Chapter 35
TAUREN
My pretty wife has been avoiding me. After the feast, she insisted on being shown to her new dance room and since then she’s kept the door firmly closed, leaving only to call for her two sisters so they can hide in there with her.
It’s past moonfall when she finally comes to bed, falling asleep the second her head hits the pillow. I make a promise to myself that she’ll be mine when she awakens.
So when I wake up alone the following moonrise, I shove open the door to her dance room to find her mid-stretch at the barre with her sisters. They’re all dressed in the tutus and pointe shoes I bought for Dahlia, in various shades of pink and red, while a musician plays soft music at the piano.
“I’m practising, dear husband,” she says without looking at me.
“I can see that,” I grumble. “Once you are finished we’re going to spend the night together. I’ve arranged for a carriage to take us to the night market again—”
“Much too busy, I’m afraid.” She arches her back, stretching her arm over her head. “Another time, perhaps.”
I scowl at her. My cock throbs every time I think of how I had her pinned against the table at the feast, and her bratty attitude now isn’t helping. Neither is that slip of a dance gown barely covering her tits.
But I won’t take her in front of her sisters. I’m not that cruel. Then again… “If you intend to practise all night, I will have the servants set up a stage for you three at the party tomorrow. You can show my court what you’re working on.”
Eden shoots Dahlia a look. “A stage?” she whispers. “Dahlia, we can’t go up on a stage. Tell him we can’t dance for strangers. That was one of Father’s rules—”
“Do what you must,” Dahlia calls out to me. Bending her knees, she keeps her gaze forward as she lowers herself. “I want costumes, though. White swan tutus. We’ll do the Dance of the Swans Pas de Trois from Swan Lake.”
“Dahlia, that’s a difficult dance,” Blossom argues. “And we are not performing—”
“Done.” I adjust my cuffs. “If you change your mind, our carriage awaits us.” I smirk at her sisters’ furious expressions. “I’ll give you one hour to decide.” They don’t wait for me to leave before launching arguments at Dahlia.
As I close the door, I hold back a chuckle. I give you twenty minutes, little monster. She may feel perfectly happy about pissing me off, but she won’t bring her sisters into this. She’ll be in my carriage ready for me to claim her pain-loving cunt by midmoon.
Midmoon comes and goes while her dance room door stays shut, Swan Lake music streaming from the piano. It’s once again past sunrise when she finally slips into my bed. Sleep claims her within seconds, her hands clasped around her swollen feet.
With the tightness in my groin, it’s difficult, but somehow I find it in me to let her rest. She’ll need it for the party tomorrow anyway.
This time apart has made me rethink my strategy.
If showering her with gifts and treating her like a queen is not good enough for my darling wife, then I shall have to give in to her darker fantasies.
And spending hours alone has given me more than enough time to get creative.
“Is the stage prepared?” I ask Kennix. The party started ten minutes ago, the guests already filling the garden space I had decorated for tonight.
Kennix nods. “Your wife and her sisters are changing into their costumes. We’ve prepared a small orchestra. The performance will begin once the guests are all here.”
“Good.” My gaze falls over the crowd. They’re mostly demons from my court and a few faeries from manor houses beyond the forest.
Girabalt laughs with Claren by a buffet table, having delivered my wife’s costumes this morning. Lanterns light up their regal clothes along with the chocolate-themed feast I had prepared.
Everyone is here to celebrate my wife’s safe return from Elheart’s palace. Even Tamryn paints away at an easel that I set up for her near the back of the garden, in case the party is too much for her.
“Sire…” Kennix’s voice lowers. “Regarding your sister—”
“I do not wish to discuss Maeve right now,” I brush him off. “We’re still waiting for more information from Tamryn.”
According to Claren, every time he asks her where her mother is, she runs away to paint in her bedchamber. We can only hope that Maeve is in hiding somewhere, waiting for the right time to return.
“Tamryn will let us know how to proceed once she is ready,” I explain. “Perhaps she doesn’t trust us enough yet to let us know where her mother has gone.”
Kennix frowns. “There are still rumours circulating that you are prioritising Dahlia over your sister. Throwing a party as extravagant as this while Maeve is still missing will only worsen what people are thinking.”
I huff out a laugh. “Can a man not love his wife whilst also loving his sister?” I glance at him, but he’s not matching my grin. My smile falls. “Dahlia brought home Tamryn, Kennix. Is that not enough for you?”
“I worry it is not enough for your court,” he snarls.
I shake my head. My court seem perfectly happy enjoying the party. Yes, Maeve was loved, still is, but it’s been years since she decided to leave. And in the months after she left, my spies all reported that she was content with Elheart.
While that may have changed now, my sister is not a lost child. She is strong. In many ways, stronger than me.
“Maeve will come home when she is ready,” I tell him.
“In the meantime, our soldiers will not return to scout the wall. There is no point anyway. If Maeve has left the palace, then Elheart’s clearly patched up whatever hole she created by now.
Tamryn was able to pass through the front gate due to her human heritage. There is no easy way in for us.”
Kennix scowls. Dark circles hang under his eyes, and his stubble is messier than normal. “As you wish, sire.”
“Kennix—” I start, but he’s gone before I can stop him. He pushes through the crowd, heading back towards the castle. For a moment, I consider following him, until the sound of trumpets and drums pulls my attention to the stage.
My wife stands with her head tilted, her hands crossed over her tutu and her front foot pointed in the centre of the stage. Her sisters mirror her, one girl on either side, each dressed in fluffy white tutus.
As the music builds, her arms lift. My lips part. She leaps. Then I can’t look away.
The three of them dance together, but she’s the only one I see. She’s like an angel. More than an angel. Ethereal. Her body moves in ways I didn’t think possible, and I’m suddenly very aware of the crowd watching her, too.
Feasting their eyes on my wife’s swaying thighs…
Her arching back.
Her flushed cheeks.
Her soft rosebud lips—
“Who’s the dark-haired beauty?”
She’s fucking mine. I whip around, my hands balled into fists, only to freeze. Surprise clogs my throat.
“Easy there, cousin.” A demon I absolutely did not invite holds up his palms, grinning.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Navir?” I shove him back a few steps. “Get out of my gardens before I separate your head from its body.”
The tall demon laughs, thrusting his hands into his pockets. “I heard darling Maeve had a child and that said child is now living here with you.” His raven hair and ram-like horns glint in the starlight. “Am I not allowed to visit my precious cousin’s daughter?”
“You are not welcome here,” I snarl. “You or your cronies.”
He smirks. “My court isn’t here tonight. So you can relax, dear cousin. I’m all yours.”
“Your court?” I scoff. His brutish friends could never come close to the term, but I’m not in the mood to argue or spend any longer chatting to the son of my late father’s greatest enemy. “Leave, Navir. I won’t ask again.”
His smirk falls. But then his gaze searches over my shoulder, darkening. “Tell me who the dark-haired angel is first, then I’ll go.”
“That. Is. My. Wife.” It takes everything in me not to break his perfect nose.
Navir laughs. “Not her. The other one, the pretty girl on the left.” His tone is casual, but there’s a hunger in his words. A hunger I know all too well.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warn. I’m not about to offer Princess Blossom to an exiled demon. Especially not one who’s looking at her like she’s a freshly cooked steak and he hasn’t eaten in weeks. “She’s no one.”
“Hmm.” He doesn’t take his eyes off her. “Suppose I’ll visit the buffet then. All the best, cousin!”
The crowds part as he walks away, my guests too busy enjoying the party to recognise him. I’d call the guards to escort him out, but I don’t want to create a scene. As long as he behaves, he can enjoy the buffet, assuming that’s the only thing he enjoys at this party.
Besides, I have a more tempting problem to deal with. Like my dark-haired wife as she curtsies to the crowd.
I can’t help it, I charge towards her. But when I make it through the crowd to the backstage area, I find Blossom and Eden talking giddily to each other while their sister is nowhere to be seen.
“Where is my wife?” I demand.
They glance up at me, then look around, confused, until Eden gasps.
I follow her gaze. It’s then that I see her. She’s marching through the party, her jaw tight, heading straight towards my wicked cousin.
Fuck. “Dahlia!” I sprint after her.
She ignores me. I’m breaths away from grabbing her wrists when she reaches him, her voice furious. “If you don’t stop staring at my sister, I will break your face, demon.”
I almost choke.
Navir chuckles. “Oh my... I think someone needs more wine,” he purrs, drawing closer to her.
I see red. Planting myself between the pair, I shove him against the buffet table. “Get out.”
He shakes his head, smirking. “Come on, Tauren, I only wished to visit—”
“I said, get out.” My tone must be threatening enough because his smile drops.
“Of course, Your Lordship.” He bows mockingly. “Thank you for giving me everything I needed, my darling.” He winks at Dahlia.
I don’t get a chance to figure out what the hell he’s talking about before he disappears into shadow form and phases through the shrubbery.
“I don’t like him.” Dahlia pulls my attention away.
“Me neither, sweetheart.” I wrap my arm around her. It’s then I notice the glossy look in her eyes and the blush on her cheeks.
I draw closer, studying her. She tries to pull away, only to trip over her feet. “Stupid bumpy grass.” As she speaks, I can smell the wine on her breath.
“Are you drunk?” I tilt her chin up.
“I only had a few glasses in the castle earlier. Liquid courage.” She tries to brush my hand away, but misses. Hell only knows how she was able to dance so well.
“Who was that man?” she grumbles. “Blossom didn’t notice, but he was watching her like he wanted to eat her. It was disgusting.”
I scoop her up, carrying her over to an iron bench so she can sit before she falls. “That was my cousin, Navir, but he goes by Aries now. He’s trouble. Been exiled since my Father’s reign and runs some kind of gang in the forest.”
“Why was he here?” she slurs as I place her onto the bench.
I sit beside her. “He wanted to meet Tamryn, apparently.” I don’t know if it’s true. It’s been years since I’ve seen him, but he and Maeve were close once.
“My sisters and I will need to borrow a carriage once we leave tonight.” Dahlia fidgets with the laces of her bodice. “Can you spare one? I’ll ride Angel alongside it.”
“Your sisters can have a carriage.” I toss her a knowing smile. “Angel will be staying here with you.”
Her brow lowers. “Our deal was that if you didn’t manage to make me say I needed you, then I would get to leave—”
“At the end of the party,” I finish for her. “I’m well aware, little monster. However, you seem to have not noticed the party has only just begun, and you have now finished your dance.”
Her lips part. “Actually, I-I think I should spend some time with Tamryn.”
“By all means.” I gesture towards my niece, who’s still busy painting at her easel. “I’ll be right behind you. And once you’re ready, it’ll be time for your punishment.”
“Punishment?” she blurts. “What did I do—”
“You ran away from me after our wedding, remember?” I grasp her thigh, sliding her along the bench towards me. “I haven’t forgotten. I’ve just been waiting for the right time to discipline you. And since you’re so insistent on leaving me soon, it has to be tonight.”
“Tauren,” she pleads. Arousal shoots below my belt.
“I love it when you beg.” I nuzzle into her neck. “Save it for later though, hmm? Unless you’d like me to bend you over this bench? Or perhaps I could strip you and offer you up naked on one of the buffet tables?” I’d never do it, but the fear in her gaze is too damned delicious to resist.
Breathless, she hops off the seat, wobbling a little from the wine. “I’m going to see Tamryn.” She smooths her tutu. “And say goodbye.”
“As you wish, my love.” I swipe up her hand, pressing a kiss against her wrist. “But, Dahlia?”
She shudders. “Yes?”
“No more wine.”
She slides her wrist out of my grasp, nodding before hurrying off to see my niece.
I scrub my hand over my jaw, hiding my grin. Princess Dahlia can avoid me. She can spend this whole party drifting from guest to guest, but that won’t change the equipment that’s waiting for her in my dungeon, for the moment I decide enough is enough.
If my wife doesn’t respond to pleasure, I will give her the punishment she so seems to crave.
And then she’ll be mine forever.