Page 31 of Queen of Ashes and Scars
She bobs up and down, her tongue darting out to tease the crown, and I hiss a series of curses and praises, almost out of my mind with the lust she incites in me, past caring about anything but the feel of her.
I relax on the mattress, making myself comfortable. A beautiful demon wants to suck me dry, and I’m going to enjoy every sinful, disastrous second.
Chapter16
Hanging By A Moment
ARIELLE
Leo and I hold hands as we climb back up from the village to the top of the cliff where Jason’s estate is located. We slept the afternoon away, nestled in each other’s arms, and I feel like I can finally breathe again. My big hat and shawl protect my demon skin from the sun, its rays not as painful as they were just a week ago. My newborn skin, powers, and hormones are finally settling in.
Sebastian is tucked in the shadows of the entrance hall, chatting with a circle of servants. I’m surprised to find him awake, but the chatter dies down as soon as we draw near.
Leo releases my hand as my soon-to-be husband comes into view, and I reluctantly let him go, sure that Sebastian wouldn’t have minded in the least, considering how eager he was to share his first-blood Fred with me.
The handsome vampire dismisses them with a quick whisper, and they filter out of the room by both exits, some of them heading outside while others take the servant stairwell down to the kitchens. With a satisfied look, Sebastian walks over to me and gathers both of my hands in his, the barely-veiled excitement gleaming in his garnet eyes setting loose a flurry of butterflies in my stomach. “There you are.”
“Afraid I’d jilt you at the altar?” I crack, hoping to tame the budding elation in my chest to submission.
“You’ve already run away from one wedding this week. Just don’t make it a habit.” He raises my hands to his lips with an effortless, devilish charm that could melt the best armor-plated heart—even the heart of someone who’s been burned by that very charm before. “I arranged for the ceremony to start exactly after the sun falls under the horizon.”
“Arranged what, exactly?” I’d expected him to go along with whatever the Elder had in mind.
“It’s a surprise.”
A frown wrinkles my forehead despite my best effort. “I’m not that fond of surprises. Especially when you’re involved.”
“I promise you one thing, Lil’ Bit. A life with me will never be boring.” He sobers up a little, a shadow obscuring his face. “Jason and Emilia were a bit uneasy when I announced our plans, but they can’t stop us now. There’s no time for anyone from the palace to fly over here, and I think they genuinely would feel better to have you on the throne than a regent.”
I squeeze his hand, delaying his departure. “And you’re okay with not having a…traditional marriage?” I want to make sure he understands what I’m asking. “Pereira wanted a silent, faithful virgin. I’m not that.” Without meaning to, I sneak a glance at Leo, my first-blood pretending to look at the paintings on the wall.
“That’s good because I’m not a silent, faithful virgin either.” Sebastian smiles a smile that reeks of sex and depravity, the kind of expression that tells me I’ve still got a lot to learn about the vampire version of him. My stomach flips-flops, but the fleeting expression melts into a genuine, almost boyish grin. “I’m looking forward to a life with the non-silent, non-faithful you.”
His fingers ghost along my shoulder blade as he draws me in for a goodbye kiss, and I can almost taste the desire on his breath. Alec is all strength and muscles, Leo is warm, and shredded like a greek God, but Sebastian…
Sebastian is sin on legs.
“Hey, Leo,” he greets the greek man as he breezes past him.
My first-blood clears his throat loudly. “Hi.”
I swallow hard, unsure about anything but the languid ache between my legs. Fuck, it’s like I’m in heat or something. The way Sebastian looked at me just now… the way he looked at Leo…
I can almost see the intense look he had on his face when he brought Fred to orgasm in front of me.
I tiptoe over to my first-blood. “Listen, I don’t know how much of that you overheard…” If I was still human, my neck and cheeks would be flaming red by now, and I can’t bring myself to look into his eyes, afraid he might be able to read all the kinky scenarios running through my mind.
“I don’t know much right now. I’m not sure what to make of this blissful afternoon, or the fact that you’re about to get married, but I know I want you, Arielle. As long as we haven’t figured out what our lives could look like, I shouldn’t make too many waves.” He laces our fingers and gives my hand a good, heartwarming squeeze. “I’ll go and make sure your Sebastian hasn’t planned anythingtoocrazy. And then I’ll meet my mum for dinner.”
I tug on his arm to keep him a while longer. “Promise me you’ll think about my offer. It still stands, you know.”Even though it would crush me.
“I will.” He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear and kisses me goodbye before walking off to the servant stairwell.
The familiar hunch in his shoulders is gone, his steps confident and full of purpose. He doesn’t look like the slave version of him I’ve come to know. Like he used to carry around the weight of the world on his back and is finally free of the load.
I veer toward the bedrooms to look for Alec.
Also, I have to find something that’ll make a suitable wedding dress. In the past, I would have treated the dress as the single most important detail of the night, and designed one of my own, but time is of the essence. I’m almost to my old bedroom when a shadow obscures the corridor. Adrenaline spikes in my blood before I recognize Alec.
