Crimson heat seeped into my cheeks. His voice was low enough to make my bodice feel tight. When his lips found mine again, I reluctantly pushed him away.
“We should stop before—”
“Dance with me.” His words were like iron, and so was his gaze. “Dance with me out there so I may keep touching you without letting this go too far.”
Warmth pooled in my stomach. “Okay.” I smiled. That smile grew into a laugh as he lowered me back to the floor, took my hand, and sprinted with me back through the arched palm trees.
As we neared the party, more and more golden light spilled out onto the sandy floor. Until all that golden light was blocked by a tall, dark-haired shadow. Both Lukas and I froze, but only for a short moment before Lukas tucked me behind him.
“You again,” he growled to the shadow, keeping his hand tight around mine. “There better be a damned goodreason for why you’re here.”
Arenn chuckled, moving towards us. “I came searching for my betrothed,” he said confidently. “I believe she owes me a dance.”
Blood boiling, I stepped ahead of Lukas. “I owe you nothing.”
“Oh, but you do.” He tilted his head towards me, replying in a condescending tone, “Especially considering I saved you from a dagger-wielding mermaid and a foolish boy king just a few hours ago.”
Metal scraped against wood as Lukas withdrew a dagger from his belt. “Consider your next words carefully, faery scum.”
Arenn just laughed. “Still playing with knives? Really?” My stomach sank as the trees around us twitched. Something low rumbled through the ground. “Did your merfolk friends teach you nothing? Come on,King Lukas, I want a real fight…”
“Stop this,” I panicked, avoiding a creeping vine as it shot up from the dirt. Glancing at Lukas, my chest seized when I noticed a shadow of something pass over his face. In the distance, thunder rumbled.
“Oh, there it is,” Arenn laughed.
“Stop it,” I hissed, louder this time. Both men ignored me, Arenn too busy cackling and Lukas too furious to move. Raising his palm, Arenn summoned more slithering vines from the ground. My heart jumped to my throat when one brushed my thigh.
“Stop!” I said again with tears in my eyes. Electricity crackled in the air, covering my arms in goosebumps. “I’ll dance with you!”
The tension in the air fell flat.
“I’ll dance with you, Arenn,” I repeated, hating the words that left my mouth.
“Naria…” Lukas argued, but I stopped him with a palm on his chest.
“Just let me dance with him once to make him happy. Then we’ll have the rest of the night together,” I promised, my gaze meeting his.
Lukas’s jaw tensed. But before he could change my mind, I felt Arenn’s hand clamp around mine.
“Come, princess.” He yanked me down the path. I stumbled along behind him, wishing I could fix the hurt that poured over Lukas’s face, and wishing that the crystals on my wrist would stop feeling so warm every time Arenn’s fingers brushed over mine.
Candlelight flickered over the grass dance floor as the faery prince held me close to his chest. With a taunting smile, he spun me in his arms, parading me around the floor and ignoring any odd looks we received from other dancers. They probably wondered why theengagedCorlixin princess was dancing so closely with a mysterious raven-haired nobleman. Their looks made my cheeks burn, but Arenn didn’t seem to care. Especially considering how low his hand sat on the base of my spine. And the way his lips brushed my ear every time he twirled me in his arms.
I hated the warmth that throbbed inside me.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been able to touch you like this,” he murmured into my shoulder. We’d reached the part of the song where my back pressed against his chest, and I shuddered as his fingers brushed my sides in time to the music.
“Keep touching me like that and I’ll let everyone at this party know that Queen Cora’s got a faery hiding in her palace,” I warned, gritting my teeth.
Arenn just chuckled. “Why don’t you try that?” His fingers brushed my sides again, digging in more forcefully than before. “Why don’t you scream your little heart out, as loud as you can, and we’ll see how quickly you end up back in my kingdom?”
My shoulders tensed, and I sucked in a breath as he whirled me back around to face him. “I hate you,” I hissed.
“I know.” Something like sadness flitted across his face only to vanish as a tight smile worked across his jaw. “But you’ll learn to accept my love eventually.” He stroked my cheek. “For now, I will play your silly games, let you enjoy your time by the sea while it lasts.” His smile grew as he tipped my chin closer to his face. “But I’m afraid my patience is wearing thin, my love.” His voice darkened. “And it wears thinner every time I catch you sneaking off with other men.”
My lips pressed together. “You mean my fiancé?”
Arenn dropped his hand to grip my waist, tugging me towards his chest. “I mean anyone who isn’t me, human,” he growled against my ear. “So don’t let me catch you alone with another man ever again. Or I’ll drag you back to Faelenna kicking and screaming before your foolish boy king even has a chance to draw his sword. Am I making myself clear?”
