with a clank and he fully turned to me from his twin throne.
“You think that’s possible?”
The blood hummed beneath my skin and encouraged my thumbs to stroke his. “I think—with enough time—anything is possible.”
Hope flickered across his widened stare. It emboldened me to ask, “When can I speak to my family?”
He tapped the top of my hand. “Tomorrow. They’ve already left with their guards for the evening.”
Disappointment tasted bitter on my tongue. Meanwhile, Rhazien’s blood worked to convince me that this was a good thing. They were being watched over and out of danger. For now.
Many songs later, a hush spread like a strong wind and the crowds parted. Towering above the many guests was the unmistakable frame of the regent of the Northern Hive.
Eryx had arrived.
Early.