“I am nineteen,” Nyssa chimed in. “I think I can choose the right sort of man for myself, thank you all.”
Balandria paused, and then she took a long drink of her tea as she met Aydra’s ‘I told you so’ gaze.
“Right. You should hide her,” Balandria finally agreed.
Aydra’s brows raised knowingly at Balandria, and she picked up another piece of fruit to eat.
The food quickly vanished before them as they continued to speak of the Honest, of the Blackhand friends of Draven and Balandria’s that would be arriving the following morning. The pair had stories to tell of their own trips to the mountains, of meeting the Blackhands on their yearly graduation journeys into the Forest of Darkness to bring back a Noctuan. Draven had tried to cease the tradition years earlier, but had almost started a war between the races in trying. Draven had been forced to table the discussion for fear of losing his own realm.
When the food was gone, Aydra sighed into Draven’s chest, wanting to stay in their bubble of peace and freedom a bit longer rather than start the day she wasn’t looking forward to. His lips pressed to her temple, and she hugged his arms as they wrapped around her. He spoke of whispers in her ear so only she could hear, his hand squeezing her waist, the other grazing her lower abdomen. He told her how he would splay her on the table they sat at before starting the day, of how his tongue would have her moaning so loudly the servants would think her being attacked, and he promised them a show. Her eyes fluttered at his words, and she could feel him firming behind her."Do you think you two could not fuck at the table while we're present?" Dorian asked them after a few moments.The pair snapped out of their bubble, both chuckling under their breath as they came back into reality.“What are your plans for today?” Aydra chose to ask the others.“Choosing foods for banquet tomorrow,” Dorian answered. He paused and stared at the empty plates on the table. “I should have probably stopped eating earlier.”
“That would have been the smart thing,” Nyssa mocked.
“We need to go find you a dress for banquet tomorrow,” Draven told Balandria.
“You’re not putting Balandria in a dress,” Aydra argued. “She’ll cut your throat.”
Balandria raised her glass to Aydra. “I knew I liked her,” she said to Draven.
Draven’s eyes narrowed down at Aydra. “What do you suggest instead?” he asked.
“I have something that would suit her better,” she replied. “You’ll just need to take it to my seamstress, Maye, to have it taken in, make it her own.” Her eyes flickered to Nyssa. “Can you take them? Make sure Maye doesn’t have any attitude for helping Venari?”
Nyssa nodded. “I can do that.”
“What will you do today?” Dorian asked Aydra as he started to stand.
Aydra paused a moment, eyes flickering to her plate. “Ah… I have been summoned to help Rhaif with choosing decorations for the celebration.”
Dorian’s brows raised at her across the table, apparent worry stretching over his features. “Is Lex going with you?” he asked.
“She is,” Aydra affirmed. “Speaking of which, I should really find her.”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
“I THINK YOU’RE being ridiculous,” Aydra argued with Rhaif hours later as they walked through the flower shops. “It’s a celebration. Not a wedding.”
“A wedding would stress me less,” Rhaif mumbled as he picked up another flower. “What about these?” he asked, holding up a long stem with a small black flower on the end.
She did a double-take at the flower he was twirling in his hand. “Where has that been all my life?” she muttered as she took it from his fingers.
“Figures,” he said under his breath.
She pressed the black flower to her nose and inhaled the scent of it, allowing it to fill her insides. “Figures what?” she dared ask, eyes flickering to Lex who was standing near.
“That you would be attracted to a noir flower.”
“Matches my core,” she muttered. She paused a moment and looked him over as he picked another flower from the next cart. “I honestly don’t think these people will care about whether the decorations of the Great Hall are blue, black, or pink. The only thing the Blackhands will care for is the food.”
“Which is why I’ve Dorian handling that,” Rhaif replied.
Aydra felt a smile rise on her lips, and she almost laughed. “Yes, he is the expert.”
The first smile she’d seen on Rhaif’s face in months met her own, and for a moment, she was reminded of the brother she’d once known.
The flash of a memory of them walking down that same street at the age of seventeen filled her mind. She could hear his laugh, feel his arm wrapped into hers. He’d bought her flowers and placed them in her hair that day.
But the memory of how that afternoon had ended made her heart constrict.
