Sweet dreams of familiar snakes wrapped around her soul, comforting her, whispering sweet nothings into her ears, and softly caressing her body.
Chapter 5
Ael
The rest of the ball was fucking boring. The housekeepers did a great job cleaning up the broken glass, and thankfully, Neoma was nowhere to be found. After Ael walked back in, a line of women formed to talk to him, but he announced that he was not seeing anyone for the remainder of the night. He sent them back to enjoy their evenings, noticing the many pouting faces at his command. He didn’t care. All he could think about was Seda.
What was she doing now? When he found out from the witch that she would be arriving soon, he organized for her to be within his wing of the castle, a couple of doors down from him. He wished for her to have the best room there—the one that was once his mother’s when he was a baby—and the finest selection of soaps, shampoos, and clothing. She deserved all that and more. He even chose a toothbrush and toothpaste he believed she would prefer.
Was she in the bath now? He couldn’t pull his mindaway from her. She looked vicious when she arrived, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, desire burning under his skin. He focused on the punch bowl, watching the boring Fae that were gathered around it, idly talking.
Praxis silently joined him, both watching the crowd dance and eat. Ael thought about how Seda had glared at Neoma, and was confused when she agreed to spend time with her.
When the clock struck three in the morning, and the crowd was thoroughly drunk from wine, he excused himself and headed back to his room.
The halls were quiet with the staff either in the kitchens or serving guests. He walked through the large, double doors of his wing and caught himself pausing outside Seda’s room, listening for sounds within.
He wanted to knock and say hello, to make sure she was okay, and to see if she had everything she needed.
He hesitated as he lifted his hand. It would be impolite to wake her if she were asleep. But what if something had happened and no one was around to hear?
He swallowed down the hesitation and forced himself to knock, anxiously waiting for her response.
Silence only responded to him.
He waited a few more moments before knocking again, this time cracking her door open and peering inside.
“Seda? Are you here?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper.
This was definitely a bad idea. She was so upset with him earlier. Entering her space might cause her anger to bubble over, leaving him a charred mass in the room.
He slowly entered the candlelit room and found the bed empty. A flutter of anxiety stirred in his stomach. Where was she? Was she okay?
A sound came from the bathroom, and he quickly turned toward the opening door.
Seda emerged… completely naked.
She gasped, her body freezing like a deer caught in the crosshairs when their eyes met.
He struggled to look away, but like a starving man tempted by a platter of desserts, his eyes slowly drifted downward.
He inhaled a ragged breath as he took in her full breasts, the peaks of her nipples firm from the cool air. The soft mound at the apex of her thighs and the supple curves of her hips epitomized her perfection.
The air thickened, and his breath stalled, his chest tight with her fresh lilac scent. He felt his pants tighten with desire as his body immediately responded to the breathtaking sight of her devastation before him.
He wanted to reach out and touch her, longing to feel her soft skin within his own, but like a rubber band snapping back quickly, he turned away, trying to hide the evidence of such carnal desires.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out, finally releasing his breath. “I only came in to check on you and became concerned when no one answered.”
Seda’s trance fractured, and she grabbed a throw blanket from a side chair, quickly wrapping it around her body.
He hesitantly glanced back at her.
“Since when do you not knock?!” she snapped, her cheeks flushed pink even in the dark of the room.
Her eyes widened with shock when she glanced down at his pants, his firm length unfortunately still visible with his body turned to the side. He went to apologize again, but a faint scent filled the room, growing stronger the longer he stood there.
He had never smelled that from her before, and its sweet aroma overwhelmed him.
