I shifted in my seat, willing this predatory feeling to subside. Shadows began leaking from my knuckles, swirling in the water around me. I shoved my fists under the table. If Rue desired Bowen, I would not interfere. Even that thought had my rings forming tiny blades.
I wanted to be the one to tease out her laughter, her sighs. My mind grew sluggish, and I focused my concentration on my erratic magic. But I couldn’t pry my eyes away from Rue.
Queen Thaleia’s lady in waiting, Aydrielle, came forward, brushing her hand down my arm. I turned toward her; the sensation of her caress tingled, warming me. I struggled to keep my thoughts clear. Something felt off. There was nothing that we had eaten or drank that could have affected my senses so sharply. And still, Rue pulled my attention harder than the tides bending toward the moon.
As if she could feel it herself, our eyes locked. I was riveted by the soft lines of her face, the graceful slope of her nose, and her dark lashes. Her dress shimmered, and the shadow of her breasts beneath the ethereal fabric made it difficult to focus on anything else. I bit my tongue until I tasted blood, a futile attempt to cast away increasingly volatile thoughts.Foka.
Aydrielle’s fingers trailed along my shoulders, and unwelcomed warmth followed as I instinctively leaned in herdirection. Her sultry voice drifted toward me. “I hope you’re enjoying the venom of the vampire eels.”
My attention swayed toward the queen’s siren. “Vampire eels?”
She smiled knowingly, still dragging her fingers along my arm. “Their venom lowers inhibitions and creates a thrall. Think of it like a truth-telling aphrodisiac, or a more potent form of nymphian wine. It’s a unique gift found only in our realm.”
I jolted. No wonder this dinner became so much more charged. My words came out pressured, now actively seeking to resist the enticement of the venom’s control and the allure of the siren next to me. “I must take my leave,” I blurted, standing quickly. I barely prevented my chair from toppling to the floor.
The pull on my emotions and my body created an irresistible trance. Aydrielle put her hand on my arm, gently coaxing me closer to her. The scales on her cheeks shimmered and her hungry eyes locked on mine. My body pulsed with desire, even as my magic revolted against it; the object of my desire was not the nymph in front of me, it belonged to the enchanting woman beyond her.
“I would be happy to accompany you to your rooms. It would be a shame for you to get lost.” Her sensuous tone pressed in on me. The musicians continued their hypnotic melody, weaving their lusty invitation throughout the room. My heart pounded as longing grew in my stomach.
Gritting my teeth, I reflexively searched for Rue. Still leaning toward Bowen, Rue allowed him to touch her. Yet, her fiery stare bored into me. Was that jealousy blazing under her piercing gaze? The water around her fisted hands crystallized. My own possessiveness responded.
“Excuse me,” I forced out. Aydrielle released my arm as I lunged toward Bowen and Rue. A growl had Bowen backing off, making himself scarce. Rue gazed up at me. The purple in hereyes shone brightly in the glow of the sea, exuding a hunger that incinerated me.
She licked her lips, and I barely contained my groan. “We need to get back to our rooms. Now.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, harsh in the growing din. Every muscle in my body strained to hold myself back from grabbing Rue and tasting her right there. My mouth watered at the thought.
My mind played out multiple scenarios of my body pressed against hers, pinning her wrists above her head. What would she sound like when I brought her to the edge? I blinked hard, the muscles in my clenched jaw ached. This was for her own protection. I think.
She backed up a step, her eyes half-mast. It took every drop of will to keep my focus on her face and not look down to the sheer veil of her dress and the seductive curves it clung to. Her body may as well have been made from a siren’s song.
I implored her, “We are under the influence of a drug. We need to get out of here before…” She reached toward my face, her focus on my lips. I grabbed her wrist to stop her, my chest tightening with the self-restraint.
Undeterred, her other hand brushed my cheek. Her soft touch splintered me. “Sometimes, I find myself wondering what we could have been in any other life than the ones we have. I would have liked to have been a woman worthy of your affection.” I could barely swallow. Her words struck me like no fist ever could.
She couldn’t know how much my soul had always called to hers. She couldn’t know that there could never be an “us.” The fate of the realms rested on me alone, and Elyon had spoken through my dreams, through Xuri, regarding what the cost would be. It was my job to protect her. Even if it was from me.
My control eroded. “Rue, let’s go,” I begged her, my arousal unyielding.
Hurt clouded the water between us. The sound of a disappointed kitten escaped her lips. I couldn’t dwell on it.
She reluctantly followed me out of the dining hall, her hand clasped in mine. Heat coursed up from the place where we touched. The further away we walked from the luring melody and the venom-saturated dining room, the more clarity took its place.
My anger hitched at what nearly happened. We should have been warned. I clutched Rue’s hand for fear she would bolt back to what was very soon to be an orgy. I did not want to let go of her. But she wasn’t mine to hold on to. I laced our fingers together anyway.
By the time we made it to our wing of the palace, the lustful haze had nearly vanished, though the tension in my shoulders remained and my aggression toward Bowen hadn’t wavered. I couldn’t bring myself to release our entwined fingers. I glanced down at our clasped hands. The scars on her wrists contrasted starkly against the rest of her skin.
My desire to protect and consume her swelled within me. The urge to abscond with her and hide her away from harm and pain overwhelmed rational thought. The melody of possession still sung through me. I wanted to lick every inch of her body and seal her as mine. And I wasn’t sure I could blame eel venom for the urgency of that longing.
As if she read my thoughts, her cheeks flushed. “That could have made for a very awkward morning. One I know Xuri would not approve of.” Had she heard Xuri’s warning to me? She disentangled herself from me. Her hands fidgeted with her sparkling dress, drawing my eyes to her peaked nipples. I inhaled a shaky breath while Rue hugged her arms across her body.
“I prefer my partners to be a bit more lucid and consensual.” My voice emerged broken, pressured. She peered up then, assessing.
She held my gaze longer than warranted. The blood in my ears rushed as the venomous smog slowly released its final grip on me, though my arousal persisted. Determination hardened her features. “I feel like I should apologize for what I said, but my words were true.”
She fell silent, no longer willing to meet my eye. My thumb twitched to smooth the crease between her brow, to soothe away her concerns. I bit my cheek instead.
She huffed a mirthless laugh. “Anyway, we both know the leader of the rebellion and the king’s spy could never work. And you had a life before me; I would never want to intrude. I’m grateful fate found a way to reestablish a friendship between us despite the direction our lives have taken.”
An errant shadow shot out of me at her mention of friendship, the word curdling inside me. She only thought of us as friends. For her, the venom really had made it seem as though she had interest in me. Her attentions truly were toward Bowen. I couldn’t think straight.
