Page 3 of Of Night and Blood: Special Edition

Chapter Two

Ispotted Kafele Selassie and Nicola Salvatore dancing in the center of the room, grace and beauty incarnate. Nicola’s curly brown locks bounced and swayed with their every move, keeping in time with the music. Her full lips were tilted up in a shy smile, but the gleam in her hazel eyes was mischievous. The red gown she wore mirrored wine with its color and fluidity, making it seem as if she were floating.

Kafele wore the classic black that every other male wore, except for Bellamy apparently, and his single gold earring shined brightly under the lights. Through his well-kept beard I saw his broad smile, the black hair and his ebony skin making his teeth appear even whiter. He looked down at her with so much adoration and love that their dance felt too intimate to be watched. Or perhaps that was the slight red hue to his lips that matched hers, suggesting they were far closer than that at some point in the evening.

Giving myself a break from the agonizing torture that was true love, I headed to the table full of food, my stomach growling violently at the sight of the delicious spread. Glancing at the two thrones on the far end of the room, I checked to make sure Mia was not looking my way when I popped a sugary pastry in my mouth. I was not supposed to be indulging in sweets for the foreseeable future due to my “rather full figure,” as the castle seamstress called it.

I had always been aware of the fact my size was not that of most young females around me, but it never seemed to be a problem until the agreement with King Lawrence was made. He was the only one of the mortal kings who was willing to spark an alliance, even with the offer of my hand on the table. Mia knew I needed to impress Prince Sterling in order to make the truce work. After all, he had the right to reject the marriage.

Regardless of my desire to make peace with the Mortal Realm, I did not feel as though I should have to marry a crown prince to do so. I remembered protesting that it would leave the mortals of his lands without an heir, but Xavier said that Sterling’s older sister, Genevieve, was in line for the throne. So that meant I needed to fit into a smaller dress, apparently.

My hand instinctively reached down to my soft stomach. Where most were flat, I was round. This included other parts of my body as well. I recalled the other night when Nicola and I challenged each other to swim nude in the lake behind the castle.

Where her breasts were small and perky, mine were full and slightly hung. Where her hips flowed smoothly down to her thighs, mine curved out. A small part of me understood the reason for restricting my diet, but I mostly loathed it, especially now that I was being watched.

Snatching another sweet just to defy everyone, I ate it and once again watched the dancing pairs in front of me. Two males sweeping across the room caught my eye, and I instantly knew that the couple was Jasper Cromwell and Farai Sibanda.

Many of the fae my age were married or betrothed, with this couple being the former. Farai willed his nose into that of a pig, causing Jasper to let out a laugh. The two Shifters seemed to have a running joke, always attempting to make the other laugh at inopportune times. Seeing them made my chest ache. More often than not, I felt left out and lonely despite my own engagement.

Lost in thought, I did not hear someone approach me until I felt hot breath on my cheek.

“Would you like to dance, Asher?” Sterling asked, placing his hands on my waist from behind.

Even through my many layers, his touch made my skin crawl, every glorious tingle that lingered from Bellamy’s hands fading immediately.

Rage threatened to take over when his hands slid down to my hips. Sucking in a deep breath, I moved out of his grasp and turned to face him.

In truth the prince was rather handsome. His golden curls were thick and shone in the light. His brown eyes were large, and his blonde eyelashes framed them in a beautiful way. He was average height for mortal standards, though that was shorter than most males in our realm, standing at eye level with me. His skin had begun to tan from the weather in the Fae Realm, but the autumn chill was slowly returning it to that pink hue it had been when we first met.

The black tunic he wore had gold stitching to match not only his hair, but also my gown. I had picked out a silky black fabric, but instead was put into one so gold it reflected the light. Not that I was surprised, I never wore anything other than gold.

The bodice was pulled as tight as it would go, and the skirts flared out, weighing me down. My crown sat atop my head, golden branches reaching towards the sky, diamonds accented throughout. It was a smaller, less grand version of Mia’s, made to represent her Earth power. Xavier’s was golden flames instead, bigger than necessary, but Fires were proud like that.

The crown atop Sterling’s head was also gold, but adorned with startlingly large emeralds and rubies, highlighting his title and his wealth.

As if we all were unaware somehow.

My problem was not with his appearance, but rather his arrogance.

“Prince Sterling, as I have asked many times, please do not touch me without my permission,” I said with the most respect I could conjure, which was not a lot.

He smiled as if I did not just remind him of his own indecency. Placing his hands behind his back, Sterling took a slow step towards me, his eyes falling to my breasts. I let out a small cough, catching his attention and bringing it back to my eyes.

“Yes, you have. I am sorry for being inappropriate,” he responded. I thought I heard a hint of amusement in his voice, but his tone was mostly sincere. I should move on; Mia would want me to. “You are just so beautiful it is hard to keep my hands to myself,” he whispered, getting close to my ear again.

He was simply nervous about what the night signified, I told myself. Or excited. Maybe both. Our impending marriage was terrifying and… well, terrifying. I knew I was struggling to find words that would fit the arrangement, which would leave us bound together for the rest of our days. Xavier and Mia had not gone into detail about how the magic would work, but they confirmed that for as long as I lived, so would Sterling.

My lips formed a thin line.

“Thank you, but be that as it may, I still do not wish to be touched without being asked first,” I stated bluntly, taking another large step back.

His smile turned predatory as he quickly closed the space, barely leaving room between our bodies. My hands began to shake with fury at his blatant lack of respect. Before I could do something foolish, Sterling spoke again.

“Would you dance with me, Asher? I promise to be well mannered. I just want to dance with my bride-to-be.” Sterling held out his hand, waiting for me to agree. To submit.

My eyes veered to the left where I felt the stares of King Xavier and Queen Mia watching us intently. They both had smiles on their mouths, but their stiff body language told me they were nervous I would mess this up.

Was Sterling aware we had an audience? Had he waited to ask me until he knew I would be in a position where I could not deny him? I felt in my gut that the answer was yes.

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