Chapter 15 A Fatal Mistake
A Fatal Mistake
It felt like being tossed into a pit of glass as the Serpent King’s portal spit me out onto the floors of my old chambers.
My knees collided with sharp stone, making me bite back a groan as I nearly heaved up what little food lingered in my stomach.
I took a few deep breaths, clutching my pounding head while working to ground myself.
I fucking hated the after effects of portal magic.
“At least you didn’t throw up this time. I do love these shoes.” The Serpent King’s shiny black shoes appeared in view of where I crouched on the floor.
Slowly, I dragged my eyes up his long, powerful legs.
His trousers were a green so deep it almost looked black, fashioned with a dark belt, the golden buckle of which portrayed a snake eating its own tail.
The king’s arms were crossed over his chest highlighting his muscles, though his silk shirt hung loosely over his broad shoulders.
Finally, I raised my gaze higher to meet those mesmerizing eyes.
Somewhere between his lair and here he’d fixed his black hair, because it was perfectly swept back now, not a single strand out of place.
He cocked his head as he looked down at me, and the firelight from the roaring hearth made his hair burn to a deep shade of green in the blink of an eye.
The first time I met the king, I thought it was a trick, but, sure enough, his hair color shifted depending on the lighting.
“What a pretty picture, you on your knees before me.” His lips curled into a wicked smile.
My nose twitched with disgust, taking his crass comment as my cue to push off the floor and back onto my feet. Unfortunately, I moved too quickly, stumbling once more as the room spun.
Before I could collapse again, strong arms snaked around my waist. His smooth laugh made my skin pebble, and, being this close to the Serpent King, I was able to see the sparse flecks of gold gleaming within his green eyes.
“Falling for me already, my Queen?” he drawled.
I firmly planted my hands against his chest. “You lost any chance of that happening the day you kicked me out of Morotis,” I spat, and I swore I saw something akin to hurt flicker through his eyes, right before I shoved out of his arms.
For the second time, I tripped, but this time over my heels snagging on the jagged floors. Cursing underneath my breath, I managed to right myself.
I never stumbled, so why was I swiftly unravelling before the man I swore never to show weakness to?
The lack of my bodyguard’s angry growls and threats at the Serpent King’s crude remarks drew my attention. Quickly, I scanned the room for a glimpse of his curly locks or those gentle eyes, but it was only the Serpent King and I in my old chambers.
I narrowed my eyes at the king, who shrugged his hulking shoulders nonchalantly. “Where is Landon?”
“I may or may not have made his portal . . . delayed.” A smug smile twitched along those infuriating lips.
“If you hurt him again, I swear—” My words were cut off by a loud whoosh, then a deep grunt sounded as my bodyguard was spit from the golden portal.
Surprisingly, Landon landed flat on his feet, yet he grimaced, folding over while clutching his stomach. He had rather quick reflexes for a mortal . . . maybe I should start joining him on his morning runs.
My bodyguard swiftly gathered his composure, lifting his head to where the Serpent King and I still stood very close to one another.
His gaze shifted past us, and I glanced over my shoulder to see we were nearly pressed against the large four-poster bed.
Landon’s eyes narrowed as he assessed us once again, his eyes roaming over me entirely before casting a scorching glare at the king.
“You,” Landon growled with such ferocity, even I was taken aback.
A quick glance sideways at the king revealed similar surprise, his eyebrows shooting up as a dazzling smile spread across his face.
“The guard dog can bark, but can he bite?” He gnashed his teeth at Landon.
The fucking fool was about to take his bait, charging toward the king and ready to finally shut that cocky mouth of his.
I couldn’t blame my bodyguard for wanting to fight this intolerable immortal, I’d wanted to pummel the king myself many times. Yet, I didn’t have the answers I sought, so whatever was brewing between my bodyguard and the Serpent King needed to stop right this instant.
I stepped in front of the king, holding a hand up to my bodyguard. “That’s enough.”
Landon’s murderous gaze switched from the king and over to me, his rage quickly dissolving into complete and utter disbelief. “You’re taking his side over mine? Truly?”
My heels slapped against the stone as I slowly stepped closer to my bodyguard. “I take no man’s side. You both are acting like a couple of fools.”
Landon’s jaw slackened further before I whipped my furious gaze at the Serpent King.
The king scoffed, rearing back while clutching a hand to his heart.
“My point, exactly.” I glared as I looked him up and down, then nodded at the door across the vast room. “Now, get out so I can get ready for dinner.”
His grin was absolutely feral as his eyes dipped, hungrily roaming over my body, but he said nothing else, only bothering to point a finger at the deep green chrome tub in the corner. The sound of water drifted toward me while the Serpent King sauntered for the door.
On his way out, he lingered beside Landon, muttering something so low even I couldn’t hear, yet I knew it was nothing good when I saw Landon’s face. There was a fresh wave of anger sparking in his eyes. Then, the door clicked behind the king, leaving us alone.
Fuck the Serpent King, for now I had to deal with Landon’s moodiness.
“You cannot be serious about having dinner alone with that despicable man.”
I groaned as I moved to sit at the edge of the bed, bracing a hand around the black wooden poster for support as I removed my stilettos.
“I did not come this far just to give up when I am this close to finally gaining the answers I seek.” After discarding my shoes, I trailed my fingers over the black duvet, softly tracing the outline of one of the golden snakes within its pattern.
Since there were so many memories scattered throughout this room, it was nearly impossible not to slip into the past . . .
“You’re so fucking beautiful with your hair like this,” His cool fingers dragged down my neck, leaving a pathway of goosebumps in their wake.
“Stay with me tonight?” My voice was barely a whisper, quiet enough it was smothered by the crackling of the fire.
The king’s hand stilled atop the curve of my breasts, his enchanting eyes flickering from my chest and up to my face.
“If I stay the night, there is no going back, Seera. Whatever we are doing right now becomes much more real. Are you certain?”
I didn’t hesitate as I said, “I am.”
He laced his fingers behind my back, tugging me closer. “Then, I’ll stay.”
Pushing off the bed, I let the memory that frequently haunted me dissipate into the steam drifting into the room.
In the end, our time together meant nothing.
The Serpent King made that crystal clear after our bargain was completed . . . so why couldn’t I still get him out of my head after all these years?
As I neared the tub, I dipped a finger into the water. It was boiling hot—exactly what I needed to let the memories of my past melt away once and for all.
“I don’t like it, Seera. I don’t like this whole thing.” Landon’s exasperated tone made me glance over my shoulder while leaning over the bath.
I needed silence, and, in order for that to happen, I needed Landon to shut the fuck up.
I knew one guaranteed way to make men be quiet.
With my back turned, I worked my fingers against the buttons of my fighting leathers.
Then, I slowly shimmied my ass back and forth, stripping out of my pants.
I glanced behind me, satisfied to see the anger extinguished from my bodyguard’s eyes.
Now, they flared with desire as he took in the glorious sight of me half-naked, bending over the tub.
I kicked my pants away, making a show to shake my assets as I purposely struggled while reaching behind me for the corset laces covering the entirety of my back.
After a few futile attempts, I pouted my bottom lip and glanced at Landon.
“Could you lend me a hand?” My voice dipped to a low and sensual timber.
Landon moved toward me like a moth drawn to a flame, his eyes glued to my bare ass the entire time. I straightened, allowing him to undo the laces of my top, but I did take a step back to close the sliver of space between us.
The evidence of how much my small striptease affected him greeted me as I pushed my ass against him, tugging a beautiful groan from his lips. His fingers moved quicker, as if he needed to dig them into my bare flesh right this instant or he might perish.
Finally, he got the strings undone, and I shrugged out of my top with my back facing him.
The sound of leather slapping against stone split through the air as he chucked the garment across the room, his eyes never straying from my skin.
He brushed his fingers down my back, but his brow crinkled as he stilled when touching the serpent tattoo wrapping around my torso—a constant reminder of my bargain with the Serpent King.
Within the depths of his eyes, Landon’s fury rekindled once more.
I spun around, hoping my ample assets were the handfuls of distractions he needed to stop thinking of the king. Sure enough, his gaze dipped to my chest, hungrily devouring the way my breasts bounced.
His eyes softened while he bit his bottom lip.
“You know,” I said, wrapping a finger around his belt loops and pressing myself against him, making my nipples lightly graze his chest.
He sucked in a sharp inhale, all while devouring me with his eyes.
“I can’t stop thinking about how assertive you were earlier.” I looked at him through heavy lashes.
He reluctantly tore his gaze from my chest for only a moment. “Oh?”