by K. Lyn Hill
Her bad mood vanished as she greedily grabbed the clothes and kissed his cheek. This, this was who she was. The person that she was with Siel. Happy, confident, positive. He just seemed to understand, his mood consistently matching hers.
"You are awesome!" Eager to get out of this god forsaken dress, she dashed behind the folded dressing partition and practically ripped it off. Only problem was, she couldn't reach the zipper. Carly always hooked up her clothes.
With her cheeks tinging pink, she peeked out at Siel, who felt her eyes on him and looked over. "I can't reach the zipper. There's this stupid clasp thing." She didn't need to finish her explanation before he made his way to her side. Turning back around she felt his hand at the nape of her neck. Chills raced down her spine as his fingers delicately glided the zipper down towards the small of her back, slower than it needed to be. She glanced over her shoulder and her breath caught at the fierce look burning in his gaze. Warm breath penetrated the skin at her neck.
A sensual smile tugged at his lips and her knees almost buckled at the intensity. "I must say, Princess, I've never been overcome with so much envy then when my brother kissed you." His joking voice spoke in a playful manner and yet contradicted the movement of his fingers as they traced inch by inch of her skin, dragging the zipper down with it. Suddenly, his other hand moved to slide her hair over to one shoulder, the darkening of his eyes caught her skin on fire. The sleeve of her dress slid down her arm leaving her shoulder bare and exposed to his sight. He sucked in a gasp of air as he took her all in. Self-consciously remembering all the puckered scars that marred her skin, she tried to break the hold he had over her. Before she could slip out of his reach and cover herself, the door cracked open and slammed shut, jolting them from their moment. Siel stepped back and cleared his throat, Aerity released a relieved puff of air at their newly found distance.
Carly popped into view holding a handful of towels, clearly not expecting the scene in front of her. "Oh, hello. I didn’t mean to interrupt." A knowing smirk slowly spread across her face. Aerity clenched her jaw. She saw the twinkle in Carly’s eyes, knowing exactly what the girl thought she was seeing. It wasn’t what it seemed but it certainly looked a different way. Aerity’s flushed face grew hotter, her dress was still practically sliding off her shoulders. Carly glanced from her to Siel and hastily set the towels down.
Rubbing a hand down his face Siel stepped out of the room.
Aerity stuttered. "My zipper got stuck and I couldn’t reach it."
Carly held her secret smirk. "Of course, my lady. I wouldn’t dare to assume anything else."
Aerity narrowed her eyes and practically growled. Carly’s smile widened as she spun towards the door. “Good day, Prince." One last conspiring grin beamed in her direction before a quick curtsy. The click alerted her of the door closing.
“Well that wasn't awkward at all." Aerity chuckled politely but it did nothing to slow down her beating heart. Something had changed. Siel’s demeanor, his actions, they all went beyond normal flirty banter. Ever since that day in the piano room when they danced, his presence seemed heavier than normal, more serious. Maybe she was simply reading into things. He was a player. Eli used cheesy lines on girls all the time. It didn’t mean anything. Siel was used to treating every girl like this. It was no different than the first day she kicked him in the balls. Except for this time, she wasn’t fighting back.
Shaking her head, she dispelled her traitorous thoughts. It didn’t matter. She was to marry his brother. Her task returned to getting out of the horrendous dress and into the clothes he had given her, ignoring the heated stares she felt at her back.
He led her to the practice yard, excitement leaping through her at the thought of fighting. It had been far too long. But Siel surprised her when he handed her a bow.
"Can I use this to stab somebody?" Maybe there was an alternate way to use this other than what he was intending.
His chuckle was natural and airy, making her smile. See? Everything was back to normal. "No, you use it to shoot an arrow."
She frowned. “That’s no fun.”
"You resort to violence far too often. It's not good for your heart." Squinting, he looked off into the distance, searching for something.
"Fighting is exercise so I say it is good for your heart."
Siel offered her a chastising look.
Huffing, she took hold of the arrow from his hand and inspected it. "Okay what do I do with this?" Slipping the arrow through the bow like she had seen on movies, she lifted it so it was pointed at Siel.
His eyes grew wide, jumping out of the arrow’s path as he tugged at her hand so the arrow faced the ground. "First off, please don't ever say ‘what do I do with this’ and point the weapon in my direction at the same time. I would assume that speaks for itself."
Aerity shrugged. "My bad." It's not like she would have let go. She knew the basic concept of archery even if she hadn't done it before. Gun? Yes. She could shoot one of those with her eyes closed. Sticks with a rubber band? Not so much.
"Okay now that you’re not facing me, do you see that big tree in between the two little ones?" She realized why he was squinting earlier. He had been searching for a target.
"You expect me to hit that?" She asked incredulously.
"Not yet but that's your goal. For now, we will start with that bucket on the wall." She followed his gaze to a rusted eye sore sitting about fifteen feet away. That was much more doable. Siel stood behind her, his nearness almost choking her. She ached to lean further back into his heat but he was only close enough to help her position herself. Their moment earlier was definitely only in her imagination.
Hands on her hips, he tapped on her legs as a motion to widen her stance. She did as she was told and lifted the bow the way he had directed. "How is this supposed to help me blow off some steam?" She wondered why she wasn't punching something instead.
"Because you imagine that the bucket is Damien’s face."
She could hear the smile in his voice and it made her want to hug him. "That I could totally get into."
Having a newly found burst of energy, she focused again on her intended target. Siel used his hands to guide her fingers to where they needed to be on the bow. "When you let loose, take a deep breath and release on the exhale." He slowly moved in closer to the point that his chest was now flush with her back, making droplets of sweat cascade sensuously down her neck. He stepped away from her finally allowing her to breathe again. Pulling in some air, she did as she was told. The arrow flew to the left of the bucket missing its mark by a few inches.
"Try again."
Aerity tried over and over, never seeming to hit the target but she got closer as the day progressed.
"You’re getting better." Even though Siel wasn't moving much, he still had sweat dripping down his face. She followed a drop as it grazed his neck and disappeared under the collar of his shirt. Images of what he looked like without his shirt on flickered through her head.
Cursing herself, she stomped it down. Curling her hands into fists at her side, she avoided her desire to wipe it away. "It didn't really help."
Siel seemed to be daydreaming as she spoke. "What? Didn't help what?" He asked.
"My desire to punch Damien."...Nope... the want was still there.
"Well it's normally what follows the target practice that calms me down, but it would be inappropriate to participate in it with you."
That piqued her interest more than she wanted to let on. "And everything else between us has always been so appropriate?" She raised her eyebrow in question.
He barked out a laugh, then rubbed the back of his neck. "I want to, you have no idea. But after earlier...if anyone saw us...." His voice trailed off and then returned. "I don't want them to see you in a bad light." He was concerned with how people would view her. Not because he was embarrassed by her actions but because he knew it would make her life harder here.
"Can you at least tell me what you normally do then? I can
live vicariously through you."
Pleased with the fact she didn’t fight him, he eventually gave in. Damien demanded and tried to bend her to do his will. You tell a kid not to touch the stove, guess what they do? They grip it with both hands. Tell her she's not allowed to do something? Um yeah, best believe she is going to do it anyway. But Siel wouldn't hold her back if she pushed or insisted. He let her exist as herself and make her own rules.
"Go swimming in the river. It's perfect this time of day. There's even a waterfall in the clearing. When the sun hits it just right, a rainbow shoots from one end to the other."
His words sounded so beautiful that she began craving the feel of the water on her skin and light dancing on her face. "Well you know I'm quite tempted to do it anyway, now don't you?"
He laughed, a gritty sound that made her insides quiver. He casually took a seat on the ground and laid back, covering his face with his hands. "Why?" He groaned into his fingers.
"Why what?"
His hand lowered. "Why do you have to be engaged to my brother?"
Well that was a loaded question if she ever heard one. "Because cupid thinks it's amusing to piss on everyone's happiness?"
She sat down and he rolled onto his stomach to face her. The sun shining in his hair gave him a boyish appeal like simpler times of playing in the grass and running through the forest. Looking at him was magic.
Every fairy tale prince she had ever read about could be described in the dictionary as Siel. Too bad she was to marry the toad instead...but this story didn't end with him becoming the handsome prince. She thought about the differences between the two brothers that she had seen so far. Damien was sexy and alluring in ways she didn’t understand nor could deny. It ate her alive that his personality didn’t match his exterior. He was demanding and stubborn. The ache to punch him was almost as strong as her desire to have his body pressed against hers, which did nothing but confuse her. And Siel? He was the light at the end of the tunnel. The sunshine after the rain. Brilliance. The one who made her laugh and taught her new things. He made her feel welcome when no one else had. She imagined what it would be like to marry him instead. A man who she truly considered a trustworthy friend. Someone kind and loving without motive or an agenda, unlike Damien, who seemed only to operate thus.
Siel caught her attention, reaching over to grab a leaf that had unknowingly flown into her hair. She wiped her thoughts off the white board in her mind and kept their mood light like they always seemed to do. "I'm sure you'll have a new love affair by the morning after my wedding." The word wedding felt like sandpaper scraping back and forth across her tongue.
"Well obviously, I can't spend my whole life wallowing. But if you ever get sick of him you know where to find me." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"With your tongue down another woman's throat? Nah I'll pass." Something shimmered under the surface in his eyes but she was too busy reveling in their banter to define it. "So, are we going swimming or what?" If she was getting married soon, then she considered this her bachelorette party. Since she had no female friends here except Carly, she figured Siel was second best.
"You are far too tempting to be alone with. We should go get someone to join us."
Aerity’s eyes lit up… “Carly!”
Siel shrugged. “Why not?”
She found Carly dusting an ancient lamp in her room. “Hey! Let’s go swimming!”
Noticing the prince, Carly froze. Aerity’s greeting sparked a curious look from him but he didn’t say anything. Aerity would have bet anything that Carly was one minute from drooling if she didn’t stop gawking soon.
“Princess, all three of us?” She squeaked out.
Aerity assumed she was pretending for Siel’s sake because she hadn’t spoken this meekly in weeks. “Oh please. Cut the shy crap. You can be yourself around him. Yes, all three of us.”
There was no missing the curious expression sporting Siel’s face, but he dismissed it and shot her friend his winning smile. “Aerity tells me you’re quite the secret spitfire. I’m thrilled to learn more.” He winked at her and Aerity tried to stamp down the jealousy. See? He flirts with everyone. She was nothing special to him. Just a friend.
Despite Carly’s blushed cheeks, Aerity rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop pretending and go get your suit on. We are going to a waterfall.” Carly shot her a very non-timid glare that only backed up her little tirade.
Siel smirked at their interaction and shook his head. ‘You heard the Princess and her endless demands.”
Aerity smacked him on the arm. Carly’s grin turned wicked. Uhoh. One could never predict what was going to come out of the girl’s mouth with that expression. Whatever it was, wasn’t going to be good.
She strutted past her and whispered in her ears. “You should bring Damien instead. Then you can have a delicious man sandwich.” The gleam in her eyes made Aerity’s face turn bright red. She hoped that Siel didn’t hear her but she was afraid to look up and find out. The image of Damien without his shirt off made her face light on fire. Carly repaid her display of humility with roaring laughter of her own.
“I’m so going to dunk you for that.” Aerity taunted.
“You’d have to catch me first…that is if you’re not too busy.” She nodded her head in a pointed jerk towards Siel.
“Shut up and go get changed.” She hissed but the twinkle in Carly’s eyes only brightened. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to invite her along. She was never going to let her live this down.
Siel watched them with blinding amusement. Carly left and as he sidled up next to her, she held her breath. “What was all the whispering about?”
Aerity blushed all over again. “Nothing.”
“I saw her nod in my direction. What did she say?”
Ignoring him, she shuffled backwards and changed the subject. “So what does one wear to go swimming?”
“Well I would say you can swim naked, but I don’t think my brother would approve.”
“Unless he was to join us.” She blurted and then slammed a hand over her mouth.
His chuckle warmed her insides. “Is that a fantasy of yours, Princess?” His voice turned husky.
“No!” she screeched. His laughter grew uncontrollable as he laughed at her discomfort. Uggg not cool!
“That’s good because as close as my brother and I are, I believe I would have an issue with dipping my roll in the same bowl of stew.”
Her cheeks flared to an alarming shade of red. “Oh my God!” She shouted incredulously, filled to the brim with embarrassment. Nothing ever embarrassed her. Clearly, she had met her match. “Leave me alone so I can change.” She pushed passed him attempting to ward off the blotchy red color she knew was all over her body. Even her toes were embarrassed. How did that even happen?! Finally, he left the room, his chuckles echoing in his wake.
Chapter Twenty
Siel
He struggled to focus on anything other than her. Green eyes sparkled with life while her cheeks flushed from red to burgundy. That image would haunt him for every one of his remaining days. The infectious timidity sprawled across her features as if she was posing naked on a bear skin rug; a complete contradiction to the fire normally igniting her soul.
Her laughter accentuated the most captivating smile he had ever seen. And with that thought, he was well aware of the trouble he was in. No girl had made him as curious before. The again, no other girl he had met was anything like her.
It was a weak lie when he had separated from them saying he needed a break from the sun. In all actuality, what he really needed was a break from her. A moment to clear his head. Purge the addiction of her from his blood.
Not that it would ever work though. Every moment he spent with her was another one drawing them closer. He was playing with fire, yet he couldn’t back away even if he tried.
A peel of giggles grabbed his attention. He glanced over only to meet Aerity’s gaze. A golden hue had begun to blossom on her face from the sun, making all her fea
tures light up along with her smile that she was taunting him with. He imagined what it would feel like to hold her whenever he wanted and to experience her soft lips against his. It irked him that his brother knew what it was like to wrap his arms and lips around her, and yet, the person who cared about her more hadn’t had the privilege. Not to mention the motive behind why Damien had touched her came into play as well. But she was engaged to him so that was how it was supposed to go.
Siel didn’t have to like it though.
Damien barely paid her any attention and the few times he was around, he treated her like dirt. Siel couldn’t imagine someone as special as Aerity being trapped in a union with someone who didn’t treasure her. His only hope was that Damien would get over his little vendetta and start treating her the way she deserved.
Like the Queen that she will be.
His stomach cramped. She would be his Queen.
Looking at her now, it made him wonder what caused her to run away from the wedding to begin with. She seemed to take every situation in stride. Even at the hunt when the women were insulting her, she held her head high and made the first insult herself. Nothing seemed to bother her.
Nothing except Damien of course.
He knew his brother better than anyone and knew that Damien was a good guy. He was loyal and strong. Fierce yet faithful. Although, his behavior over the past few days had been unrecognizable, irritating Siel beyond measure. His brother was more than capable of making Aerity happy, yet he refused to even try. They would need to have a little chat. Aerity deserved better. Siel wished he could give it to her himself.
The girls resurfaced from the water and he found his eyes glued to Aerity once again. Her soaking garments clung to her curves, giving her the appearance of a siren. She was more than capable of luring a man to his death. Water droplets slid down her neck, falling between the mounds of her breasts. His heart rate picked up as she glided toward him. Carly said something that made her eyes sparkle with mirth. It was the same expression he made a goal to put on her face every day.