Page 21 of Dance with the Dragon Duke

“Yes,” Dark drawled. “Pretending.”

After another lap around the ballroom, they stopped and snacked in front of the wide glass windows that opened onto a balcony overlooking a snow-covered courtyard. A great oak tree dominated the center. It had been preserved magically with a fae glamour that turned it so white it resembled stone. Four young trees full of vibrant green leaves defied the winter weather, growing around it.

“I love the snow,” Tomorrow said, nibbling on a corner of bundt cake. “The immortal trees keep it so warm up north we never get any, but it’s captivating, isn’t it? It makes everything it touches even more beautiful.”

“Do you want to walk outside and enjoy it?” Dark finished his plate of fruit and assorted cheeses and handed it off to a server.

Tomorrow shivered at the thought. “The Seelie aren’t made for the cold.”

“What if I promise to keep you close?” Dark’s grin went crooked, and her heart stuttered.

How could anyone say no to a sly smile like that?

They donned their coats and walked the courtyard. The sun had risen above the trees flanking the manor, setting the clouds aflame in the sky. Her nose was half-frozen, but tucked as she was against Dark’s dragon heat, it wasn’t unpleasant.

Tomorrow stuck out her tongue and caught a falling flake on the tip of it. Dark chortled at her. He held her so close she felt the vibration of his joy against her side. His warmth seeped under her skin, chasing off the chill.

They had an audience on the balcony above. Tomorrow felt her cousin’s malicious eyes before she caught him scowling at her.

“It occurs to me,” Dark grumbled, “that all your problems might be solved if I simply murdered your foul cousin.”

“If only,” Tomorrow rasped. “Alas, I’m Seelie, and I’m no rat.”

Only a rat would harm a family member. There was no greater dishonor amongst her kind than that. Glen and the rest of the Freest clan were rats. She would not be like them. She would happily see him carted off to a prison cell, however. That was no less than what he and the rest of his clan deserved.

“Youwouldn’t be killing him, mind you,” he said playfully. “I could just change into my dragon form like I changed into my formal wear this morning, pluck him off that balcony, and gobble him whole right now.”

She laid a hand on his chest earnestly. “You can’t,” she insisted. “First, I’d still bear the burden of the dishonor since you’re only in this mess because of me, and there are loads of other Freests. They really are like rats. I don’t think even youcould eat all of them. Besides, you’d get into trouble, wouldn’t you? I’d like to see Glen in irons, not you.”

Dark shrugged. “Maybe a little trouble. The Lunar queen is fond of my sister, so it’s hard to say. It’d be worth it either way, I think.”

The fae man called Jonas stepped out onto the balcony. He shared a gruff word with Glen that Tomorrow couldn’t make out, though it pleased her to see her cousin affronted once more. In a temper, Glen stormed back inside. Appearing amused with himself, Jonas leaned over the stone rim, watching as his wife and daughter entered through the gates to explore the courtyard below. String music floated out from the ballroom, carried softly on the air. A dragon song.

“Ah, I know this one,” the duke said, dark gaze shining in the new morning light. “We have to dance to this one.”

Tomorrow bit her bottom lip. “Oh, but . . .”

“I’ve got you,” he reminded her, holding her not just with his arms—his steaming tail came up to hug her hip. It was pleasantly warm, like a hot water bottle.

She smiled down at it. “If we see any more unsavory sorts like Glen, I think we should—”

“Come and dance with me,” he said, his voice so penetratingly rich she wanted to bask in it. “If anyone else so much as looks at you cross, I’ll rip their head off and breathe fire down their throat. How does that sound?”

Tomorrow stared at him, jaw slack. Then her lips closed with a pop. “Actually, that sounds lovely. Thank you.”

On the lawn, at the crest of a small hill where the snow was thinner, Dark led her through the steps of the Unseelie dance. He held her close, warming her front, and when her feet felt leaden and didn’t move quickly enough, he lifted her, floating her into the next turn as though she were weightless.

He spun her again, and Tomorrow laughed until she was breathless, her heart fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird within the cage of her ribs. His hand at her back hovered low on her spine. The attentive touch reminded her of the kiss they’d shared. It had been for show, of course, but gods above and below, pressing her lips to his had felt like a spiritual event, like an awakening in her soul. He’d kissed her so enthusiastically, so convincingly, she’d forgotten for a moment that they were play-acting.

Guests gathered around the gates, chatting amicably. The fae woman with the pink skin walked her mortal daughter around the enchanting courtyard as the music changed.

“I don’t know this song,” Dark confessed.

“That’s all right,” Tomorrow breathed. Being able to dance again at all was a brilliant revelation. She nearly felt like her old self. “I know this one,” she said.

Tomorrow wasn’t done with him yet. She kept her hand clasped in his and took the lead, not caring if she got the timing wrong. Dark was terrible at following but very good-humored about it. She slowed their pace to fit the new soulful tune. At this speed, she could find her wind and even speak to him.

“Thank you for this,” she said softly, her breath puffing out between them, casting up a small cloud. Her feet were still heavy, but she didn’tfeelclumsy in his arms. She didn’t feel like an imposter at his side. She belonged here . . . maybe not in this royal manor, buthere, in her pretty dress, dancing with the dragon duke she was coming to respect deeply.

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