“An elderly woman, if I had to guess,” he mused.
“Perhaps,” she answered, swirling her own goblet. The blood clung to the sides. “There were many donors.” She looked him over and cocked her head. “Who are you?”
“I could tell you, but that would take all the fun out of wearing a mask,” he whispered with a smirk.
A wide grin crossed her face. “Ah, so does that mean you don’t know who I am?”
“Perhaps I don’t,” he teased, sipping at his drink. “How about you give me a tour and we can chat more? It’s my first time attending one of your balls.”
Ever plucked the goblet from his hand—her warm fingers brushing his, sending a heat straight to his cock—and set them both down on a nearby table. “I don’t normally give tours, but for you, I suppose I will.” She leaned in and murmured, her hot breath hitting his mouth, “But only because you’re wearing a mask of my favorite animal.”
“Does that earn me aprivatetour?” Chess purred, imitating a cat, and Ever trailed a hand down his arm, tantalizingly slow.
“Oh, indeed. A verypersonaltour.” She smiled coyly and backed up three steps before turning with the unspoken order for him to follow.
Chess watched the Ivory queen sashay through the crowd, his eyes studying her bare legs as she nodded at those who caught her attention. Alas, there wouldn’t be time for him to tear the gown from her body, slide his hands down her curves, explore the swells of her breasts, and fill her with his hard length. She smelled of lilies and, he was sure, would taste just as sweet. He’d wasted too much time fucking around earlier.Ah, well.There was plenty of hot arse back in Scarlet, and the prince had no trouble filling his bed at home.
Sliding between party-goers, he followed Ever from one white and silver room to another. Each resembled the last. Colorless, soulless. Even the room with a variety of stringed instruments was bland with its white and silver violins and cellos. They needed to add more than the splash of color the violets gave in the entry way—the palace needed paint, fabric dye, and richly stained woods. He could solve those problems once Ivory was absorbed by Scarlet and make this place less of a mausoleum.
When Ever finally opened a door near the back of the palace and disappeared into the garden, he smirked behind his mask. It seemed she found him just as attractive… Perhaps alittletime to play first wouldn’t hurt—there were countless places he could fuck Ever without being seen. Against the pillars of the gazebo, bent over one of the granite benches, on the edge of the large fountain. Shit, he would even take her on the ground amidst the blooming flowers since none of them had thorns like the rose bushes back home.
“Such a lovely garden,” he murmured as they ventured to where they were alone. There were hydrangeas and hyacinths, tulips and lilies. No roses, though, and he wondered briefly if that was because Imogen was so fond of them.
“Isn’t it?” Ever hopped up to sit on the edge of a low, ivy-covered wall. Flowers budded among the foliage, promising future white blossoms.
With a chuckle, Chess prowled closer, toying with her. Ever reached out and took his arms, tugging him closer, then ran her hands up to his shoulders. Her light lily scent became stronger, intoxicating, his mind clouding. Chess leaned down so she could wrap her fingers around the back of his neck. He set his palms on both sides of her hips and studied her plump lips.
“So tall,” she murmured and leaned toward him. Her palms skimmed his neck and down his chest, his eyes fluttering. “And sostrong.”
Chess licked his lips, bringing them a breath away from hers while she continued to explore his body with exquisite movements. His cock stirred as she glided her fingers lower, to the button of his trousers, then dragged them back up, teasing him.
“How about a kiss?” he asked, surprising himself. What the fuck was he doing? Kissing was usually the last thing on his mind and he never bothered to ask with words.
In answer, she pushed him back and rammed her knee into his groin.
“What the fuck?” he groaned, doubling over in pain.
Ever shoved him sideways so he tumbled to the ground, her form looming over him. With a knife in her hand. “Did you think I wouldn’t learn about the assassination planned for tonight, Princeling?” She threw the knife into the air, the blade spinning, and she caught it.
He chuckled despite the ache radiating through his groin. He should’ve known she hadn’t singled him out so quickly and gotten him alone out of lust. Ever was said to be a virgin queen, but he didn’t believe that one bit.Thinking with my cock again.
But he wouldn’t fail in his task.
Steeling himself, he pushed away the pain and leapt at her, grabbing her wrists. Fighting her so close to the palace was bound to get him caught. If the wrong guards noticed, he was fucked, so he began dragging her farther into the garden, holding her tightly so she was unable to use the knife.
Ever twirled away, ripping herself from his grip, her dress whirling around her, and brought her arm up. The blade—a second blade—pierced his chest. Pain flared through him, hot and sharp.Sloppy,he chastised himself just as the metal cut through flesh and scraped at his bones. Chess grunted and fell back into the grass. Ever glared down at him with icy brown eyes.
“Guards!” she shouted.
Fucking hell.There was a good chance the guards who had heard her would haul him off to the dungeon. He wasn’t about to let himself be caught. Ripping the knife free of his chest, he took a garbled breath.
“Tell me, was this your mother’s idea or my brother’s?” Ever asked curiously as a flurry of movement caught his eye.
When six familiar guards surrounded them, a smug grin tugged at the corners of Chess’s mouth. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Arrest him,” Ever snapped, seemingly at the end of her patience.
Only the guards didn’t move toward him. They moved towardher.