Page 8 of Of Storm and Emerald
The Court of Emerald employed numerous grounds keepers to ensure that this garden continued to be kept in a state of disarray. They let nature do as it willed but made sure that the pathways stayed clear and kept unruly weeds and vines from places they should not be.
With the full moon illuminating the gravel pathways, Daemon and Auraelia walked in contented silence, their hands brushing in whispered touches that made her stomach flutter.
When they were far enough away from the party, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop. “Will you tell me your name?”
Suddenly feeling more confident–whether it was from the wine, the full moon, or the way his eyes seemed to blaze when he looked at her–Auraelia’s lips tilted up into a sly grin as she stepped toward him and parroted back his words from earlier. “That would negate the point of wearing a mask, now wouldn’t it?”
She stepped away, but entwined her fingers with his as she led him further into the garden.
Daemon chuckled, seemingly content with letting her tug him along. “Where are you taking me?”
Turn after turn, she took them further into the garden, and as he pulled on her hand —probably thinking that she had gotten them extremely lost in the mazes—she stopped in front of an old, seemingly forgotten path.
Glancing at Daemon, she winked and tugged him forward, “Come on.”
He shook his head, amusement radiating across his features, and let her lead him onward.
A canopy of leaves and crepe-like flowers hung overhead. Their foliage was so dense that only a few streams of moonlight were able to trickle through and light the way.
As she and Daemon wound their way down the path, they came to a large iron gate set into a stacked stone wall that was overgrown with wisteria and ivy.
Utterly confused, Daemon mumbled under his breath, “What is this place?”
“I believe it’s a sanctuary,” Auraelia responded, trying to keep her voice from sounding as breathless as she felt.
“A sanctuary?” he asked, sounding a bit confused as he quirked a brow in her direction.
But the only answer she gave was a mumbled, “Mm-hmm…Problem?”
She pulled her hand from his and sauntered over to the gate where she turned to lean against the cold iron bars. Auraelia gazed at him, taking in the sharp edges of his jaw, and the broad width of his shoulders. How his hands flexed at his side, like he wanted to reach out and touch her yet refused to make a move in her direction. When she met his eyes, they glowed with passion and desire, and a familiar heat filled her body.
“You got me all the way out here, my star, now what are you going to do with me?” The way that he said his nickname for her, deep and full of gravel like it took everything he had not to devour her whole, made her breath catch in her throat and had her heart pounding like rain during a summer storm.
“I’m not sure.” Auraelia looked away, and let out a low chuckle as she continued, “It’s not like I planned this.” A moment passed before she met his intense gaze once more and asked the one question that she hoped would turn this already unforgettable night into the best birthday that she could have asked for.
“What wouldyoudo?”
That one question seemed to jolt him out of whatever trance he had been in. The smirk that she had come to know turned devilish as he slowly stalked toward her.
“Oh, my star, wouldn’t you like to know.”
Before she could nod her head more than once, Daemon was there, pressing her against the gate, his lips crashing into hers like a wave upon the shore. It was all tongue and teeth, while their hands blindly searched for any sliver of skin to sink into. Sliding her hands beneath his coat, she wrapped her arms around his back, trying desperately to pull him closer. All while he eagerly grabbed fists full of her skirt, inching it higher and higher up her legs.
But the moment his fingertips grazed where her garter belt held her stockings, he froze and pulled away. Resting his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling together in the shared space.
He let out a reluctant, “Fuck,” on a breathy exhale, as he gently swept strands of stray hair away from her face and caressed her cheek with all the gentleness one would use to touch a flower.
Sighing, Daemon pulled away enough to look her in the eyes. “If you want this to stop at a kiss, I need you to tell me, and I need you to tell me right now. Because, by the goddess, no matter how much I want you to want this, if you don’t, we will leave right now and return to the ball.”
She searched his face for any sign of falsehood in the words he spoke. But as she stared into his eyes, the pools of gold in the sea of green seemed to be glowing brighter now than they had all night, and all she could muster was a whispered, “Yes.”
Daemon maintained a soft, yet firm, grip on her chin, keeping her face tilted up and forcing her to maintain eye contact. “Yes, what? I need you to use your words. I need you to tell me what you want.”
Even though she was no stranger to intimacy, having had both long-term partners as well as an occasional tryst, something about tonight felt different.
Maybe it was because he didn’t know who she was, or perhaps it was because they were outside in a garden and could be caught at any moment, she didn’t know.
What she did know was that for the first time in a long time, she didn’t care. His gaze never faltered, burning its way into the depths of her soul. She stared straight back, drowning in his intensity.
