Arii paused in the doorway, her simple silver mask fixed with diamond-encrusted clips to her hair, covering the top half of her face. The entire room seemed to pause and turn to face her, and she felt her spine straighten under the weight of hundreds of eyes. In that moment she was incredibly grateful for the mask as she lifted her chin and entered the room.
She searched for a familiar face, and sure enough her eyes landed on a woman with silver hair shimmering to her chin. Arii made her way to Nemesis, and the woman’s lips curled in a smile.
“Well, well,” purred the Fury, her aqua eyes striking even behind her mask of black velvet. Nemesis wore a velour gown as black as the night sky, encrusted with tiny sequins which glimmered in the candlelight.
“Well yourself,” said Arii, gesturing at her outfit. “You could kill a man with heart palpitations just by looking at you, Nem.”
“Let’s not shy away from the fact that practically every eye is on you tonight. Where did you get that dress?”
Arii cleared her throat, dipping to snatch a crystal goblet of sweet wine before her eyes surveyed the party. “The King,” she answered simply.
“Of course.”
Arii’s eyes found Lorch on the dais, Elijah a few feet away and cloaked in shadow. Her mind slipped to the feeling of his lips bushing hers, his warm fingers gliding down her arm. She suppressed a shudder of longing.
“We’ll need to be alert in this crowd.”
Arii’s eyes slid to Nem and she nodded in agreeance.
“Should you see anything at all, send a small burst of magic and I’ll find you.”
“Same to you,” said Nem, before the two women parted to mingle in the crowds.
Music thrummed through the hall, the melody reverberating off the high ceiling and creating a crush of bodies in the centre on the dancefloor. People danced and laughed, pressing together as the music reached an exciting crescendo. Despite herself, Arii felt the urge to tap her toes as the dancers thumped their heels in time with the music.
Her eyes slid across the scene as she surveyed it for anything odd. She may have been given the night off, but Arii could not let the habit slide. She found the dais once more, lingering for just a few moments on Elijah before skipping to Lynnera, who was conversing with Hawke as he stood vigil nearby. The woman’s face had healed, a slight tinge of purple still evident under her eye – and Arii could tell that makeup had been used to cover it.
Nearby, Valdis stood. His own eyes swept the party, expression unreadable.
Then, they paused on her.
She felt a shiver of disgust dance down her spine, recalling his insistence that the body in the courtyard was simply an attack by wolves. And then his quiet, angry glare as they discussed the affliction on Ingrid.
It was strange. Every time his eyes rested on her, she felt like there was flickering hatred in their oceanic depths – a fire of resentment that she could not quite understand.
He had been unusually quiet when Lorch insisted they let the party go ahead.
As always, she felt uneasy and queasy in his presence. Not many men did that to her.
After an hour, Arii was surprised that the King had not sought her out yet. He had merely caught her gaze a few times from his perch on the throne, smiling as he lifted a goblet as if to salute her.
She had offered a smile back but found herself caught speaking to people she had never met, and graciously dodging offers of dances from countless young men who worked up the courage to approach her. A few times she sought reprieve with Tikkani and Emerson, off to the side as the two elves watched over the proceedings.
So far, nothing seemed amiss.
After catching the twins up on the events of the following night, they had become sombre and took their guard posts particularly seriously after that. Their eyes scanned each party patron, Tikkani’s usual glitter of mischief non-existent.
“Anything?” Arii said as she picked at the food on a table nearby.
Tikkani shook her head gently.
“No, nothing out of the ordinary, besides you in that gown – Gods above, girl!”
Arii rolled her eyes and grinned. There it was. She could not help herself, and Arii found that the girl’s easy banter was a balm in an otherwise awkward situation.
“I’m guessing Quinn has not seen you yet, he may just forget Devina Divine,” muttered Emerson from the opposite side of the table. Arii waggled her eyebrows at the boy, and his cheeks flushed scarlet.
“Go and enjoy yourself, Arii. We have your back,” said Tikkani, and Arii believed her. The last month had solidified a bond between them all, even though she spent more time training with Elijah. She found the days where the group mucked the stalls, ran the castle grounds and broke their fast on the dragon landing were some of the best moments of her time there. She slowly found a sense of ease, a sense she had not felt with anyone aside from Nemesis and Krepth.
She knew it was dangerous - becoming attached.
Attachment meant weakness, and a Fury could not afford to have weakness.
Arii moved from her friends and pushed into the throng of bodies, eyes sweeping faces for anything out of the ordinary.
Like water, the crowd began to part before her, and she soon found herself pausing before the King.
He stood in the middle of the dancefloor, adorned in a fine suit of cream laced with gold thread, his crown perched on his head. He wore a mask of simple white, the edges framed with stitched gold filigree.
Lorch smirked as he motioned for her to join him, his oceanic eyes glittering with mirth. Arii’s eyes flicked across the people standing either side of them, looks of disbelief and jealously mixed with awe. She lifted her chin and approached, her hand sliding into his as the music began again, a gentle tempo that had couples coming together to sway.
Lorch pulled her to him, his other hand slipping around her waist as they slid into a gentle waltz.
“Gods, I thought you’d look beautiful tonight Miss Clearwater, but I severely underestimated how much.” His voice was smooth as honey as she glanced up at him, his eyes fixed on her face.
She felt blood rise to her cheeks under his unabashed stare.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” she said, her hand resting on his bicep as they gently swayed in time with the music. He pulled her close, their chests touching as they twirled.
His head dipped to rest against her temple, and she felt the tension she had been holding slowly melt away. He seemed to have that effect on her, stoking a gentle flame and making a warm heat glide through her body, easing her muscles and causing her to become comfortable.
Far too comfortable.
“I’ve been thinking about the girl, and what you witnessed in the caverns. I am going to find out who did this, Arii. And when I do… They’ll wish they never set foot in my castle.”
Arii paused, glancing up at him. The tone in his voice was like steel, a harshness she had not expected. What had happened to Ingrid perhaps rattled him harder than she had thought.
“But for tonight, let us enjoy the festivities. It is Winter Solstice after all, a day to eat, drink and be merry.”
Arii’s teeth clenched as the King brushed recent events aside, like dust under a heavy royal rug. She guessed she should not be surprised, Lorch was known to leave the hard work to others, but she did sense genuine concern radiating from him as he squeezed her hand.
Sharing a dance and some wine for one night would not hinder them from getting to the bottom of what happened. Perhaps the party would yield results. Arii hoped Elijah was watching for unusual signs during the party rather than her dance with the King, but something told her that he was sure to be keeping his eye on them.
Did it matter what he thought, truly? Yes, they had a strange, sizzling attraction forming but the King’s bodyguard was still a mys
tery to her. Besides, he did not trust her, and he had made that clear plenty of times, despite his sweet words prior to the party. She knew Elijah still had his walls up tight – what she had seen was a small slip in the defences.
It did not mean anything.
A strange feeling of melancholy wrapped her heart.
The music upped in tempo, and Lorch swept her into a deep dip, causing her to yelp in surprise. She could toss blades like darts at a board, slice through men’s necks like butter and leap nimbly from rooftop to rooftop, but that did not mean she could dance.
In actual fact, Ariiaya Trillia was a fish out of water then it came to the art of a dancefloor.
Lorch pulled her up smoothly from the dip, holding her body against his as he grinned down at her with a look of smug satisfaction. Arii’s lips pursed and he chuckled.
“Don’t tell me you cannot dance!”
Argh, was it that obvious?
She bit her lip and her eyes darted away. “Perhaps dance isn’t my strong suit,” she whispered. This only seemed to spur him on as the music rose in tempo, and Lorch showed her the steps to what was called the Royal Jig.
Left hands up and pressed together, left foot kicked out then back in, before partners spun while keeping their hands together and eyes locked. Then, repeat with the right hand and foot. After a couple of rounds, Arii picked it up quickly and was surprised to feel the blooming of a laugh. The dance became fast paced, and the entire floor of people became a twirling, glittering sea of vibrant colours as elaborately designed masks and outfits added to the dazzling kaleidoscope of hues.
For the first time in what seemed her entire life, Ariiaya the heartless assassin was having fun. Actual mindless fun. There was no duty, there was no impending doom looming over the castle, just sweet, gratuitous fun.
She grinned as her eyes met Lorch’s, their expressions mirrored behind their masks, his eyes glittering as they twirled in time to the music. His fingers laced with hers as the beat began to level, and she found she was staring at him as their bodies slowly spun, coming together in the middle of the dancefloor. In that moment, the people around them dissipated as her attention was squared solely on the handsome man before her, his lopsided smile slowly gracing his lips as they came together under a canopy of glittering gold.
His eyes hooded, and she felt his hand slide to her waist once again, settling on the small of her back.
“Gods, you’re breathtaking…” the King whispered as they swayed, bringing their twined fingers up to his lips before gliding them over her knuckle. His breath was warm, tinged with faint traces of sweet wine. Not for one moment did their gazes part, and she felt almost lost in their oceanic depths.
Her damned cheeks flushed with scarlet again. Was this how Emerson felt every time she made him feel uncomfortable?
No… No, she did not feel uncomfortable. She felt… warm, dare she say, fuzzy inside. Hell, if Nem heard what was happening in her mind right now, the woman would not let her live it down.
“You aren’t so bad yourself,” she said, unable to look away.
“It’s stifling in here, what do you say we get some air?”
Oh gods, yes please.
“That would be fantastic,” she agreed as Lorch led her from the crowded dancefloor to the balcony doors.
The cool air was like caressing fingers across her heated skin as they pushed into the night, and she tilted her head back in pleasure, a small smile on her lips. The cool, damp air felt like heaven after the roasting throne room. The covered balcony, of polished marble, had a stunning view of half the castle grounds. The other half was the dark, glittering stretch of The Sapphire Depths. Rain was beginning to ease into a light sprinkle, and the moon peaked from behind clouds in the night sky, reflecting silver across the vast body of water. The night air was biting, and as the thought crossed her mind - a cloth blanket draped over her shoulders.
Lorch.
He smiled and led her to the railing, turning to lean on the polished marble, surveying her expression. “It’s cold out tonight, I didn’t want you to catch a chill, so blankets are available at every balcony doorway.”
“Incredible foresight you have, or do you do this with all of your dates?”
“On a date, are we?”
She chomped down on her lip.
“No, I-”
Lorch lifted a hand to brush a bead of rain from her cheek, his head tilting gently. “I know what you mean, Arii. I would say no but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t prepare my parties according to how I’d hope the night would play out.”
His eyes glittered behind his mask.
“And how do you hope this night will play out?” she asked carefully.
Lorch picked up on her tone and moved to stand beside her as his eyes took in the breathtaking view before them. “That is completely up to you, Miss Clearwater.”
She could feel the heat of him beside her as their arms brushed.
How did she want this night to play out?
She felt on the cusp of the royal waterfall, staring down into the churning white depths as she struggled within herself. Could she take a leap of faith and plummet into the unknown waters below?
Lorch inched behind her, his hand hesitantly sliding up her arm. Her skin rose with gooseflesh at his touch, and she slowly turned to face him. She felt the railing press against the small of her back as Lorch rested his other hand on the railing behind her.
She heard his breath catch as his hand moved to her cheek, drawing warmth along her jawline. “Anything you do not wish to do, Arii, I will not make you.”
Surprise flickered across her features.
He was the King of Fythnar, used to getting everything he wanted, whoever he wanted, and she had no doubt by now that he wanted her.
Yet he hesitated, allowing her to make the choice as to where they were headed, showing a decency so unlike that of what he was rumoured to possess. Arii was still seeing those rumours stamped as false.
Her own hand gently tugged his mask from his face. He did not stop her as she let it clatter to the marble, and she removed her own soon after, adding it to his on the wet floor.
She made her decision and knew exactly where this night was to end, in the arms of this gentle, misunderstood young King.
Her lips met his, and that was the only signal of approval Lorch needed. His hand slid around to the nape of her neck and he deepened their kiss, his body pressing against hers as he pinned her against the railing. She felt warmth erupt in her chest, a pleasant feeling of heat as her hand tangled in his hair, the other clutching his back. Her fingers glanced over the crown, the cool metal against her fingertips causing her to pause.
Lorch broke the kiss and gazed at her, his blue eyes mirroring the depths housing the Water Nymphs beyond.
“Crown,” she said with a smile, and he grinned back.
“Damn thing, so uncomfortable after wearing it for hours on end. Alas, I cannot take it off until in the privacy of my chambers.”
He dipped his head to her neck, placing gentle kisses up to the sensitive skin just beneath her earlobe. Her toes curled in her slippers. Gods, he had no idea what that did to her. If he were Fae, he would be sure to smell her arousal by now.
Thankfully, he was not Fae, but she could not help the small sound that escaped her lips.
Lorch grinned against her neck. “Like that?” he purred, placing another kiss to the spot, causing her to roll her head to the side and a small moan to escape her lips.
“Gods yes,” she whispered hoarsely.
Raindrops glittered against his lashes as he moved to face her, his eyes hooded and dark now.
“If there is anything you do not wish me to do-”
Arii placed a finger against his lips before he could continue.
“You’
d know with steel to your nether regions, Lorch. You may be the King but you are still a man.”
Lorch chuckled and nipped at her bottom lip. “Of course, my little trapeze artist. I do not doubt it.”
She felt the press of steel at her inner thigh, the cool metal reassuring against her skin. She was a guard; protection always came first.
Lorch dipped to retrieve their masks, flicking water from them and handing hers back.
“Shall we find somewhere… warm?” he ventured, his breath misting against her neck.
With a nod, Arii smiled and took his hand.
~~~
Elijah watched as Arii and Lorch returned from their time on the balcony, grabbing glasses of sweet wine and laughing while holding hands. Lorch had no idea what gossip this would begin, the courtiers would have a feeding frenzy as tales of a new mistress to the King fluttered about the kingdom.
Something within him coiled at the idea, his eyes narrowing in on their joined hands.
What was it to him who his friend chose to bed?
Perhaps it was because he still did not fully trust the woman, or perhaps it was the pull he felt between himself and Miss Clearwater.
Was Lorch correct in saying he felt the very same pull to her as what he felt? It was like an invisible thread wrapping around his heart and tugging on his chest. She was beautiful, he had known that the moment he had seen her fell the beast at Lorch’s birthday celebration. Since he had come to know her as a cocky, fire tongued woman who radiated confidence, but also he saw vulnerability in her dark eyes. He believed her to be far deeper than she allowed everyone to see - or allowed herself to feel. He found himself wondering about her past.
What had caused her to build such walls of stone around her heart?
Elijah watched with arms across his chest as Lorch tugged Arii from the room, headed in the direction of his chambers.
Love, Blood & Fury Page 33
