Page 69 of Lord of Dance and Desire

He lifted one arm, his other hand sliding around my waist as I mirrored the opening pose, waiting for the music to begin.

Andrei looked down at me, eyes glinting. Jesus, this man was beautiful. He wore all gold tonight, shimmering like a supernatural Midas, even his skin and lips gold. I couldn’t tell if the metallic gleam was makeup or glamour. His jewel-bright eyes, shadowed in gray and purple, were the only pop of secondary color other than his emerald dark hair.

Definitely glamour, or else I’d have paint all over my dress.

I wore teal, a shade slightly too green and iridescent to match his eyes, but close. The fabric reminded me of mermaid scales, and I wondered if that was a deliberate, subtle reference to the siren-like lure of my succubus nature.

The music began, and we danced, spinning and weaving. I closed my eyes and let myself go.

I'd inserted a lift and a leap here and there to please the High Lord, and to demonstrate why I was Casakraine’s prima ballerina though I hadn’t been with the company for even a full year.

There would be no whispers of politics after the opening night.

I would crush all the rumors and rub my detractors’ faces in the vomit of their gossip.

There were nopoliticsinvolved in my elevation. I'd earned my spot.

I opened my eyes briefly, and caught a glimpse of the High Lord's face, her daughter at her side. Miahela was obviously bored, but a faint smile curved Issahelle’s lips. A nearly gentle smile, but then the High Lord could afford to display gentleness. No one would mistake it for weakness.

No, it was her official stamp of approval. Tonight was my formal introduction to the Courts, but it was also their first formal warning that messing with me would mean messing with the Sahakian-Casakraines. It was also about assuring them that the Heir taking a mostly mortal bonded wasn't a sign of the House’s deterioration.

Not when that mortal bonded could kill with just a drop of succubus blood. Not when it was said that the mortal bonded was a deliberate choice of the High Lord, rather than an unfortunate joke of the Darkness.

The satin rose in my blood, but it was sluggish. It was becoming harder to cling to that spark of joy these days. Maybe I was still healing.

Or maybe knowing I was a prisoner in a pretty cage was crushing my spirit.

At some signal the rest of the Court joined the dance, though it wasn't ordered. They were Fae, after all, and they danced as they pleased.

Andrei whirled me to the edge of the ballroom, and down the flight of stairs that led to the grounds and the Brothers Grimm forest beyond.

He didn't stop walking until we had breached the edges of that forest, the ballroom at our backs like a glowing beacon, music drifting in the air. He halted.

I turned to him. “Is this where you feed me to the witch?”

Andrei cupped my face between his hands. “No, bonded. This is where I give you back a true choice.”

I stared up at him. “What do you mean?” Weariness descended. “Please, let's not do this again.” Why was he rattling the cage?

He placed a finger on my lips. “Hush. Just listen to me. I was wrong, Hasannah. I knew I was wrong when I took you to the realm gate. It was a false choice, and a cruelty. I knew you wouldn't be able to walk away from me. I was. . .rubbing your face in your weakness. I was frustrated.”

“And now?”

Andrei lowered his hands slowly, stepping back. “I can't set you loose on the city. It wouldn't be safe for you.” A smile flashed across his face. “Or them. So you'll always have a quad to protect you. If you’d like to live apart from me, I won't stop you.” His jaw tightened. “If you’d like to live apart from me, and never see me again, fine. Or we can court. It will be your choice. As much as I can offer you a choice without sacrificing your safety, and the interests of my House.”

Every word out of his throat he dragged like a dead, beaten horse by the ankle behind him.

“Am I going to have to deal with your attitude about the separate living situation if I continue to see you?” I asked.

Andrei tipped his head back, displeasure in the almost pout of his bottom lip. “By ‘see,’ you mean when you invite me over to fuck and then send me on my way when you’ve had your fill.”

That. . .sounded kind of good? There were days I couldn’t get ten minutes of quiet time. Mostly I didn’t mind—I could tune Andrei and the luudthen out, but eventually we’d need to come to an understanding. Maybe I’d let him build me that home studio after all.

With a sturdy lock.

“You could spend the night sometime. As long as you cooked.” I’d gotten used to it.

He gave me a look.

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