Chapter 34 #2
He stared at me unblinkingly as he made his way through his subjects, who were all trying to grab and congratulate him.
His scent of musk and vanilla reached me before he did.
Within moments, he was right in front of me, and the heat of his body rolled off him in waves.
Unable to handle the closeness, I took a step back and bumped into Thea.
“You. Come with me. We need to talk,” Sterling commanded as he forcefully grabbed my arm, pulling me away from Thea.
“Sterling. Stop!” I protested, trying to pull free from his grasp.
He whipped his head around, yanking harder on my arm. “Now.” His tone left no room for negotiation.
Thea stepped toward me, reaching for my other arm. “She said stop, Prince Sterling.” All pleasantness evaporated from her tone.
I waved her off. “It’s all right, Thea.” I hoped the words sounded more believable to Thea than they did to me. I was unsure of what was about to happen, but I had conceded the fact that it was probably best to quit resisting and get it over with.
“If she is not back here by the end of the next song, I will come looking for her,” Thea threatened, not so subtly.
Sterling huffed and shook his head at Thea as he continued to pull me away from the only trusted friend I had in this realm.
Whispers and stares followed us as Sterling forcefully escorted me out of the ballroom.
Once we were away from prying eyes, his grasp on my arm loosened.
He looked down at me, his cold blue eyes assessing every inch of my swollen, beaten face.
His jaw tightened as he took in the rest of my bruised figure.
My shoulders rolled forward, protecting me from his menacing stare. “What do we need to talk about?” I muttered weakly.
“Not here,” he replied as he looked around.
Satisfied with what he had or hadn’t seen, he pushed on the wall beside us. A portion of the wall popped out, and Sterling grabbed it, opening what now looked like a door, to a small space within the wall. He gently grabbed my hand and guided me inside with him, pulling the door closed behind us.
I could feel Sterling’s heat behind me as I took in the deceptively spacious powder room we now stood in.
I took two careful steps toward the end of the counter and turned around to face him.
His face was a storm of rage and sadness.
His eyes narrowed and his fists were clenched at his sides.
His breaths became increasingly quick as he stood staring at me.
My chest tightened, and I started to feel I had made a mistake coming here.
Unsettled, I clasped my hands together in front of me and directed my gaze anywhere but at the brooding fae man in front of me.
“Who did this to you?” The words came out of him like a snarling threat rather than a question.
“It was the captain of your royal guardians,” I replied flatly, finally looking up at Sterling.
“Why? And where the fuck was your guardian?” His face was a promise of unyielding violence.
“Everett had the day off. It had nothing to do with him. Thea and I went to the human quarter to work on my healing arcana. Captain Evergreen was there, and he was roughing up an innocent family. I asked him to stop, and this was his response.” I gestured vaguely to my bruised and swollen face and body.
“How do you know they were innocent?” Sterling spat back.
“Seriously? How do I know that people who are incapable of possessing any arcana at all are not involved in some underground dark arcana plot with the Obsidian Court? Call it common sense,” I hissed, wincing in pain as my split lip worsened.
Sterling’s eyes softened as he reached his hand out toward me and then quickly pulled it back. The gesture appeared to create conflict within him. Seconds later he shook his head and redirected his ire toward Thea. “And where was your companion, Lady Thea, while all of this was happening?”
Annoyed with his frustration at Thea, I stepped toward him, nearly closing the distance between us. “She was busy making sure the rest of the guardians didn’t jump in and assist with the assault.”
Sterling took a small step forward, glaring down his chest at me. “The least you could have done was clean yourself up and not show up to a royal function looking like a beggar.”
I craned my neck upward, doing my best to appear menacing.
“You and your folk need to see this. And if that makes you all uncomfortable, then maybe you should all look at yourselves in the mirror and figure out why that is. You’re all so quick to say that you saved those people from a life of servitude and enslavement, but did you really?
As far as I can tell, those people are no better off in your court than they would have been in the Obsidian Court.
” I jammed my finger into his chest. “You and your family are not better than the Obsidian Court. You’re worse!
You’re oppression masquerading as righteousness! ”
Sterling’s jaw tightened as he stared down at me. “Your mouth is what gets you into trouble, Aurelia. It has nothing to do with who or what you are. It has everything to do with you never knowing when to leave well enough alone and shut the fuck up.”
Without warning, Sterling’s hands were on my hips as he forcefully pulled me close, his lips crashing into mine.
Pain and confusion exploded in me as I tried to push away from him.
His arms wrapped around me, unwilling to allow any space between us.
The heat from his imposing frame surrounded me, and my brain was shouting at me to fight back.
This was the fae man who had abandoned me when I’d needed him the most, who, despite promising to love me always, mocked and ridiculed me, made me feel small and worthless, like many others before him who had all promised the same.
While all of that was true, my cowardly heart ached and longed for what we had once shared. The quiet moments, the jokes and laughs, the thoughtful conversations, the tender kisses, the wild and exciting nights in bed.
His intoxicating scent was beginning to wreak havoc on my loosening resolve and sensibility.
My body leaned into the kiss, responding to Sterling’s firm grip on my backside.
The sheerness of my dress did absolutely nothing to withstand the brain-altering friction his hardened length created between us.
Conceding that it was losing the fight, my brain stopped resisting and let my carnal instincts have what they so desperately craved.
This didn’t need to be more than what it was, which at present was two adults falling victim to their baser urges.
I reached my hand up and grabbed a fistful of Sterling’s hair as I returned his forceful kiss in kind. I pressed my hips into him, eliciting a muffled moan from him.
Sterling picked me up and placed me on the countertop.
Taking a moment to come up for air, he smiled at me deliriously.
His lips were smeared in blood-red lipstick.
He softly kissed the hand-shaped bruises on my neck, while his hands gripped my thighs.
“The captain will be punished for every bruise on your body,” Sterling muttered as he placed another gentle kiss on the other side of my neck.
His hands roamed up my body, and I winced in pain as he held on to my waist. He pulled back and looked at me, concerned.
“If you’re going to keep stopping every time you touch something that hurts, you might as well let me go now,” I responded breathlessly.
Sterling’s eyebrow arched, and the look of violence returned. “He will die for this.” The words were spoken like a promise.
His lips were on mine again, his tongue exploring the inside of my mouth.
I pulled myself closer to Sterling on the counter, my brilliant dress of rebellion preventing me from wrapping my legs around him.
I grunted in frustration, wishing I had taken Thea’s advice and worn the silver one with slits instead.
Picking up on my annoyance, Sterling reached down and pulled the dress up until it was just at my hips.
In thanks, I wrapped my legs around him.
My breath hitched as his stiffness rubbed against me.
“I’ve missed you. I’ve missed this,” he moaned as he pressed in closer, thrusting his hips into mine.
I shook my head at the admission, refusing to acknowledge this unexpected change in vulnerability. “No. Please don’t,” I answered softly. The words left my mouth before I had a chance to stop them spilling out. “I can’t do this with you right now.”
He reached his hand up and cupped the side of my face. “Can’t do what?” he asked softly as he gently rolled his hips into mine.
I leaned into his touch and smiled sadly at him.
“I can’t do this thing where we reminisce about what we were,” I replied as a small moan slipped out of me.
“You promised me that we would face this realm together.” My breath caught as he placed several lazy kisses on my neck.
“But you left me. To face this realm. Alone.”
I pushed Sterling away from my neck, holding his face in my hands.
I took in his striking cheekbones, his strong jawline, and stunning eyes.
I pressed my swollen lips gently to his.
“You promised to be mine. For as long as I’d have you.
” I pulled away, taking in the pained expression on his face. “But I never said you could go.”
He wrapped his hands around my thighs, delicately caressing them. “I thought it would be easier. If you hated me.” His hands wandered up to the spot between my hips and thighs. His thumbs slowly grazed over the sensitive crease. “But all it did was hurt you. And destroy me from the inside out.”
I placed a single finger on his lips. “Shh. Not now,” I begged.
Sterling nodded morosely in response before returning his attention to his hands and the chaos they were creating between my thighs.