Page 111 of Crown of Chaos

After a slow, deep breath, I stepped through the portal. I felt it closing behind me to prevent it from being detected. Swallowing my unease, I looked up at the castle that was lit up. Normally, I assessed them to figure out how I’d bring them down. Tonight, I was trying to gain access to it, and it felt strange to just walk right up to the front door.

I made my way down the path and joined the queue of guests waiting in line. Men and women bowed their heads in hushed conversation. Each one spoke of the match hoping to land one or benefit from the union. If I had someone to gossip with, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to, so I just moved with the crowd, slowly getting closer to the door. I handed the card off to a guard. He read the invite and carefully and then glanced at me.

“Water,” he stated, and I barely contained the groan.

“Fire is harder, isn’t it?” I asked, wondering if Esme had gotten it wrong as I lifted my fingers. The tips of them danced with flames, and I prayed they went out easier this time than they had the last.

“Beautiful flames, mistress. Enjoy your time tonight.” He smiled tightly as he stepped aside and allowed me to move past him.

My heartbeat was thumping wildly against my rib cage as I ascended the stone steps, and I told myself to focus on my feet so I wouldn’t trip. At the top of the stairs, I followed the woman in front of me through the massive double doors that were bracketed by guards and brightly lit torches.

Inside, the palace was already crowded and “Haunting” by Halsey was playing, revealing that my family was here. With silent strength steeling my spine, I moved deeper into enemy territory and toward the main ballroom.

Picking up the skirt of my dress just enough to avoid tripping, I descended the staircase that led into the large room that was decorated elegantly. Instead of waiting to be announced at the bottom of the stairs, I slipped behind the men and blended in with the crowd.

Couples danced or spoke to one another, and I passed them. All the while, I scanned the masked faces, looking for familiar oceanic-blue eyes.

I found him standing by Killian, Brander, and Lore against the farthest wall, all of them looking as if they’d prefer to be in a field of battle rather than here. They were easily the tallest creatures inside the room, and I kept my eyes on Knox’s black domino mask covered in midnight jewels as I wove through the crowd separating us.

A few feet short of them, I stopped and waited for his eyes to find me. His nose lifted into the air, and his predatory gaze was pinned on me. A wolfish smiled lifted his lips, and I started past him, heading through the doorway to his right. I could sense him slowly following.

The hallway I walked down were wide, brightly lit, and had several offshoots that I passed before finding one that looked promising. I hurried down it, sensing and hearing heavy footsteps following behind me. It wasn’t only Knox pursuing me.

Fear made my entire body tremor, and I fought the panic rushing through my mind, taunting me I’d had been foolish and reckless to come here. What if he caught me and turned me over to Aurora to be detained? What if he was marrying Sabine, and my coming here to throw myself at him was a huge mistake? My steps hastened as I tried to put more distance between us.

At the end of the hallway, a doorway came into view, and there was just enough light coming from beyond it to let me know someone had left the door ajar. I pushed inside, and closed the door as quietly as I could before searching for a window to escape through. There were several options, including another door off to the left, but I wouldn’t reach any of them before Knox caught me. If I erected a barrier, the entire party would feel the power and know I was here. I was the biggest idiot alive for even entertaining this damn idea.

I felt his overwhelming presence, which sent butterflies rushing through my belly. His enticing scent enveloped me in calmness. Knox had a way of making the world fade away, and all of my anxiousness and fear vanished with it. He dominated the space, washing away the tension as he stood in the doorway, choosing what happened next.

I’d done as he instructed and not allowed anything to prevent me from getting to him. What happened now would define how we went from here. He’d either betray me or protect me. I was giving him trust, and he was aware that I feared nothing that threatened me. Not even him.

Unhurriedly, I strode to the wide wooden desk that sat in the middle of the room. The moment I placed my palms flat against the wood, I felt him behind me. His deep sultry purring slid over my skin, and then fingertips slowly drifted up my arms.

“Guard the door,” Knox ordered. “No one comes in here.” His hot breath fanned against my neck, and then his mouth touched the curve of my shoulder. “You’re afraid? Is it because you don’t trust me or because you think I’d betray you, Aria?”

“You’re not marrying Sabine,” I whispered, unable to admit that I feared both options.

“No, I’m not.” His husky laughter vibrated against my shoulder. He leisurely slid his lips from my shoulder, kissing my spine at the bottom of my neck. He brushed a few strands of hair out of his way, gently running his fingers against the skin. One hand slid around to my chest, slowly moving higher until his palm pressed against the base of my throat, forcing me back into the heat of his body. “I have a mate, and she’s brilliant and beautiful inside and out. There’s not another creature in this world who burns brighter than she does. Now, I’m going to remind you of why you chose me, which we both know wasn’t because I was kind to you, wife.”

Tears swam in my eyes as he kissed his way to my ear. My entire body trembled with anticipation instead of fear. It was a relief that he hadn’t betrayed me. At least, not in the way that it mattered most.

“You are mine, now and forever more, woman. Without you, I will become the monster this world fears you to be. You’re my light, and I will always fight for this thing between us. And no, I no longer think monsters wage war. Love makes them because it’s something that we become as we fight to keep it, and in the end, it is what will destroy us. I know that now because I’d bring this world to ruins and claim you within the ashes if you ask it of me.”

“Hold on to me, Knox,” I whispered. “Not only in this moment but also when the world becomes cruel and war ravishes it. Don’t give up on me. I need you to hold me and not allow me to become a monster. Just don’t let go yet.”

Chapter Fifty-Four

Knox’s hungry lips eased thetension, fighting to pull me into the deep abyss. The hand against my throat wasn’t preventing air from reaching my lungs, but it held me in place, prisoner to his hungry lips that gently dragged over the white scars his teeth had left during the claiming.

His touch and the way he leisurely explored my skin with his lips was causing my thighs to clench. Lava rushed through my veins, gathering to pool at my core. I moaned, unable to contain the sound of pleasure.

The log in the fire snapped, sending confetti of embers dancing, and the pattering of rain that had started outside sought to soothe my frazzled edges. I lifted my head, gazing toward the window I’d thought to use to escape him, and paused at Knox’s heated stare reflected in it.

His mouth curved into a smile, and he reached up, untying the mask I wore. It dropped from my face, which had not a trace of magic on it tonight, and landed next to where he’d abandoned his own mask.

“You are so beautiful, Aria,” he growled next to my ear, fanning the surrounding skin teasingly. His hands lifted to the thin straps that held my dress up, untying them. My stomach tightened painfully with desire, and there was a soft, needy throb to my clit. “Is your pussy wet for me?”

“Always, Knox.”

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