Page 26 of Snow White

I look away and nod before running off. My breath is heavy in my chest, and warmth pools in my core, creating an empty ache that I know only Azura can fill. These thoughts of Azura and the sensations they create scare me. They aren’t right, and I shouldn’t be thinking about her in this manner. I need to get a hold of myself before my imagination gets me in trouble.

Chapter Seventeen

Azura

I am the last to arrive for dinner, and I take the open seat between Snow and Belle. My scan of Belle’s mind leaves me satisfied that my spell erased the memory of our fucking. I barely had time to craft the spell before Belle opened the door. For now, the memory of us arguing over something meaningless replaces it, but her mind is stronger than I expected. I shore up the walls of the spell, making sure it doesn’t falter. I’ll have to keep checking them. If Belle remembers, she could truly destroy all my carefully laid plans.

Belle is a threat, and I should eliminate her.All threats to me gaining this power must perish before they have the time to grow roots. Usually, I don’t rely on fallible memory spells that can be broken by a strong mind.

Memory spells are draining and require constant maintenance. Normally, I would have simply disposed of her, but something stayed my hand. Some unwelcome thought prevented me from ripping the heart from Belle’s chest and eating it.

What would Snow think if one of her treasured friends vanished?

The intrusive thoughts press into my mind, though none of the struggle shows on my face. Since when do I care what Snow thinks?If Snow wasn’t so fucking...innocently seductive, so fucking alluring, I wouldn’t have been so tempted by what Belle offered. I wouldn’t have fallen so easily into the honey trap between Belle’s pale thighs. I would have fuckingresisted.But all I could think of was Snow. She was all I could see. I put my mouth on Belle and dreamed it was the taste of frosted apples. Snow’s scent, flawless skin, and... well, fuck everything about her calls to me. I should despise her innocence and attempt to corrupt it, making her just like everyone else, just likeme.

Snow is not the target!

Marrying Snow would not give me the powers I need.Marrying her?When did I start to consider that? Still, my face remains blank, even as my mind reels.

“Azura, I apologize about earlier,” Belle murmurs, thoroughly contrite. Her shoulders are hunched, her tan cheeks flushed. She apologizes, even though I can hear her thoughts, and she isn’t exactly sure if she should be apologizing.

I glance at her, feigning a gentle smile. “A simple misunderstanding between friends.”

You were an itch to be scratched, nothing more.

I rarely go back for seconds, but with Snow, I doubt I’d be satisfied with only once. It isn’t like me at all, but I’d go back for seconds, thirds, and fourths. I really need to get her out of my head.

Belle nods, even though I can hear the churning in her mind. She scratches at the mental barriers in her memory. I grind my teeth and rebuild them as Belle turns her attention to Snow. “Are you sure you’re all right, Snow?”

I follow Belle’s gaze, frowning when I see Snow poking at her food, moving it around the plate instead of eating it. I open my mouth to comment, but the king enters, his smile magnanimous. “Good evening.”

He is handsome, I suppose. His dark skin is lighter than Snow’s, less awe-inspiring, but he looks far younger than his years with broad shoulders and narrow hips. He is charming and likable, yet he resorted to this to find himself a queen. I know I pulled the strings, but I never truly considered his motives. I scan his thoughts, disengaging from them with a pang. He wants Snow’s help to pick. He values his daughter’s thoughts and wishes that much.

The other women flutter, trying to catch his attention. I take Snow’s hand while they’re distracted. “Snow?”

She doesn’t look at me but slips her hand out of mine. I have to stop myself from flinching as something that feels likehurtblossoms in my chest. Instinctually, I reach out to touch her mind, only to slam into those icy walls. I want to burn those walls with dragon fire, to finally know what lurks in her mind. Yet, I can’t. I’m not powerful enough to fight a Vessel for one of the Elemental Spirits. Not yet.

“I assume you have all heard about the showcase this Friday?” the king asks, smiling at the women around the table. The room is abuzz with noise and excitement at the prospect of being able to display a unique skill in the hopes of catching his eye. I barely hear the exchanges around me, focusing instead on Snow’s hand. The hand she pulled from mine. The hand I want to grab back.

“I am excited to see what you all come up with, though I do have some bad news,” the king adds.

That has my attention.

“Oh? What news, your majesty?” my voice borders on saccharine, unable to force the elegant tones I usually use. Most of my focus is on measuring the exact distance between my hand and Snow’s.

He sighs heavily. “I will have to depart for a week to deal with some business.”

“Nothing too serious, I hope?” I ask, forcing my face to display some slight concern. I draw my brow down, a slight wrinkle forming on my forehead, and force my eyes wide with sincerity. It is a mask, hiding the emotions I am actually feeling.

The king shakes his head. “Nothing at all. Just some formalities. The good news is my son will be here to look after you all.”

I stop myself from recoiling at the mention of his son and Snow’s older brother. Prince Eric is the Vessel of one of the original Elementals. His mind will be as clouded to me as Snow’s is. If Snow is a frozen fortress, Eric’s will be a stormy sea. I am not a fan of that many variables.

“I thought your son was away in the seaside castle,”where he should stay,“but I’m delighted to have the chance to meet him. If he’s half as charming as your daughter, I am sure we will be fast friends.”

Or mortal enemies.

The king nods, visibly softening toward me. I can hear his thoughts and know I’ve moved forward this round, leaving most in the dust. Concern for his children is his primary focus, and displaying it so openly will push me further.

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