Page 30 of The Coveted
“Have any witches caught your eye, Áine?” Serena asked, her voice softer than the others. She had a very relaxed and light aura, which was a breath of relief from everyone else’s intensity. “For fun or otherwise?”
Renata looked at me a bit more expectantly than the rest, and I struggled with how to answer.
“Sebastian invited her to the art gallery,” Taryn said quickly, saving me. “She’s yet to give in tomycharms.”
Serena chuckled, but Christine made a sour face and looked down at her drink. She really didn’t like Taryn, which made me like Taryn even more.
“Sebastian is sweet, and his gift is quite the party trick. But he’s like a honeybee flying from flower to flower, convinced that each will be sweeter and more beautiful than the last,” Serena explained.
“I think we all know men like that,” I said.
“Isn’t that the truth?” Renata blurted. “I’ll drink to that.” She raised her glass, and the others followed.
I really didn’t like the implication of her words, but I tried to put it aside. Daelon didn’t seem at all likethatkind of man, but he also alluded to all kinds of things about his past that made my stomach crawl. Like about how his encounters with women never involvedbeing gentleor real feelings… Was this a part of the past he feared showing me? The things he did to survive?
“Wasn’t Sebastian with Lucius for a bit?” Jasmine asked Christine, causing Christine to purse her lips. I was starting to gather that the witches here had no concept of rigid sexual orientations or gender expression, which I made careful note of in my mental anthropological field journal. I mean, I had two Goddess-worshipping female witches for parents… so the concept of fluidity wasn’t exactly groundbreaking.
Lucius being with anyone of any gender was rather nauseating, however.
Christine seemed exceptionally proud of holding the King’s attention, from her pretty chandelier to her role as his lap dog to be cast aside at will. It made me want to throw up all over her white tablecloth. I couldn’t imagine being so infatuated with someone who was turned on by suffering and had nightly orgies. Not to mention Lucius didn’t seem like the affectionate type, nor did he seem like he cared enough to pretend.
“Who hasn’t been?” Christine answered, pulling me back from my ruminations. She raised her glass to her lips and downed the rest of its shimmery contents.
Taryn widened her eyes and shook her head, as if to say:me, that’s who.We exchanged a knowing look, which made her smile. I didn’t think she was used to having people on her side.
“And who wouldn’t want to be?” Christine continued after a swig. “His power… it’s intoxicating. He’s a god among witches.”
More like a malignancy, I thought. He had them all drugged up and under his spell. I wanted to shake all of them awake, but I knew it wasn’t time yet.
“Those of us who are monogamous, for starters. Some of us are satisfied with justoneperson,” Serena murmured, getting a faraway look in her eyes.
“Ew,” Christine said, and Taryn actually wrinkled her nose in agreement for the first time. “You and Abraham will not infect the rest of us with yoursoulmatenonsense, thank you very much. Might as well start praying to crystals and showing up to dinner nude.”
“I think it’s sweet,” Renata said softly, but no one paid her any attention.
Serena ignored Christine, turning her attention to me. “I’m glad you finally joined us. We’ve all been so curious. You’re quite the mystery.”
The hostess mustered a reluctant nod. “So, Áine. Why would you ever watch strangers having sex when you could just have sex yourself?” she asked, coming full circle. “Oh, and is it true that human cocks—”
Nope. It was time to enact one of Taryn’s escape plans.
Chapter10
Taryn was more than happy to pick out an outfit for my afternoon with Sebastian, as I still didn’t understand the castle’s unspoken clothing rules. All I knew was that my reflection in the mirror was far too extravagant for a casual afternoon in an art gallery. I was dressed in a long, blush pink dress with a tight, corseted top that pushed up my breasts, sheer sleeves, and a tulle skirt with a dotting of shimmering detail along its front. My copper hair was in loose waves, my lips and cheeks a delicate pink. The dress was gorgeous, but I had to wonder: Did these people really never want to just chill out in some sweatpants?
“I thought the dance was later this week,” I muttered.
“It’s just for dinner,” she replied, as if that explained the styling.
The castle’s labyrinth of corridors was still impossible to understand, and I was entirely convinced they changed each day. We walked down a few flights of stairs, and soon we stood in front of a tall, open entrance. Beyond two golden pillars lay marble sculptures, and as we walked closer, they began to move. A nude man was filling a pitcher of water, and a woman was dancing sensually. Art seemed to take on a life of its own here.
“Whoa,” I murmured when I stepped inside the gallery. I was barely aware of Taryn telling me to have fun, leaving me all alone with the magickal art.
My nerves about being alone with a noble I barely knew vanished as I spun around the grand, golden room. Paintings, from several feet tall to the size of a notebook, lined the walls. In my periphery they were stationary, but as soon as they felt my gaze, they sprang to life. Some were abstract and only conveyed feelings and energy, while others were like the recounting of a memory or an entire imagined scene. As soon as my consciousness met each piece of art, it came alive for all of my senses, physical and psychological. It was… like nothing I could put into words.
“Beautiful,” sounded a man’s voice behind me.
I turned to face Sebastian, who was leaning against one of the white pillars. He was dressed in a baby blue suit, which made him look rather like Prince Charming. His blond hair fell in loose waves, and he showed a playful, dimpled smile. His aura was easy, like an ocean breeze, but the same deeper red lurked beneath like the other night. His energy crept toward me, flirting with my own.
