Chapter Ten Yule #2
He tightened his hold around her, forcing her to stay.
"The Forge will be closed this year for Yule, so —" Adan silently seethed.
She was going to make quick stop in at the Pearl and the Sicarii, then she was going to spend the rest of her night drowning her sorrows in bourbon, beer and blood.
He had put an axe to her plans, and he knew it.
"So... Since you're evening is suddenly open..."
He smirked, waiting like a cat readying to pounce.
"Listen, I love Yule, okay. So If, and that is a big fucking if. If I decide to come to your party, you and all your friends better be perfect fucking gentleman. Or I'm gone. No swallowing my pride, no collars, and absolutely no touching."
She didn't even know why she was considering it.
It might be because spending it alone was depressing and unthinkable.
"I promise you a perfect Yule." He made an imaginary 'x' over his heart. "You're not the only one that enjoys the holidays." His vibrant green eyes sparkled.
"Says the male that's planning a holiday dinner, disguised as a work party."
Lennox finally let go of her, only to flicked Adan's nose. "You're a pain in my ass." He waved to leave, laughing at the shock on Adan's face. "I'll send my carriage for seven."
Before she could protest, he was gone. Swallowed up by the last-minute shoppers.
--
Adan fell asleep easily enough, but woke in a sweat, the sun not even risen.
She always had the same dreams around this time of year.
The ones that were filled with blood and screams so terrible they haunted your waking thoughts.
She ran to her bathing room and emptied the contents of her stomach.
The worst thing was, it wasn't a dream, not really—but a memory.
Of running so far and so long, she still has the scars to prove it.
She stumbled over to the sink to splash her face with cold water.
She remembered that night with perfect clarity.
How the snow had been stained red with their blood.
She shook her head and stared herself down in the mirror.
There would be no more sleep for her, so she set off for the Sicarii. She ran her laps, and worked out until she collapsed, and then pushed herself some more. Once she was back in her room she narrowly missed the giant box that had been left on her bed.
She knew instinctively that it was from Lennox, as she flipped the lid, but it was nothing like the previous outfit.
It was the dress from the shop that she had eyeing before Lennox ruined the moment.
Her finger grazed the pretty pink and white pedals of the dress and sighed and instantly headed for the bath.
Of all the males in Lymia, Lennox was one of the most controlling she had ever met.
Which was saying something when their king had the power to control with a whisper of his voice.
She stood therewith her natural curls down her back, and minimal makeup.
She did make a point of covering her tattoo.
Lennox had made no mention of it, so she took liberties.
She waited out in the cold for Lennox's chariot, but it never arrived.
She was about to return to the warmth of her room when a whip of wind at her back had her turning on her heels.
The skirt of her dress slowing her down.
There stood Lennox, looking dapper in his usual black suit, and crisp white shirt that he was fixing the cuff links on. It was the wings that took Adan's breath away. Overlapping black feathers sprouting from his strong back.
"Sorry, no carriage tonight. Just me." He winked.
Adan immediately realized what he meant, "You want to fly?" She asked, unable to hide the shock and awe as he stretched his back, his dark wings extending. Her jaw dropped at how stunning they were, how they shimmered in the moonlight.
"Well, I know you can't fly. It's why I've been sending my carriage." He wings flared again and dropped behind him, dragging the snow on the ground in his wake.
"Okay asshole, not what I meant, and thank you for the reminder."
Adan was very sensitive about her wings.
Regardless of what he thought, she did have them.
She just never used them. To be hones, she wasn't sure if she could ever fly again.
If her wings would even answer her summons, it had been so long.
Anyway, it was too dangerous to unleash them to try.
He extended his hand, "don't worry, I won't drop you." He smirked, "on purpose." He amended. She only rolled her eyes at his taunt and grabbed his hand. "That's it?" He stared at her hand in his in disbelieve. "No, 'fuck you Lennox'. Or, 'why don't you go fly off a cliff.'"
"I like flying." She shrugged. It was true, her father would take her when she was very young. She missed the wind in her hair, the freedom of it. It was why she was fond of heights and climbing onto roofs. It was the closest to the skies she would ever get.
He scooped her up, before she could change her mind.
He held her close as his wings beat furiously.
He carried her as if she weighed nothing, even with the weight of her dress.
From this angle, she had a perfect view of his wing with her arms draped over his tattooed neck.
She realized they might have been shaped like feathers, but they seemed harder, not as fragile, almost like a shell.
But then she looked down at the sparkling city, and sighed.
She let go of his neck and leant back in his arms.
Trusting him not to let her fall.
"You really do have a death wish." He laughed in her ear and Adan resisted the urge to preen into the heat of his warm breath. "I said I wouldn't drop you, but you aren't making my job easy."
She let out a hearty laugh, not from Lennox's comment, but the freedom of the wind in her lungs.
The way it licked up her face and the winter wind kissed her skin red.
It had been a long time since she enjoyed this.
Flying with someone like this was considered fairly intimate, but Adan was too happy to care.
Darius had done a thorough job of scaring the love of wind out of her. He would gloat if he knew how much of an effect he had on her. His whip of wind was nothing compared to the freeing breeze that flittered between the strands of her loose hair.
Lennox's hotel came into view, a towering building with an open landing space that Adan could just make out.
Lennox was aiming for it, and landed with ease.
She realized after a moment that it was a patio, with furniture covered from the winter snow.
Adan looked up at Lennox who still had his large arms wrapped around her, even though her feet were now firmly planted on the ground.
"If at any point you wish to leave, just say the word and I will take you back to the castle."
"Stop being considerate, it's disconcerting." Her brows furrowed.
"It's Yule, shouldn't everyone be a little more considerate this time of year?"
He walked towards the floor to ceiling glass door.
A soft glow of a fireplace and thousands of candles lit the room.
It was surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, covered in swaths of heavy fabric.
A large evergreen sat in the corner, covered in tasteful glass ornaments and a white star perched at the top.
Presents wrapped in golds and reds, waited patiently underneath. Adan hadn't thought to bring anything.
Garlands hung tastefully from the ceiling, and draped over the fireplace. A few people mulled about, with flutes of champagne and elegant attire. They all seemed genuinely happy to see each other, unlike the courtiers she had left back at the castle. She turned back to Lennox, but found him gone.
"So Nox convinced you to come." She knew that voice, she had spent eight hours stalking him.
"Thammas." She smiled, and curtsied. It would be expected. He was royal in his own right.
He waved a hand, dismissing her movement, "we don't stand on ceremony here. Nox finds it abhorrent."
"Interesting." She looked over Thammas's shoulder to find Lennox laughing with a group of men that looked nothing like the pompous poofs from Sanctum. She had never seen him laugh like that, free and full and unencumbered.
"He also has a soft spot for Yule, so try not to ruin it for him." his eyes narrowed into a warning.
Her head snapped back towards the lords second. "Me?" She managed to keep her voice down, but not the shock.
"Yes, you. He deserves to enjoy this night with his friends."
I didn't know he had any of those either. And because she too loved Yule she said, "Don't worry bodyguard, I'll be good." She patted him on the shoulder, and headed towards the bar cart to make herself a drink. She opted for champagne, and promised herself she would only have the one glass.
Everyone was dressed immaculately, she noticed as she surveyed the room.
She took off her coat and handed it to a waiting servant, who tucked it away in a nearby closet.
She suddenly felt bare--almost naked. Even with the heavy layers of soft fabric wrapped around her body.
These were people who came from wealth and power, that was obvious.
Even if they seemed nothing like the vicious royals at the castle, which was confusing to say the least.
"You must be Adan." A soft feminine voice said from her side. She turned to find a beautiful red head, about her height and pale green eyes. Freckles pebbled the bridge of her upturned nose.
"Have we met?" She asked as politely as possible, extending her hand to shake the lithe woman's.
"Oh no. I am sorry, where are my manners, I'm Asha."
She smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing Adan had ever seen.
Asha was nothing if not stunning, in a glaringly obvious way.
Adan almost missed the slave tattoo of the broken heart on her cheek, marking her as a whore.
Adan darted her eyes away, if only to be respectful.
"Asha—" Lennox called from across the room, rushing to her side.
"Obbie." Asha smirking with pure joy. Adan surveyed the two of them--the familiarity.
"Obbie?" Adan interjected, unable to hide the confusion in her voice.
"Obbie is very sensitive about my nickname for him."
Asha smiled softly and Lennox went bright red around his neck, cresting his dark tattoos.
Adan had to fight a different sort of burning blooming in her stomach.