Madness

by Rebecca Grey

  Without a thought, I played a simple melody I’d learned so many years ago. Music filled the room. Awe sparkled in Ryker’s large eyes as she watched my hands move. The melody was cheerful, but led into a long bridge that suddenly made the song feel more mournful. It was one of my favorite songs.

  “You never told me you could play piano. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” she mumbled, her body leaning closer to mine.

  “I can do many things that I’ve never told you.” I winked and ended the song in a simple chord. My hands slipped from the keys and I folded them in my lap. “I know that it sounds insane, but I meant what I said before we came here.”

  Ryker studied my face. An eyebrow lifting ever so slightly as she thought. I scooped her hands into mine, my thumb stroking along the back of her hand. In my dreams this was easier, but now my chest felt tight, my mouth drier by the second.

  “You could stay here,” I continued. “You don’t need to go back to the Heathern Court. I could take care of all of that for you and maybe we could be together.”

  There I had said it. The silence that followed made every moment that much more intense. Ryker gave me a light smile.

  “Dace, it isn’t that simple.”

  “But it is! Ryker, please just listen to me, if you could only give this a chance. You can live your life however you please now. You can decide to live it with me. The Twinity Court could be your home.”

  Her curls bounced as she shook her head, one hand rose to touch my cheek. I leaned into her palm and let her pull away to trace my jaw and then my lips.

  “Will it always feel this way?” I squeezed my eyes shut.

  “What way?”

  “Like every time I’m near you, I’m totally consumed by you. Like every moment I touch you,” I opened my eyes and leaned forward, pulling her face to mine, “I become a drunkard without sense.”

  “Aren’t you a drunkard without sense already?” she teased, her lips brushing mine.

  Fire from her touch burned across my skin. The space between us, as little as it was, felt like miles. It was a distance I needed to close. My soul felt raw and vulnerable and Ryker could destroy me in an instant if she chose to. But I couldn’t think about that. All that filled me was the urgency to kiss her.

  With a short inhale, I pressed my lips to hers. Her mouth parted in soft surrender. It was everything I’d ever wanted and ever asked for, and it was finally happening in real time. My heart might very well explode from my chest, a feeling she was surely aware of, as I was of her racing pulse. She leaned into me, parting my lips further with the sweep of her tongue. The taste of her was as exhilarating as I thought it would be. I could savor her kisses all day.

  Ryker pulled away, resting her forehead against mine. “As much as I would like all of that to be possible, I’m not free yet. Nymphs are not free, and I can’t just run off and play princess and assume that everything is going to work out.”

  The sting of her words made my eyes flutter shut to try and hold back the overwhelming sense of disappointment. I loved Ryker, but she didn’t love me back. Not yet.

  “I was serious too, when I said I was picking you to be my bride. One day you could be more than a princess, you would be a queen.” I smiled, mostly to myself.

  Ryker ran her fingers through my hair and pressed one more small kiss to my lips before she sat up straight. “And that sounds like a lovely dream. Hell, if it wasn’t something that had also passed through my mind, I would have thought you were insane.”

  Her teeth raked over her bottom lip. It created a deep rumble in me and urged me to kiss her again. I brushed her hair away from her face. Her green eyes were glassy as she watched me. Her small admission only gave me further faith in us.

  “It doesn’t have to be now,” I finally sighed. “I’ll wait till you’re ready if you want. If you want me to court you, I’ll do it. Damn, if you want me to sacrifice myself to the gods, I’ll do it and come back in my next life for you.”

  “Don’t be so rash. I have to go back to the Heathern Court. I understand that you have a place here, but you have to understand that I have a place there. Someday maybe those places could meet in the middle. It just isn’t today.” She couldn’t hide the hope in her voice. “You saw the way everyone disapproved of me. The stigma isn’t going to end tomorrow just because I become your bride.”

  “I don’t care what they think. I’ve never cared what they think,” I said stubbornly.

  Someone cleared their throat behind us. I glanced behind Ryker to find Jesseline in the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, but your parents are looking for you, Dace.”

  “Gods, can I just tell them to fuck off?” I groaned.

  Ryker smiled as I took her hands and gave them a squeeze. I wasn’t ready to leave this room just yet, but damn if it wasn’t exactly like my parents to ruin a good thing.

  “Think about it Ryker,” I whispered, unable to stop my wide, toothy smile.

  She turned on the bench as I walked out, calling after me, “I’ll think about it all night, but it doesn’t change a thing.”

  I shook my head. She was a stubborn one. But I’ll take all the time she needs if we have to.

  “I’ll just…” Jesseline pointed back toward Ryker and vanished from beside me as I rounded the corner and found my parents waiting at the top of the steps. My father was pacing around my mother, who cocked her head and watched me walk toward them with a goofy-ass smile.

  “Why are you grinning like that?” he said, slowing his steps. “Are you trying to pull a fast one on us? You think we’re going to let you marry a nymph?”

  My mother stood still, observing me as I came closer. She was certainly annoyed, but surprisingly, not angry. I’d expected her to already be yelling at me five paces back.

  “Care to explain?” she finally asked. “Or is this just simply a ploy to get a rise out of us?”

  “Not a ploy. I simply just want to marry whom I wish to marry.”

  “You didn’t even give LaBelle an entire two minutes of your time. You caused a scene with Torrance--” my father started.

  “Torrance lost me my crown. Torrance killed innocent nymphs,” I interjected.

  “You lost your crown, Dace, not him. And now you want to leave your party early. Are you declaring the nymph your bride then?”

  “She isn’t ready for marriage,” I said plainly. “And would it help if I told you I’ve seen our relationship in my dreams?”

  “Did you see your marriage?” my mother said with a coy smile.

  No. No I hadn’t. But I’d seen everything else, and that had to be enough. I thought back to all the visions I’d had. There were so many more memories to be made with her. I’d never seen a wedding at all.

  “No, but I know we are meant to have a relationship.”

  “Perhaps she is just a side piece. Kings have mistresses all the time, son.” My mother placed her hands on her hips. My father was suspiciously silent next to her. “What do you propose we do?”

  “I’m suggesting you take my offer of engagement to Ryker Avery. But we wait until she says she’s ready. Deal?”

  “How is that a deal?” my father sighed.

  “Look, I’ll marry this one. Promise. And in the meantime… I’ll travel within the Twinity Court. I’ll talk to the areas that you say have been out of control. I’ll get back the control that you want. You’ll have your food on the table.”

  Mother grinned, a dangerous sort of smile, like she might eat me up and spit me out and enjoy every agonizing moment of it. “I’ll take that deal on the condition that if Ryker turns you down, or grows bored of you before you are officially wed, you marry the bride of our choosing. Princess Maggie still isn’t off the table.”

  It wouldn’t come to that. I had hope. And if that ever did happen, I might be so completely broken on the inside that it wouldn’t matter who I married.

  “Deal,” I nodded. Now I just had to pray that Ryker would always feel the same way about me. I wish
ed Shavarra was here right now. She’d love to hear a rant about my terrible parents and then she’d probably smack me upside the head for taking the deal.

  With a frown, I slipped between my parents and headed back into the party. Guess I’ll continue to play the role of host and finish these damn dances.

  TWENTY

  Dace

  Nymphs were cleaning up the empty glasses of fae who drank far too much. Many of the guests still danced and cheered with the music. I rubbed at my eyes, blinking, and wondered why I hadn’t drank more.

  “Are you tired?” Ryker’s soft voice said from behind me.

  I twisted to face her and ran my fingers through my hair hoping I hadn’t ruffled it too much. “Just who I wanted to see. I’m doing okay, thankfully I’ve finished the last of the dances, which is good. They all seem to be having a good time.”

  Ryker followed the direction of my finger to the swaying drunkards. Torrance danced sloppily next to a woman with an incredibly low cut gown on the edge farthest from us. I’d made a point to keep him on the opposite side of the room from me. Parents wouldn’t be happy if I popped off like that again.

  “Hmm, makes me miss my friends.” Her arms wrapped around her, her hands rubbing the exposed skin. “I was actually thinking I would call it a night and head back to my room.”

  “Let me walk you back.” Stepping forward, I offered her my hand once more.

  Skeptically, she leaned away from me. “Don’t you think it will look bad if we walk out of here together like that?”

  I hummed, “I don’t know how many times I need to say this, but I don’t give a fuck what it looks like, what anyone here thinks, or that it’s technically too early for me to leave my own party. If you’re comfortable holding my hand, the simplest of acts, then nothing else matters.”

  “You know this isn’t an invitation into my bed, right?”

  Her hand slipped into mine, and I brought it up to my mouth, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “I won't touch you like that until you ask. Though,” I added with a wink, “I’ll be waiting, oh-so-impatiently, until you do.”

  Heads turned to watch us walk together up the stairs. Ryker tried to smile at me as we took our time. In my head, this wasn’t just about what my court needed to see. Though the sight of fae and nymph hand in hand was necessary, this was one of the small moments where I felt like I was who I was meant to be. Life came at me in overwhelming waves, but Ryker somehow slowed them down and brought them into perspective for me.

  The smile she gave me wasn’t without the sadness that still touched her eyes. Her back, her very scarred back, was in plain view for all to see. More eyes were trained on her than on me, for once. I hoped they saw the beauty in her like I did. I hoped they saw the wicked in them.

  Together, we stepped around the corner and out of sight. Ryker let loose a long breath, like just walking up the small flight of stairs had been painful to bear. Her pulse still raced, I felt it in the grip of her hand and heard it thudding in her chest.

  Another small shiver ran down her spine. Tentatively, I let go of her hand and reached to put my arm over her shoulders and hold her close as we walked. “May I?”

  “I’m honestly surprised you even asked.”

  “Have I not been anything but polite?” I wrapped my hand over her cold skin and brought her up against my body. The smell of her drifted in intoxicating waves up to my face. It took all of my strength not to bury my face in her hair.

  “Polite, but assertive,” she thought aloud, “Cocky, and full of assumptions.”

  “Damn, I thought you were starting to like me.”

  Her gaze traveled from my head to my toes as she smirked up at me. “You may have convinced me that you have some admirable traits.”

  “Mmm, say more things like that,” I murmured. The silk of her dress was just a thin layer of material between us. My mind couldn’t quit thinking about it as I felt her frame shift with each step against me. “You must be great at talking dirty.”

  She chuckled awkwardly, “Your version of talking dirty would be hurtling half hearted compliments at each other.”

  “Sorry, years of crippling mental damage will do that to a guy.”

  A few posted guards bowed slightly at the waist as we passed. I’m sure many assumed that she wasn’t the queen-to-be, but a pawn in a game, since she was a nymph. It would take time to untrain their minds to think that way.

  “You’re not the only one damaged,” Ryker said, watching the guards.

  “Two peas in an unstable pod,” I whispered.

  The door to the suite she was staying in came into view. I unwrapped myself from her and took her hand again. Once we reached the door I turned to face her. I couldn’t quit looking at her, touching her, and getting high off the reality of her.

  “May I kiss you again?” I leaned forward.

  Rykers back reclined against the door. Her lips pressed together, her eyes darting from my gaze to my mouth.

  “Yes, please,” she breathed.

  That was enough. The space between us evaporated. Both of my hands held her face, tilting her chin up toward me. Excitement ballooned in my abdomen, the ecstasy of her embrace spiking desire that traveled straight to my cock.

  Her lips parted for me. She opened her mouth wider, the kiss deepening as if we couldn’t get enough of each other. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think. All I could do was want and taste and enjoy.

  Her hands ran down my torso, settling along my hips. Her fingers gripped me tightly to her, digging sharply into the fabric of my shirt.

  I pulled away just enough to press kisses against her tan skin, trailing down along her jaw and onto her neck. The briefest of scents caught my nose. Two small white dots had yet to fade, and still contained the smell of another man. My tongue flicked out over the spot. I wanted to claim her. I wanted to be the one to sink my teeth into her. If you did it right, if she wanted as much as I did, pleasure would spike wildly. It would make her legs tremble.

  I paused, brushing my nose along her neck, trying to fight the primal urge that grew as the smell of her arousal filled the air. “I know you didn’t ask for that,” I said, pressing a kiss to the mark. “I could cover it up for you, if you’d like.”

  One hand rose and she cupped her neck, pulling away to watch me. “It’s almost faded. It will be gone soon enough.”

  Absently, her other hand brushed my hair out of my face, trailing over my scalp, around my ear. She watched me, still trying to catch her breath as I was.

  “Our attraction to each other is… undeniable.”

  “The problem is, it isn’t logical,” she laughed.

  “Maybe to you,” I mused with a sigh. “I want to kiss you all night and into the next day.”

  “I’m not sure I would be strong enough to say ‘no’ to more if you did that.” The hand at her neck slipped over my body, her fingers drawing a line where my belt sat.

  “Don’t tempt me like that,” I growled, wishing we could. Taking a long, shaking breath, I stepped away from her. I tried to focus on filling my lungs and releasing the air back out to clear my head. If we kept up like this I wouldn’t be able to stop. Ryker wasn’t ready for this yet. She had set the boundary and I needed to respect it.

  “Will you father be available to take me back to the Heathern Court tomorrow?” She cocked her head.

  Everything inside me wanted to crumble at her statement. I wanted her to be with me, but I had made the commitment to finally accept my responsibility as prince.

  “Uh, yes. He can be. Though, I wish you would stay.” I’d have to talk to my father in the morning. At least it was better than my mother using her magic to take Ryker back and forth. That would only be filled with cutting remarks about how much of a disappointment I was and how she thought we shouldn’t be together.

  “It’s complicated, remember?” She reached for the doorknob.

  “I’ll just have to visit you then.” I purred. “For practice, you know.”


  “Practice?” she blushed.

  I leaned down to her and kissed her cheek. My lips moved against her skin as I spoke. “I was talking about training, but I’ll happily practice anything you’d like in your bedroom.”

  The way her breathing hitched made my toes curl. I wheeled myself back, taking a few steps down the hallway. She touched her face where my mouth had just been and twisted the knob behind her.

  “Good night, Ryker,” I sang.

  “Goodnight.” She waved and inched inside her room. Even as I turned my back and headed for my room, I could still feel her gaze on my back, her door not clicking shut until I was nearly out of sight.

  If I wasn’t careful, Ryker would consume me. Not that that was a bad thing.

  With every step, my mind replayed every moment of the night. Some bad, some good. But nothing could stop the high of finally getting to kiss her, to embrace her so freely, for her to return the attraction that I’d contained for so long.

  Some guards watched me, confused as I walked back to my room alone. They expected me to party hard and do as I pleased, without respecting Ryker’s wishes, because she was a nymph. They had me all wrong. I wasn’t like the rest of this godless court.

  With a smile still on my lips, I slipped into my room. The smooth material of my jacket felt almost suffocating as I slipped out of it. My fingers were already working the buttons of my shirt. Under my pants, I could feel the fullness of my cock pressing against the material. I tried to think of something else, anything else to ease the desire, but the impressive firmness of it didn’t go away.