Chapter 31 #3
Oran lingered by one of the decorated pillars, fingers curling around a purple streamer with pale pink flowers sewn into it.
He hadn’t noticed her arrival yet, for his eyes were fixed upon a certain princess that finally looked as if she were enjoying herself.
Fiernan had hardly spoken a word to anyone in the royal family, from what Nymiria overheard, and she always looked frightened or angry at revelries.
The prince smiled as he watched his betrothed dance, her brown skin shimmering under the lanterns as she twirled.
Nymiria drew in a deep breath before stepping out of the darkness and into the light. Oran looked at her then, his smile transforming from one of secret admiration to friendly surprise.
“You look—"
Nymiria lifted her hand to stop him, shooting him a pointed look as she stepped into place at his side. “Don’t say a word. If you flatter me, it will go straight to my head and the last thing we need is for someone like me to be too confident.”
Oran chuckled, shaking his head at her remark before he turned his gaze back to Fiernan.
With a knowing smile, Nymiria watched him look at her.
His eyes were all too telling and if the Shidoshan princess had simply looked his way at that moment, she would have seen just how enamored Oran was with her.
“Why not ask her to dance?” Nymiria whispered.
The prince’s brow furrowed, jaw going tight as his eyes dropped to his hands. He was still nervously fumbling with that damned streamer. “She’s in love with someone else, Nym. She has a prince already, she doesn’t need another one.”
“And?”
“And what?” He exclaimed. “I don’t want to be the man that my wife settles for out of obligation or duty. Despite what others may believe, I do think that real love exists and I think marriages should be between people who genuinely want to be with one another.”
“It’s just a dance, Oran.” She arched her brow in his direction, watching as his mouth floundered up and down. “Go. Ask her to dance.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue his point further, but when she shoved at his shoulders, Oran merely shot her a look of disdain before awkwardly pressing through the crowd.
The music picked up into an exciting tempo by the time he stopped in front of the princess.
She looked up at him with a fearful look in her eyes.
Oran extended his hand towards her and that look of horror shifted to a shyness that had Fiernan’s cheeks turning pink.
Nymiria turned away when they began their dance. She walked towards a group of people sharing drinks, only to stop short when she saw him emerging from the hazy darkness beyond the shrubbery.
Her heart gave a loud thud when she saw him—skin glowing, horns on full display, his usually pale hair now black as pitch.
She watched in awe as the horns retracted, disappearing into his scalp, and as the darkened strands of hair slowly shifted back to white.
When he stepped into the first break of light that fell over the lawn, he was as she remembered him.
Aziel approached her with the sort of caution one might use when dealing with a wild animal, his hands tucked behind his back and his eyes searching her own for any ounce of fear.
She felt no fear of his godly form. But fear, yes, she felt it.
“You are brave, aren’t you?” Aziel laughed softly as his eyes moved over her body. “Not a single glamour in sight.”
Resisting the urge to cover herself or immediately raise a glamour, Nymiria nodded. “This is who I am. Felt a little silly to continue hiding it.”
Aziel took that final step towards her, closing the distance between them with one languid stride. Although she’d stood next to him more times than she could count, it never failed to amaze her just how much taller he was than her. In this moment, it made her feel vulnerable. Small.
Or, perhaps, it was the secret she carried with her. The one eating away at all of her defenses, threatening to spill from tightly sealed lips that desperately craved the delicate touch of his.
Nymiria shivered as his gloved finger trailed over a vine that stretched up her hand and curled around her wrist. The crooked smile he wore made her skin flush, her heart quicken so much that she felt breathless.
“Who should I thank for convincing you to do this?” His voice was low, a dangerous rumble that she felt throughout her body.
“I convinced myself.” She stammered. Her stomach swirled when his eyes dipped to her lips, but before she could give him a taste of what they both desperately craved, he was looking into her eyes once again.
Everything about him was perfect. So much so, she nearly forgot every thought that’d haunted her before this moment. “Dance with me.” She breathed.
He needed no further convincing, it seemed. With their hands joined, they approached the stone patio where the others were dancing. His hand fell to her waist, pulling her into an embrace that made the world feel as if it had slipped out from under her feet.
“Where did you learn how to dance?” She asked.
Aziel beamed at her. “Would it surprise you if I told you that killing is not the only talent I have?” Nymiria rolled her eyes.
“My mother taught me how to dance. I’m also a good actor, believe it or not.
I was actually cast in quite a few plays when I was younger.
I can sing, play the piano, draw, sew, fuck—”
“I get it.” She snapped. “Good gods, I believe that you’ve become the insufferable one.”
He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing and head tilting to the side as he spun her out into the crowd. His fingers clasped around hers once she was within arms reach, and then he twirled her back into his chest. “I’ve never called you insufferable.”
“You never had to.” She grumbled. “I could feel what you thought of me when we first met. You hated me.”
“Only because I believed you were evil.”
She grinned when he bared his teeth to her in a playful manner, snapping them near her neck. “What if I am evil, Aziel? What if I’m evil and just an incredibly good actress—what if I’ve enchanted you.”
Aziel shrugged, his hand moving from her waist to the curve of her spine, pressing her so close to his body that she could feel every hard line of his frame.
She shivered, lips parting. “Then you could call me your fool, Nymiria Celentas.” Nymiria looked up as a breeze rustled through the streamers overhead, filling their surroundings with the faint sweet scent of the flowers that were sewn into them.
“You have many questions.” A statement. Not a question.
He always knew what she was thinking and while he claimed that it was magic, she couldn’t help but feel like it was more than that.
She believed it had something to do with this bond between them, but she couldn’t be too sure.
While she had heard of mates before, she hadn’t spent much time discussing the topic.
She ignored that pestering subject, shaking it from her mind and releasing a much-needed sigh. “Your brother has informed me that all hell is about to break loose in Yaar,” she began. “What did he mean by that?”
Aziel groaned and closed his eyes, grumbling something under his breath that sounded like a string of curses directed right at Oran. “You don’t need to worry about that. I was hoping to have you out of Yaar before anything happened.”
“Before what happened?”
“War.” He shrugged.
“War?!” Her eyes darted around at each of the guests, her voice coming out as a strained hiss as she spoke. “You cannot start a war with Yaar.”
“Well,” Aziel sighed. “I’m not starting anything. Your father is.”
Nymiria could have slapped him if he wasn’t so damn captivating, but her hand certainly tingled with the urge. “Aziel, there are children here. Innocent people who are just as much of a victim of your father’s as we are. A war would devastate them.” She exclaimed quietly.
Aziel lifted his eyes, quickly glancing around before he ducked his head closer to hers. “Moonflower, war is not fair. The Eadynite army will do all that they can to prevent casualties with civilians, but we cannot let the world continue the way it is going.”
“You cannot beat death with more death.”
“Actually, you can. Trust me.” He laughed, but upon seeing that she was not amused, his smile fell.
“I’m not making light of this situation, Nymiria.
But if we do not end this now, more people will die.
More Mystics will be captured and imprisoned.
Gods, there is a new Mystic babe born every day in Yaar.
Do you think that if my father continues to sit on the throne that he will allow them the same privileges as you? ”
Nymiria snapped back, recoiling from him. “Do not use my position against me. Not when I have had very little say in what I have been made to do with my privileges.”
“I didn’t mean it like that—”
“Then, how did you intend for it to sound?”
Aziel carded a hand through his hair. “A lot less insensitive.” He tugged at her hand, pulling her close once again.
“I just meant that the majority of the Mystics found here do not face trial at all. He sends them straight to slaughter. Despite the ordinance of laws he has in place where every Mystic faces a fair trial, he has bypassed the trial processes more times than I can count.”
Nymiria worried at her lip, brow furrowing as she stared out at the others. “There has to be something that can be done to protect the allies here. There are humans here that help Mystics escape—”
“We could offer them refuge.”
She frowned. “And risk overpopulation? Can Eadyn sustain more as it stands right now?”
Aziel watched her as she thought. He could visibly tell that whatever conclusions she was making in that beautiful mind of hers were magnificent.
He didn’t doubt her at all. “We are a kingdom full of Mystics. We have elemental wielders and we have strength. I believe that there could be options if your father and I spoke with the right people.”
Nymiria nodded slowly, incisors scraping over her lip as she thought. After a moment of silence and dancing, she let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. “This is all very typical of you Unseelie. You don’t think too much about consequences.”
His features darkened at that moment. Not in a way that was terrifying, but in a way that had Nymiria’s heart pounding with exhilaration.
“If I think this way when it comes to war, moonflower, could you imagine what I’d do to the world if you were to be harmed in any way?
” His hooked finger pressed against the underside of her chin, gently forcing her eyes to meet his.
“I would kill everything. I would destroy every living thing. I won’t let this world hurt you again. ”
His words slammed through her with such force that she was left winded, her eyes wide and her lips parted. “Aziel—” His name on her lips was like a breathless plea, her head moving back and forth as she slipped from his embrace. “Don’t say things like that.”
Confusion washed over his face, his hand still poised in the air from where he’d forced her to look at him. “Like what?”
“Just… don’t. Don’t do that.”
He stepped forward, hand uncurling to reach for hers, but she stepped out of the way. “Nym—”
It was too late.
Her fear was back with a vengeance, filling her mind with hateful thoughts that no amount of power could cease. Her ribs felt as if they were squeezing her lungs. And when she turned, her legs were shaking. She trembled everywhere.
Forcing herself not to look back at him, Nymiria ran.