Page 41 of Dreams of Ash and Smoke

He pulls me to him, our chests barely brushing as he raises our connected hands and trails his other hand up from my lower back when I freeze at the attention. His hand glides to my arm, down to my fingers where fire trails after him before lightly pushing my hand up to his shoulder, where it rests and he finds my lower back once more. His familiar scent of freshly baked dessert stirs feelings within me. Sending a rush of pleasure to my core.

My breath stutters and I know he feels it, feels my chest rise and fall in rapid succession.

But the closeness? It allows me to feel his too. When I realize this isn’t only affecting me, but him as well, I stare into his heated, darkened gaze. The music starts and so do we. It’s like my body isn’t my own, following his every lead as if we’d danced together a million times before. We fit perfectly together, seemingly made for one another and my heart clenches in my chest.

Fated mates were rare, extremely, and while I’ve read about them, I never thought I might have one because of the fate that awaited me in the Courtof Dawn. But this? I’ve never felt like this.

But when you meet your mate, a mark shows up on your body, matching each other in shape and position. And as far as I know, none have popped up. I’d feel it.

I can’t tell if I’m disappointed or not.

Our bodies sway, the entire time no one else joins in but I feel multiple gazes. Questions hang in the air. But his eyes? Those dark brown eyes get darker the longer he stares into my indigo ones. I can’t seem to look away as he leads the dance in a traditional waltz. His jaw ticks, the pulse on his throat throbs, and I feel his hand on my waist get tighter.

I get even closer to him, basking in the warmth even as my body feels on fire.

The music is beautiful and I think I’d dream of this moment for eternity.

Chapter 20: Enlighten

Verena

When the song ends, he looks as if he wants to keep going and I almost open my mouth to ask us too. But we stop, eyes still locked. Other couples join the dance floor as another song starts.

“Thank you for the dance.” I speak softly, my words seemingly inaudible but I know he hears me. My heart continues beating fast and suddenly I do not feel like partying any longer.

When he finally lets me go, I step away and find his mother in the crowd as she watches her eldest child and myself.

“Verena, dear, you look stunning.”

I give her a curtsy, “Thank you, Calanthe. Merry Natal Day. I’ve suddenly gotten an ache in my head and I fear I need rest. I am deeply sorry for cutting your celebration short. If you’ll excuse me?” I ask, seeing how pale my skin looks in the mirror behind her, noting Eryx still staring at me, making his way over to us.

She nods in understanding, her eyes reading me as if she was my own mother and I take my leave.

My bare feet hastily take me from the room, not caring who watches.

The guards at the entry doors pay me no mind as I rush out of the doors. I need to get out. I feel as if I cannot breathe.

Something in me snaps, like a taut string finally breaking under pressure, and tears fill my eyes for reasons I’m unsure of. The salty liquid blurs my vision, threatening to spill over onto my cheeks. Everything tonight was overwhelming, a cacophony of sights, sounds, and emotions that left me reeling. I’m not quite sure how to feel, my heart a jumble of conflicting sensations.

I round a corner, my feet moving of their own accord, when I smack straight into another fae. The impact is jarring, and I gasp, the sound sharp in the quiet corridor. I struggle to hold back the water in my eyes, blinking rapidly. “Verena.” The voice is unfamiliar to me, melodic yet cold, and I look up to see a beautiful fae. Her features are ethereal, almost painfully perfect, with high cheekbones and eyes that shimmer like precious gems.

“Do I know you?” I ask her, my voice barely above a whisper. I try to leave without being rude, my body angling away from her imposing presence.

“You don’t belong here,” she hisses, her words dripping with venom. “He is not yours. Do you understand me?” Her eyes narrow, flashing dangerously. “Eryx will marry me, my father will see to it or otherwise he will lose his council’s approval of any future decisions. Leave Khyrel.” She steps closer, the scent of jasmine and something darker, more sinister, wafting from her skin. “Or you will not live to see another week.”

The threat, so blatant and cold, makes me scoff. I look into her muddy eyes, like stagnant pools of water, and feel a surge of defiance rise within me. The fear that had gripped me moments ago dissipates, replaced by a steely resolve.

“I do not even know you but I do not care. You threaten me?” I huff a laugh, the tears drying rapidly. “You have no idea who I am, what I have endured in my life, or where I come from. Eryx is owned by no one and he is certainly not owned by you, a pompouscuntwho is probably so pampered she needs daddy to even shit.” I have no control over the words flowing from my mouth, but it doesn’t matter.

Her hands come up around my throat with a ferocious strength, cutting off my air supply and causing me to panic for a moment. But then my instincts kick in and I quickly reach for the small blade hidden under thefabric of my clothing. With swift movements, I slice upwards on her wrist and downwards on the other, drawing deep lines that immediately began to bleed. A warm, sticky sensation spreads across my chest as her blood drips down onto me.

She lets out a scream of pain and anger, stepping back from me. “What is wrong with you?” she shouts, her eyes blazing with fury and fear, a delicious mix of both.

I grip the blade in a defensive stance, forcing her to stop in her tracks before she can try to hurt me further. “I am not afraid to kill you, you wretched shrew,” I spat out, my voice laced with venom. “Come any closer and I will see to it myself, since no one else seems to have the guts.”

Blood continues to pour from her wounds and I can’t help but smirk at the damage. “You should hurry to the healers,” The taunting words leave my lips, “But be warned, your fae healing powers won’t work against the poison on this blade.”

She snarls at me before turning and running in the opposite direction of where I want to go. Dark red droplets stain the ground behind her, a satisfying sight for someone who had been treated like a puppet their entire life.

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