Page 3 of All the Pain of Promises
The slight was unfathomable.
Narissa had publicly humiliated him, and the sting of shame crawled up the back of his neck.
The stars could die and give way to an eternal night before he ever let her get away with such an insult.
Solarius grabbed her then, anchoring one hand to the small of her back while the other fastened to her hip. He hauled her close, crushing all breath of space between them, and her back bowed as she arched away from him in silent protest. For a second, he thought she’d be rigid in his arms or try to shove him back. But she felt the same as she did all those yearsbefore, supple and pliant, like her body had been crafted to mold perfectly against his own.
An angry line furrowed across her brow, causing the corner of his mouth to curve.
He leaned in close until it was almost scandalous in nature, then trailed his lips over her ear all the way to the delicately pointed tip where those tiny incandescent wave tattoos glowed only for him.
“Tell me, Rissa love,” he whispered, his mouth feathering kisses where pretty pearls pierced her ears. She shivered in his arms, and the breathy little sound she made was enough to send him to his knees. Her eyes fluttered closed and he held her tighter, enjoying the way she melted into him. Her scent overwhelmed him. Tempted him. Damned him. “Where else do you shine beneath the moonlight? Is it only your ears?”
Her eyes flew open.
His gaze dipped intentionally to the curve of her breasts, then returned to her face. “Or do you have glowing tattoos elsewhere as well?”
Her scowl deepened and her sun-kissed cheeks blushed the most beautiful shade of ruby he’d ever seen.
“That,” Narissa hissed through a clenched jaw, adjusting her hair so it covered her ears, “is none of your business, my lord.”
“It is now.” Solarius flashed her a wolfish grin. “Everything about you is my business,wife.”
He had every intention of dropping her, of letting her go so she fell onto her cute little ass in the sand with all of their family watching. Because more than anything, he wanted her to feel a similar burn of mortification.
But Ariesian must have sensed his intentions, because he was by Narissa’s side with lightning speed, snaring her by the elbow as soon as Solarius let go. She wobbled and tipped to one side, her heels sinking into the sand, arms flailing in an effort to keepher balance. Narissa yelped but Ariesian kept her upright, his seething death glare fixated on Solarius.
He told himself he didn’t care if his eldest brother was furious with him, if he’d acted like a sulking child, if his conduct was hardly becoming of a lord of Aeramere. His own wife had refused to kiss him after they recited their vows, which would only serve to spark rumors and half-truths. It was bad enough all of society knew he and Narissa were on less than amicable terms, but now her blatant denial of him would only incite speculation about their obviously unhappy marriage and dredge up the failings of their past courtship. Both of which he preferred to avoid completely.
Solarius returned his hands to his pockets and rolled his neck, sparing Narissa one more long look. She was flushed with the stain of embarrassment, her brow was pinched, and the pale green of her eyes simmered like a blazing ocean.
Behind her, the sea frothed with rage and the waves lashed the shore.
She was furious.
Good, it was easier to have Narissa pissed off and loathing him with every fiber of her being than it was to see her despondent and melancholy.
Ariesian’s scowl of disappointment bored into Solarius, and he caved beneath the pressure of his upbringing. Grinding his teeth until they were sure to turn to dust, Solarius offered his arm to escort Narissa into the ballroom of House Azurvend, where they would have to dance and pretend to actually like one another for the remainder of the evening. Surprisingly enough, she accepted his proffered arm, hooking her hand into the crook of his elbow. Her smile was pure radiance, though a bit tight at the corners. It never faltered, not even as they passed a cluster of females whose obnoxiously loud whispers were barely disguised behind their gloved hands.
“Just so we’re clear, my lord.” Narissa’s velvety siren-like voice floated up to him, and again he found his gaze drawn to her mouth. “I will never forgive you.”
His lips quirked. “For what? Nearly dropping you on your bottom in the sand on our wedding day?”
“No.” She drew up short, her eyes a volatile storm of emotions he couldn’t even begin to place. Her bottom lip quivered, but she held her ground and dropped his arm. “For stealing from me the one thing I never should have given you in the first place.”
Solarius stared at her, then opened his mouth to demand an explanation, because he knew for a fact he’d not taken anything from her. But Narissa was already stalking up the sea-worn path to where House Azurvend stood luminous against a backdrop of turquoise waters, darkening sapphire skies, and frosted snowflakes, leaving him alone in his own damning misery.
Stars above, he needed a drink.
Preferably one not laced with poison by his darling new wife.
CHAPTER TWO
Narissa gripped the edge of the porcelain sink, her stomach churning violently, her nails tapping a restless rhythm that echoed softly through the empty bathing suite. She blew out a low, shallow breath, struggling to maintain her composure, while dreamy music floated from the ballroom beyond. She dared a hesitant look at herself in the gilded mirror encrusted with bits of aqua sea glass and met the watery gaze of her own reflection. For a brief moment, she worried she might be horribly ill.
She’d done it.
She’d married Lord Solarius Starstorm, the one male she had pined after for years, yet instead of feeling overcome with joy and elation, her nerves were coiled tightly with dread. The constant swell of anxiety left her unwell.
