Page 30 of Brutal Birthright

A faerie of eons past.

She was being pulled towards the thickest crush of the dancefloor. Laughing. Stumbling. Slapping at his shoulder with her free hand, but not in protest. No, the girl was willingly being led away from the rest of her group of friends. Of course, he wanted to get her alone where it would be easy to disguise wandering hands and bodies pressed together.

Rowan chewed down the next slug of whiskey. His fingers flexed against the smooth metal of his flask.

The vampire was all fangs and hands.

Roaming his greedy touches across the curves of her body in a way that he had no fucking right to.

But she didn’t push him away. She let him run his hands all over her. And no matter how hard he tried, Rowan couldn’t take his eyes off every place the dickhead dared to covet. A filthy little bloodsucker who had barely seen a century of existence, and this girl allowed him to grope her.

Flushed cheeks and bright eyes behind the jewels of her mask responded to every sway of their bodies to the beat.

Fuck.

He needed to leave. There was nothing good to come of staying here, and from the way his cock had started to stir at the sight of the girl… no, that was risking territory far too dangerous. He’d made an appearance here tonight—as requested by the queen—and now he’d gladly retreat in search of some fucking peace and quiet.

Peace. And. Fucking. Quiet.

“I need some air,” Ri shouted at the vampire. Even though they were squashed against each other in the crush of the dancefloor, she could barely hear herself think over the sultry beat and deafening noise inside the ballroom.

As much as she was enjoying the feel of Etienne’s possessive hold on her body and indulging in the sensation of maybe being desired for a moment in time, the fae wine had sunk its claws in.

Or maybe it was the spice.

Who fucking knew, but she’d set out on a crash course to enjoy the evening. With Brynne’s bad influence, they’d had a party worthy of the Goddesses in her rooms while getting ready for the ball together. So much so that they’d almost ended up being late.

“You want me to join you, scary girl?” Etienne’s eyes glimmered with the reflection from the magical orbs of light floating just above their heads. His cheekbones looked even more devastating, caressed by long shadows.

She could so easily make terrible decisions with this vampire.

“No, you stay here. I’ll be right back.” Flashing a smile, she ducked and threw herself amongst the melee of bodies. Quickly slipping away, she set off on a zig-zag route for the outer reaches of the ballroom. Bumping into other dancers as she swayed under the haze of wine and magic.

The ballroom used to be part of the fae palace and was a stunning ode to opulence. Nearly every surface was covered in gold or draped with precious jewels, and it felt all too surreal being here now as a student rather than at her sister’s side while Ruby ruled as queen.

She covered her mouth to stifle the laughter bubbling up.

Her sister. A godsdamn queen. Of all fucking things.

Finally, she carved a path through the sea of almost-fornication going on—pushing past couples and groups who were very nearly moving on to the next phase of the evening right in the middle of the ballroom—and burst out into the warm evening. A soft glow of lantern light sprawled across the vast marble terrace and lit up the garden’s edge that lay just beyond the wide railing.

The moon hung plump and full in the sky, surrounded by wisps of clouds caressing her soft edges. Even the cosmos was indulging in the night’s festivities, it would seem.

Ri sucked in a deep inhale of the fragrant summer breeze. At least the terrace seemed to be deserted except for a few silhouettes of bodies gathered down the far end, passing the telltale glowing red cherry of spice back and forth as they shared it with one another.

Her head throbbed, and blood sang with the lingering effects of wine. The potency and concoction of magic-infused drinks she and Brynne had indulged in was kicking her ass. She just needed a little quiet for a few moments to gather herself. It wasn’t like she’d left Etienne to go looking for him…

No. She had been on a mission to avoid any sight or hint of Rowan this evening—content to wrap herself around the handsome vampire and try to forget about her torturously gorgeous tormentor.

But Goddesses save her from her own foolish self. She’d felt the pang of something hollow in her chest the longer the evening went on, and she hadn’t seen him. Getting dressed in this stupid silver costume—as a fucking delicate little faerie, which Brynne had thought was hilarious, pointing out with a slurred giggle, ‘because you’re fae and your name is Ri!’ over and over—she had actually felt beautiful.

Only to realise that she was stupidly disappointed when there had been no sign of him to see her dressed in something other than the sweat and dirt of the training arena.

Spirits and Stars. Ri lowered her forehead against the cool marble of the railing. The smooth stone acted as her anchor while she gripped tight, swaying slightly on her feet.

“Are you hiding from the crowds too?”

She jerked upright at the sound of the feminine voice close by. Her eyes slightly unfocused, and a fuzziness coated her tongue.

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