Chapter 37
A Peace Offering
The sconces lining the walls cast a warm glow over the golden silk evening gown clinging to my body.
I stood before the floor length mirror in the corner of my rooms, admiring the way the thick silk material was spun with flecks of gold, making the dress sparkle with every swish of my voluptuous hips.
Golden fabric bunched in a swirling pattern at my waist, creating a beautiful waterfall effect down the length of the rest of the garment.
The gown had only one strap, leaving my left shoulder completely bare, besides the thin gold chain that Reena slipped up my left arm to wrap around my bicep.
A few diamonds hung from the golden band, clinking against each other as I spun side to side while admiring my reflection.
My ensemble was enchanting, magnetic—absolutely breathtaking.
I never thought I’d feel so beautiful in a dress that wasn’t a shade of red or black.
But here I was, feeling like the most stunning woman in all the realms.
My lady-in-waiting styled my hair differently, which involved a magical heating tool called a ‘curling wand’ in these lands.
Soft black waves cascaded all the way down past my waist, yet most of my hair was swept to the side, leaving my bare shoulder on full display.
A generous slit ran up my left leg, stopping scandalously high on my upper thigh.
Golden diamonds dripped down my neck—a gift left in my room from Adalina.
I considered chucking the god’s present out the vast window, but the necklace was simply too stunning for me to do so.
My lips were not painted my usual blood-red shade, for I felt it clashed too much with my dazzling golden look.
So, I begrudgingly opted for the champagne colored lipstick the Serpent King offered me the other day.
As much as I hated to admit it, it wasn’t a totally terrible color.
I actually liked the neutrality of it and the way the small flakes of glitter appeared to be dancing across my lips every time I smiled.
A glimmer of red caught my eye in the mirror, dropping my gaze to my hand.
When Reena presented me with the jewelry she brought from my kingdom, I was stunned that she included the ring Alaric presented to me seventy-five years ago.
As I placed it on my fourth finger, I tried to convince myself I wore it solely to have a splash of crimson adorning my otherwise golden attire.
My look was nearly perfect, but it felt like I was still missing that extra something. Letting my gaze drift over my reflection, my attention snagged on my hair.
A thump sounded at my door, and not even a second later, the Serpent King poked his head into my chambers.
“Are you decent?” He covered his eyes with his hand, pretending to give me a sense of privacy.
A half-scoff, half-laugh tumbled out of me. “Considering you already opened the door, what does it matter now? Please, do come in.”
He stepped inside, dropping his hand from his face. The moment his magnetic eyes landed on me, they widened as he sucked in a sharp breath. He braced a hand on the door handle, pressing his back against the white wooden door as he continued to drink in the sight of me in my evening gown.
“You . . . you shine brighter than the stars, Seera.” His piercing gaze dragged up my body, all the way to my eyes.
There was awe sparkling in his magnetic gaze, which suddenly made a foreign emotion race through my chest.
Alaric made me feel shy.
The startling feeling had me averting my attention at the same moment I felt my cheeks warm. I didn’t want him to see the way his words affected me, even after all these years separated from one another.
I turned back to the mirror, brushing my hands over my dress to avoid his scorching gaze. Yet, of course, Alaric crept closer, stopping near enough I could smell his intoxicating cologne and feel his warm breath caress my ear.
“As stunning as you look, your ensemble is missing one important detail.”
Before I could inquire what, he reached behind his back and presented a sparkling golden crown, lifting it above my head.
“Another gift from Adalina?” My brows shot up at how exquisite the headdress was.
His smile was devoid of its usual wickedness, instead it felt rather bashful. “No, this one is from me. Consider it a peace offering.”
I watched in the mirror’s reflection as he situated it atop my head, securing the crown with a startling gentleness around my ears.
It was exquisite and thankfully not too heavy, the ends securing perfectly around the curve of my ears.
It was almost like a tiara with the way it rested atop my head, but with all the grandness of a crown fit for a queen.
No sharp metal dug into my scalp, and I wondered what magical material made the accessory so pleasant to wear.
All thoughts of comfort flew from my head as my attention latched onto all the diamonds glittering within the gold metal frame.
A large emerald stone laid at the center of the crown, with a row of crystal clear diamonds fanning out on either side of the viridian stone.
My eyebrows shot toward the golden ceiling as the diamonds reflected the light into a spectrum of colors.
The left row suddenly became a beautiful blood-red, while the right row of gems looked like black opals. It was stunning—and absolutely magical.
“They change colors?” I asked in awe, still swiveling my head back and forth to watch the jewels dance with the flickers of light.
Alaric smiled at me, his hand dropping from the crown and onto my bare shoulder. Although he was naturally cold in temperature, it wasn’t that fact that made a small shiver run down my spine. He glanced at my shoulder, noticing how my body reacted to his touch.
Yesterday, I wanted to break his nose if he so much as touched me against my will, yet today—today I felt entirely different.
With him behind me, thoughts of when I was in nothing but my heels before this mirror penetrated my mind . . .
Ever so gently, he gripped my shoulders to turn me to face him. Slowly, I glanced up and into his enchanting green eyes, only to find them already locked onto mine.
“I was wrong the other day when I tried to change you, Seera. If you like to wear red lipstick or black gowns, who am I to try to alter such essential parts of yourself? For that, I am sorry.”
My brows were about to hit him square in his chiseled jaw with how far they rose at the fact the Serpent King was uttering an apology to me, of all people.
“Since when do you apologize?” A smug smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
He shook his head, making his hair dance between black and dark green—I always loved when it did that.
“Since an infuriating queen walked back into my life and flipped my world upside down.” He brushed away a stray piece of hair that fell into my face, his hand lingering on my bare shoulder once more.
Then, his fingers dipped, faintly tracing along the diamond necklace dripping between my breasts.
I sucked in a sharp breath when his finger tenderly dragged down the longest diamond, the one that ran along my serpent tattoo only to disappear within my cleavage.
He stopped his slow descent, right at the peak of where my breasts pressed snuggly together.
When his eyes lifted to mine, they were no longer shining bright.
Now, his pupils were stretched into slits, and it looked like he was holding himself back from letting the darkness completely devour the green in his eyes.
His elongated canines gleamed as he bit down on his bottom lip and closed his eyes, his finger starting to quiver against my chest.
“Alaric,” I breathed, softly grabbing ahold of his shaking finger.
His eyes shot open, revealing his pupils were no longer in the form of slits. Once again, they took on a clear emerald appearance.
“I never thought you’d say my name again after . . .” A pained look flashed across his face.
His throat bobbed, like emotion also had a tendency to gather at the back of his throat, but he swallowed it and pushed on. “After my parting words to you the night of our bargain.”
The words I tried, yet failed, to forget, flashed into my head . . .
Our time together meant nothing to me, just a bit of fun in the span of my endless, immortal life. Since our bargain is complete and I got what I wanted from you, you can see yourself out of my realm.
A small whimper escaped from my lips, and I was horrified that his words still bothered me to this day. Alaric’s eyes crinkled with despair upon hearing my whine, and I bit my lip to hold myself back from making any further incriminating noises.
His gaze shot to my lips, and then his thumb was pressing against my lip, prompting me to stop gnawing on it. I relented and released my lip from my teeth’s sharp grip, yet Alaric’s hand remained atop my flesh. His fingers moved from my lips to wrap around my neck, forcing me to look up at him.
“You have no idea how much I’ve hated myself everyday for saying such horrendous things to you, Seera.
I will never forgive myself for the way I treated you after our bargain, but I was—” His lips pinched together, almost like he was trying to swallow his next words, but they bubbled out of him in a rush anyway.
“It fucking terrified me what occured when we sealed our bargain. That kiss . . .” He blew out a breath, running his free hand through his black locks, messing up the gel that slicked them back in the first place.
“That kiss didn’t only shake the ground beneath us, it shook me. ”
I balked at the sheer honesty pouring out of the Serpent King, as I bit my tongue out of fear he would fall back into his awful habit of shutting me out.
So, I simply looked at him, shock plastered clearly upon my face.
There was no point in hiding my emotions from him anymore, for I was certain he could smell the zesty scent of lemons permeating off me.