Page 11 of Dreams of Ash and Smoke

“Let’s feast!” The entirety clears to the dining hall and I release Lianna’s hand as we smile at each other and she goes to hug her brother. I follow her up to him and stand patiently aside until his mother and sister are done.

“King Dryston,” I greet him and he smiles big, perfect teeth showing as he looks at me brightly.

This. This happiness is what I had hoped for him. “I am so proud of you.” I beam and he wraps his arms around me and before I can take a breath, his lips meet mine.

I stand in shock before kissing him back. He hasn’t kissed me publicly since we were teens since it was very unbecoming of unwed couples to do so.

After letting go of me, he pulls back and they continue toward the dining hall as well. I stand there, Hadeon off to the side patiently waiting as I take it in.

I feel a pair of eyes boring into me and when I glance toward them, it’s the same dark ebony eyes from last night. A seemingly permanent scowl rests on his face. I see Hadeon glance over to where I am looking and I watch as his brows raise in confusion at King Eryx.

As the feast began, I can’t shake off the feeling of unease that lingers withinme. The grand hall is full of nobles and courtiers celebrating the coronation of King Dryston, but my mind was preoccupied with the enigmatic presence of King Eryx. His intense gaze seems to follow me wherever I went.

I try to push aside my apprehensions and focus on the festivities, engaging in polite conversation with other guests and exchanging celebratory toasts with the newly crowned king. But every so often, I catch a glimpse of King Eryx observing me from across the room, his expression inscrutable yet unsettling.

As the night wore on, I found myself drawn toward the balcony in my room, overlooking the palace gardens, seeking a moment of respite from the revelry below. The cool night air brushes against my skin, offering a brief reprieve from the stifling atmosphere inside.

I can’t help the feeling of being watched. I try looking around outside, seeing no peering eyes or dangers lurking. It’s assumingly just my leftover feelings of the Dark King. Why does he get under my skin? Why do I feel like this?

The need between my legs forces my thighs to rub together until I can’t take it any longer. I move to my bed, laying down and lifting the hem of my night gown to fit my hand between my legs, feeling the moisture building from the thoughts of the King of Khyrel.

I gasp at the feel of my hand, maneuvering it in a sensual way, feeling myself out to determine what I want— what I need.

I find myself succumbing to desire and longing that had been building within me. The memory of King Eryx’s intense gaze fuels the flames of passion that courses through my veins, igniting a hunger that demands to be sated

With trembling hands and a racing heart, I trace patterns of need across my skin, losing myself in the intoxicating dance of pleasure and yearning. Each touch sent shivers down my spine, each whisper of breath a symphony of forbidden desires. My other hand pinches my peaked nipples, a face flashing in my mind revealing onyx eyes unlike anything I’ve seen before.

My back arches in ecstasy as my fingers rub my clit. The energy humming inside me builds and builds as I try and fail to remove Eryx’s face from mymind. I imagine what it would feel like if he were here, touching me the way I’m touching myself.

Would he be giving, unlike Dryston? Would he force me to come over and over until my body feels like water? The hand playing with my chest moves down and I insert two fingers inside myself, a moan slipping from me before I bite down on my lip to silence myself.

I surrender to the sweet torment of my own making, not yet allowing myself a much needed release.

I feel a cool breeze brush over me, realizing my balcony is still open but I can’t be bothered. My eyes squeeze shut at the sensation, as if the whisper of wind is trailing over my body in a tantalizing feel. When I feel the chill of air move down further, touching my center as if on purpose, I can’t contain it anymore. White-hot blinding ecstasy burns within me as I finish.

I regain my breathing, happily sedated when I open my eyes. I know I need sleep now, but my vision catches the moving breeze of shadows in my room. Must be the wind, I think to myself before remembering to shut the balcony, I move under the covers for a rest that consumes me.

Chapter 6: I Vow

Verena

King Dryston and Princess Verena’s Wedding Day

Your presence is hereby cordially requested by the Queen Regent

to witness the marriage of

His Majesty Dryston Whitewell

to Princess Verena Woodall

My mind keeps racing about the Dark King.

His hand. It could not have been a coincidence… right? The marks. They are the same. I would know, I’ve been dreaming of them for years. The same exact tattoo. But what does it mean?

It shouldn’t matter. I am getting married today. To Dryston— the same man who protected me as children, the same man who keeps me safe in the castle, the same fae being that I have known forever.

We are meant to be, meant to rule side by side as King and Queen of Zorya. To keep peace between our bordering country and have royal babies and live happily ever after— as well as we could. And maybe, just maybe, we’d fall in love. We respect each other, care for one another, and honor each other. And I do love him, as much as you do when you grow up withsomeone with the same goal as yours.

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