Why is he interested?
“I suspect he is somewhere in the room with the rest of the court.”
Tadeo nods again, that smile never leaving his face. I shiver once more, not at the cold this time but at his eerie presence.
“We should get you inside, Lady,” he puts his hand on the small of my back and leans in, “it’s too cold for you to be out here, especially with what you’re wearing.”
I take a small step to the side when his eyes move down my body. My mind screams at me in warning, hating the way Tadeo ignores my discomfort and keeps his hand on my back, fingers trailing along my skin in faux warmth.
“I’m good outside,” I drop my hands from my chest and turn away from his touch with narrowed eyes.
“Hmm,” Tadeo smiles, “it is a beautiful night. But you do not need to stand out here in the cold waiting for your bird.”
The Lord reaches for my hand, giving it a small tug as if wanting to lead me personally back into the castle. I frown at his hard grip and take a tentative step behind him, not wanting to be dragged in his hold as he walks us to the side of one of the large doors. The little corner area is still out in the open but covered in shadows, the small niche hidden perfectly but resting to the side of the entry as the warmth from the castle flows out to greet us.
“Is this better?” he saunters close to my back, his voice low and sending a chill down my spine, “if not, I can always provide some warmth while you wait.”
I grimace and pull my hand out of his, needing to put a stop to this,quickly.
“I apologize if I’ve given you some sort of impression, Lord Tadeo, but whatever you think this is, it’s not.”
Tadeo smiles, his brown eyes still shining with faux friendliness as he takes a small step into my front. “You are a beautiful lady who gives the impression of being cold. I only wish to warm you up…”
He lifts his hands up to my arms and moves them down in a way I’m sure he thinks is comforting. I narrow my eyes on his and bring both of my own hands up to his chest, pushing him back a step and shaking my head.
“I do not need that, Lord, but I appreciate the thought.”
Tadeo scowls at my small rebuff, and fuck me, I have to navigate this carefully. The Discerni is a Lord of this Court, not to mention ten times stronger and faster than I am.
“You’re not cold?” he chuckles, that scowl quickly disappearing again behind another smile.
“You look cold,” he continues, bringing both hands back to my arms, “I have a fireplace in my residence. We can head back and sit next to the warmth.”
I’m sure you have more than just sitting on your mind.
My body tenses at the thought, my mind screaming and reminding me of all the things this man can do to me if he gets me truly alone.
“That is not necessary,” I give him a brief smile, head darting over my shoulder to look for Storm. The Bird of Ash is still nowhere to be found, so I silently begin to weigh all of my options.
Tadeo keeps his grip on my arms, gently caressing my skin in a way that makes me want to hurl. I hide my glare at his obvious smugness and the audacity of him to continue touching me even after I’ve declined him multiple times, and slowly take a step into him, wanting to wipe that grin straight off his face.
The Lord smirks when my chest brushes against his, not noticing the boot I now have firmly planted next to his. He leans into me and drops his hands to my hips, gripping them tight as his lips angle for my neck. I quickly hook my boot around his ankle before his lips even come close, pulling it out from underneath him as my hands push hard against his chest. Tadeo stumbles back, caught by surprise, and snarls when I quickly dip down for the dagger strapped to my thigh.
“Fucking tease.”
All friendliness disappears from his features. The Lord quickly grabs my hand before I can get a grip on the handle and squeezes hard. I yell out in pain and feel him back both of us into the wall.
“You are far too improper with your advances, Lord Tadeo,” I breathe out heavily.
“Oh?” he brings an elbow up to my chest, pinning my upper body between him and the black granite, “the women here usually love my advances, just as you will learn to,Lady.”
Everything about me is fuming, my eyes narrowed in a glare as his right hand reaches down to my waist and hip. He flattens his palm against my upper thigh and reaches for the slit, quickly pushing it to the side as Ishove against his heavy arm. The Lord only chuckles and presses into me harder, maneuvering his full weight against my body as his hand continues to press beneath my skirt.
“Get off me, Lord Tadeo,” I seethe.
I furiously jerk a knee upwards, but the Discerni anticipates the move and angles the side of his thigh to take the blow. He chuckles again, eyes lighting as if he enjoys the struggle, and angles his lips for my neck once more as his fingers graze too close to the inside of my thigh.
My mind rears in panic, taking stock of his heavy build and the way his arm and elbow are still pushing against my chest. I can feel the heat of his mouth next to my neck, feel his fingers inching closer to my center as my body recoils. I grip both hands to his arm and pierce him with my nails, my knee coming back up only to be stopped again.
