“Well, that’s very kind.” I stole a glance at his perfect lips, appreciating their welcoming words and wondering how they would feel pressed to mine. When I lifted my gaze to Rhazien's, he wore a similar expression.
“What are you staring at?” I tilted my chin as an invitation for what every molecule in my being knew would be a perfect kiss, but it didn’t come.
The regent held strong, staring at the curve of my willing mouth. “I just…love seeing your lips untouched. I don’t know if I’m ready to mark them just yet.”
Please, mark me,I thought.
There was an undeniable sense of power from having the attention of a man in his position, one most women would be susceptible to. I wish I could have said I wasn’t like most women, but I craved that attention just as much as a young maid. There was something potent and gratifying in being chosen. I wondered if he felt it too. When it came to becoming bound, to becoming his queen, I had a choice. Just as I’d had with the axe. Did he yearn to be chosen too? Or was this simply a political arrangement for him?
Whatever the situation, he was staring at me like I was the sun he hadn’t seen in hundreds of years, and I liked it.
“You wouldn’t prefer to see yourself on them?” I cooed, “Wouldn’t that mean every other vampire could see it too?”
“Mmm…but they already know you’re mine, Reyva.” He leaned in, teasing me before sitting up straight again and asked, “What else?”
I looked up at him from beneath my lashes and asked through a heavy, frustrated breath, “What do you mean, what else?”
How is it possible that we are not kissing right now?
“What else can I do to make you feel more comfortable here?” Rhazien nestled in closer to me. Our bodies touched from knee to shoulder and we might not have been lip-locked like I wanted, but I welcomed his warmth.
“Honesty,” I blurted, then snapped my mouth shut from regret.
“Honesty?” he echoed, adjusting himself next to me.
I looked down to our joined hands. “Tell me why I’m here.”
He leaned forward and planted a featherlight kiss on my cheek. “Because, you’re exceptional.”
I closed my eyes and reveled in the heat of his closeness but was determined to not give into such a lazy attempt at distraction.
“I’m starting to think you say this to all of your mortal guests…” I pressed my fingers to his chest creating space between us.
“Reyva, I’m wounded,” he groaned with a brilliant, sarcastic smile.
My cheeks hurt from holding back a smirk of my own. “I’ll fetch you a healer.” I motioned to stand but he pulled me back down to the bench by my hips.
“You’ll do no such thing!” His chuckle echoed through the garden.
“Then tell me. Why did you send Dommik to Illica to retrieve me?” I recaptured his hand. The gesture ignited a spark of surprise in his forest green eyes. I wondered if his subjects didn’t insist on things from him all that often. Well, besides Gorvin. I was sure he made a daily habit of bossing Rhazien around.
“The other night, you mentioned an item. You need something found. What is it?”
“Mmm.” He pursed his lips, a thought lingering behind his pause.
Thin clouds floated overhead, veiling the moonlight as they passed.
“Rhazien…tell me.” A glimmer streaked through his gaze at the sound of his name. “One moment I’m awaiting an execution in Illica and a week later I’m being presented as your prospective future vampire queen to your court. I’m not to be touched or tasted. I’m attending lessons in your library and wearing priceless diamonds. I can’t wrap my head around it.”
Rhazien’s features were steady as he listened to my cascading feelings and questions. I couldn’t even believe what I was saying despite living it. Maybe I’d been thrown from my horse during the ambush, hit my head, and was lying in a lifeless dream state somewhere on the side of the road.Maybe I’d died and was sentenced to a life of wandering this plane as punishment for my transgressions.
I considered pinching myself but instead, Rhazien squeezed my hands. He felt real. The warmth of his skin contrasted the chill of the brisk autumn wind. And my heart, the way it pounded when he looked at me likethat. I’d always had a colorful imagination, but if this was in fact some kind of dream, it would be the most vividly detailed illusion I’d ever created.
The clouds parted and moonlight illuminated Rhazien’s rugged features as he spoke. The curve of his nose, the fullness of his lips. Status and riches make some men more attractive, but he would have been handsome no matter what his station.
“Gorvin cautioned me. Said it’s too much too soon.” He let out a calculating exhale. “But you’re right. You’re owed an explanation.”
A small victory. I sat up straighter, ready for answers.
