Page 57 of Summer's Seduction

There was one table in the center of the hall, a little taller than my waist but far too small to accommodate the entire room for dinner. The snake's tail gave another hiss as my pulseraced, but I desperately fought to keep the scent of my fear from lingering.

There was a crisp command, one in another language, and then my chimera was gone. Fury rose with my urge to protect the chimera, and I snapped my gaze to the one responsible for its dismissal.

“My apologies.” Lucius stepped forward with a smirk, dipping his chin slightly as I met his stare. “No pets allowed.”

There was a low rumble of laughter at his words, but I banished any thoughts about using my magic to make a fool out of him. I’d come to his home. Attacking the host or the host’s commander was never a good idea.

Instead, I turned from him and focused on scanning the ballroom, noticing far too many hungry eyes staring at me before I found the one pair I’d been searching for. Morpheus’s golden gaze ringed in red, met mine, and all at once, it felt like I could do anything.

I crossed the room toward him, needing to be by his side. He was The Prince of the Slumber and Nightmare Kingdoms, the ruler of these lands, and I was the woman he’d chosen to share himself with. I’m sure some would see us as nothing more than a fling. Gods knew he’d established enough of a reputation, but I trusted him when he said he had never shared his mind—his soul—with another.

Morpheus’s gaze darkened as he traced the thin layers of my gown. My nipples hardened under his attention, slickness building between my thighs at just the thought of him. I was so focused on the way he drank me in, his fangs peeking out beneath that wicked grin of his, that I didn’t see the man standing next to him until he stepped forward.

“Welcome to my home, Larkspur.”

Egerius dipped his head in an overt display of respect, but something about the way his golden eyes held my gaze had mefighting the urge to shriek back. They were only a few shades darker than Morpheus’s eyes but a coldness lurked beneath the surface.

He reached for my hand, pressing a kiss to the back before giving it a gentle squeeze as he leaned close. “Welcome, Lady Larkspur.”

The scent of pine and leather washed over me as his words unlocked something in my mind. It was only a flash, a brief image of the strong-jawed man before me. The same but different.

The gray streaks in his hair had vanished, and his chest and shoulders filled out a military uniform, the silver clothes streaked in red. Snow covered the ground at his feet where tile was currently. Deep banks stretched up the slope of a vast mountain behind him with sharp, clear spikes protruding from the ground and leaving rainbow prisms dancing in the sun.

I remember thinking it felt wrong to have the reflected rainbows against the white of undisturbed snow—for there to be something so beautiful in a place filled with so much sorrow.

Lord Egerius drew back, his face a mask of utmost politeness as his body blocked me from Morpheus’s view. He let his smile stretch, but those cold, calculating eyes studied me, noting each ragged breath, every minute flicker of confusion and panic flitting across my features.

His grin widened as my heart raced, his smile only faltering a moment when he caught sight of the chimera at my side. The lion's head nuzzled into me as if sensing I needed strength while the serpent tail unwound, arching over the goat's spine to hiss at Egerius.

Before anyone could notice, Egerius lifted his hands toward the waiting ballroom. “Now that our guests have arrived, the party can begin.”

Egerius clapped a hand on Morpheus’s back, leaning in to say something that made my Dark Prince smile before flashing me a concealed glance. Our little exchange had been over in a matter of seconds, but being left on my own at a young age had taught me to trust my instincts. And one thing was clear: Despite the warm welcome and the joy he brought Morpheus, Egerius couldn’t be trusted.

MORPHEUS

“Ithought we were going to dinner?” Larkspur asked, glancing around as I led her toward the dance floor. She looked like a goddess, like my most desperate dreams of her had come to life. The wisps of black fabric draped across her body hardly covered the shape of her breasts, her nipples hard and peaked against it, and the slits along her thighs reached clear up to her waist.

She was bare beneath the shadow of a dress. Others here were thinking it. I knew they were, just like I knew Lucius had seen my goddess enter the ballroom with a chimera at her side and an entourage of female warriors at her back, with my scent—my blood racing through her veins and my come filling her core—and they had immediately wanted her.

Maybe that’s why I wanted us to dance. To listen to the music and get lost in happiness before the reality of war and bloodshed came crashing back.

“There will be feeders later,” I said, raising her hand to my shoulder as I settled mine dangerously low on her back. Gods below, this dress was torturous.

“Feeders as in people?”

Larkspur’s dark brows pinched as she glanced toward Artemis and the others clustered on the side of the room, looking decidedly uninterested in fitting in. A part of me had expected their reluctance, but after Egerius’s personal tour of the city and the rack of gowns to choose from, I’d hoped they’d like it here. Or, at the very least, play the part until after we secured the key.

I nodded as the music began, guiding her through a series of turns and twists. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”

She shook her head as we spun, looping around other couples before rejoining on beat. Her brows drew together as she glanced over my shoulder, catching sight of Egerius as the song ended and another began.

“All feeders are voluntary,” I breathed, leading her through a series of fast-paced twirls. Careful to keep our conversation low, I continued, “I know it’s a lot to take in, but Egerius practically raised me. He’s saved me from a beating on more than one occasion, and despite being my father’s commander, he’s disobeyed a direct order to punish me on more than one occasion.”

Larkspur’s eyes bounced from Egerius and back to me, indecision clear across her face. “What’s with the cloaks?”

My lips tilted up to the side at the unexpected question. “They mark your status for dinner. Black means you will not be fed from.”

Egerius had assured me he had black cloaks sent to Artemis, her huntresses, and Larkspur, along with dresses to choose from. Seeing as this was only one stop on a long journey, I’d expected everyone to remain in their warrior tunics, but I’d been pleasantly surprised to see Larkspur indulging.

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