“Stars,” Marcèllian cried. “No!”
I ignored him. Then I flicked a finger towards Jacques’ remains.
A flood of souls lunged for the body, feasting on Jacques’s carcass.
“No, stop!” Marcèllian cried.
I hummed a tune of great mourning, gliding away, hands back inside my pockets. I continued to hum as I crossed the courtyard, my cape trailing behind me like a midnight veil. Clapping my wings, I opened a star gate. The Beauradèl’s sobs turned to outright screams while I laughed to my hearts content and headed home to my Phantimèssa.
Chapter 26
Nahomie
I leaned forward,feeding Bones another piece of fried pork. The cinderwolf chewed through the large hunk of meat while curled at my feet. I leaned back on the velvet couch. A festive, percussion-driven melody, with a layered rhythm that demanded I move my shoulders and hips, played in the background. I swayed to the beat while digging into my meal.
I watched Tassarion through a curious gaze. Ever since the king returned to the manor, he was in a positively good mood. He’d awoken me from sleep late into the twinight and convinced me to spend the night with him in the lair. A request I had no intention of denying. It had been a thrill sleeping snuggled up to the leviathan of a king.
Now he was light on his feet, moving around nonstop like he had been all dawn. Like me, he swayed to the beat of the rhythmic song, winding his hips as if he were dancing with a partner. I couldn’t say I wasn’t enjoying the view. The behemoth of an angel moved around his lair shirtless, without his crown, barefoot, with a stack of fried plantains in his hand, talking in-between bites as he continued dancing. I nibbled on my bowl of rice and fried pork while trying to sift out where this good mood was coming from.
“I’m not above admitting you were right,” he was saying between bites. “I can’t let you roam the island, but youcanbe free of the manor. There’s the Alabaster Wood out front, although I don’t see you wanting to explore woods with creatures that drink their weight in blood every dawn.”
“That’s definitely a hard pass.”
I scrunched my nose at the thought.
Bones lifted his head, looking between Tassarion and I.
“What about me?” He asked.
Tassarion raised a brow at my cinderwolf.
“Obsidian is rubbing off on you, I see.” Tassarion shrugged. “Sure. But donotdrag anything you find out there inhere.”
Tassarion narrowed his eyes at the cinderwolf. Bones huffed, grumbling something about angels always ruining his fun. I giggled. It seemed the king at some point had discovered Bones’s propensity for mischief and bringing homegifts. Dead and dismembered ones.
“Then there’s the beach,” Tassarion continued. “We’re right on the water. There’s no harm in us going out to enjoy a stroll.” He paused before looking at me from below his lashes. “A swim.”
I choked on my rice. My body flushed with heat that had nothing to do with the usual island humidity. I took a deep breath, swallowing my food.
“I’m... sorry.” I wheezed, fighting tears as the food went down the wrong pipe. “Us?“
“Awoui, Phantimèssa,” he purred. He’d stopped dancing, turning the full weight of his gaze on me. “Us.” He tilted his head. “You, me, and endless ocean.” He smirked. “What could possibly go wrong?”
Oh, he was in a good mood, alright. Going to the beach was a far better prospect than the Alabaster Wood. Just us and the ocean waves. I bit my lower lip at the thought. As Tassarion mused out loud, his muscles shifted and moved in a way thatmade me want to fold before him. Made me want to act a rotting fool.
Tassarion Everthorn was the kind of attractive that made you want to be unmade by sin, turned every way but loose, no matter how much sense you had. I traced every stitch, every scar carved into his gorgeous brown skin pulled taut over ripped muscles that turned me mindless. I wanted to drag my nails down his skin. To breathe him in and drown under his spell. To be ruined by him for anyone, anything else, eternally aching for him.
“Nahomie.”
I didn’t respond, dragging my eyes down the length of his formidable physique, lost in the absolute majesty of him.
“Emélie.” I flicked my gaze to his at the low purr in his voice. My middle name on his tongue did foolish things to my hearts. My stomach clenched. “Eyes here, my wickedly enchanting Phantimèssa.” He pointed to his eyes. “Nothere.” He pointed lower.
Liquid heat exploded in my lower belly.
I coughed. Tassarion chuckled.
“The beach, Phantimèssa. Will you go with me? Yes or no?”
