Chapter 20 #2
“He shows kindness to all of his guests,” Cora interjected. Lady Aura scoffed.
“That is debatable, Lady Cora. Regardless…We are honored to have you here in the Heart.” Lady Aura lowered her head. I heard her words, and deep down I knew the threat that lingered with them, but I couldn’t respond. Lady Aura offered a faint smile before she left us.
Lioran’s scent wafted to me on a gust of wind. His stare pinned me. Cora’s jaw clenched, her grip pulsating around my wrist.
“Fyn.” Cora pulled Fyn in with her free hand. “You need to watch Lioran. Now.”
Fyn leaned in. “I see him—he’s right there. Why exactly do I need to watch him?”
“Do you see her eyes? Have you seen his?” Cora gripped my chin, angling my face toward Fyn.
“Yes, they’re brilliant tonight…very sparkly,” Fyn said.
She groaned. “That is not what I’m talking about, Fyn.” A deep breath escaped her lips. “They can’t be alone together right now.”
“I’m…fine.” I stumbled for a second.
Fyn’s voice was hushed. “Aelira, you can both do what you wish.”
“Participating in the Verdant Alignment impairs his judgement. She completed the ritual with him.” Cora’s voice was a commanding warning. “You will stay with me tonight.”
Fyn chugged a glass of wine. “Cora, stop worrying. She seems fine. He seems fine. Let’s just have a little fun tonight.” He grabbed another glass and handed it to her.
Cora pushed the glass away from her. “Pay attention, Fyn.”
My stomach dropped. Cora told me she had never done the Verdant Alignment…only Lioran had. “How do you know it impairs judgment?”
“It doesn’t matter. You just need to trust me. Neither of you will be yourself, and the way you are looking at each other right now…” Stray red hairs fell on her face, but she didn’t release me to move them.
Every breath I took, I inhaled him.
“Cora, loosen your grip a little.” Lioran snuck up behind us, his eyes wild.
“Fyn! What happened to watching?” Cora wouldn’t release me as her piercing glare settled on Lioran. I slid my free hand over my mouth, stifling another giggle.
“I can’t stop him from looking at her like that.” Fyn choked on his wine a bit as he spoke.
My control was gone—I burst into a fit of giggles.
“You should know better,” she groaned. “Just promise me you’ll keep distance for a little while until the effects of the Alignment wear off a bit.”
Lioran tilted his head. His eyes narrowed. She flinched.
“I am fine. She is fine,” he snapped as he hovered over me.
“You have mere moments, before everyone notices the two of you.” Cora dragged me to the other side of her body, away from Lioran. His eyes scanned the crowd before narrowing on her.
“Fine. Aelira, I’ll see you in an hour.” He sneered at her.
When he looked back at me, he was devouring me.
Something new stirred inside of me.
Alone. We were utterly alone.
When he showed up at my door later that night, I didn’t turn him away. Firelight filled my chambers, the trickle of heat sifted down my back. Cora’s last warning echoed. Whatever you think you’re feeling—it’s not all real.
I craved him, felt him without his touch—it felt real, very real. His chest swelled as he inhaled. I was losing control.
His hands grazed my corset—they trailed the laces at my back. Lioran’s gaze shifted over me, lingering over my curves. His breath was hot on my neck.
He lifted my hand to his chest. His heart thundered beneath my palm. I wrapped my arms around his neck, I leaned into him, his warmth lulling me closer.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you all night,” he said.
“Lioran…” His name hung on my lips.
“I haven’t stopped needing you.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into him. “I’m yours.” The words barely escaped my lips.
He hesitated—his breathing sharp. “Aelira…” He growled my name.
His lips claimed mine, strengthening something inside me.
“You are mine.” The words breathlessly left his lips—fire stirred in me.
He pressed his lips against my ear before caressing my neck. I caved with his touch.
He yanked at a ribbon, loosening the bodice of my gown. The cascading fabric caught on my arm. His hand pushed it further down. I slipped my arms out.
The fireplace cracked, echoing within my chamber walls as logs shifted. My breath stilled. A forceful pop sounded from the hearth.
I caught the bodice around my chest—the feeling too new, too exposing.
His lips entangled with mine, claiming me with each kiss. He gently slid my hands from my gown. He desperately gripped the fabric, until it sank lower.
An ember floated from the fireplace. As my dress dropped, I caught it again—my knuckles paled in the glowing firelight.
If I let him take me, I could never go back to who I was before.
With each touch—each kiss, I only craved him more.
He kissed my collarbone—warmth flooded me.
The embers cracked again, dancing in the air beyond the fireplace.
I pushed back from him.
This wasn’t me. It wasn’t him.
Pain gripped my chest with each frantic breath—a dull, aching warning.
“Lioran.” His eyes glowed vividly, as if the starlight still had hold of him. “Wait.”
“We can have this moment.” His voice was low, but commanding.
My nails scraped over my gown. The fabric slipped from my fingertips, too ample to hold. I opened my lips to speak again, but my rib cage tightened as I clutched the gown hard against my chest.
I needed him to choose me, to love me without celestial influence. I wasn’t ready. Silence filled a painful void that overtook me.
I didn’t know what to say, couldn’t figure out what to do.
“You…you need to leave.”
I wanted to say something else, but I couldn’t.
I stopped sensing him. Stopped tasting him.
Whatever magic had taken hold had vanished.
His teeth grazed his bottom lip, his shoulders slumped with a sharp exhale. “Aelira…” His fingers unfurled, reaching for me, but he swiftly lowered them to his side. Despair replaced his desperation.
He couldn’t understand what I needed—not in this form.
“Please, just go. Now.” If I didn’t say it, didn’t make him go, I would regret it.
“I’m leaving.” His hand gripped the door; his gaze dropped from mine as he slipped out into the hall.
The gown pooled around me as my body collided with the cold wood plank floor. I stared at the door.
The handle would turn, he would come back to me. He would tell me how he loved me, regardless of my choice.
Moments passed, but the door remained as it was—still and shut. Sobs escaped my lips, filling my chambers with their echoes. The embers popped in the fireplace once more. My fingertips dug into my skin until the pain matched my agony. It shouldn’t have been like this.
The stars glittered in the heavens—taunting me. “What do you want from me? Have I not given enough?” My seething reply was a whisper in the desolate space.