by K. Lyn Hill
Done playing nice, she fumed in a harsh whisper. "No, you wanted to commandeer all my attention so your whore of a sister could hit on my fiancé. Let's not pretend this is anything other than what it is."
His eyes sparked with confusion and anger. "I do appreciate your candor Princess. I did not realize how possessive you were of your betrothed. Does he make you so insecure?" Jealousy tinged his voice.
Everyone here was nuts.
Was she being possessive? She didn't think so. She didn't even like Damien. They fought constantly, but she couldn't deny the fact that she wanted to tear Maria's eyes out with her nails. It made her think of the brunette from the other night trying to climb him in his chair at dinner. She paused. Why did she even care? She was forced to marry the guy but why would she be upset if he was with another girl? Maybe since she couldn't have Siel? Or someone else better suited for her? That had to be the reason. What else could it be? Or maybe it still irked her that he was encouraging the flirting of other girls. In this world she was engaged. That meant something whether she wanted to marry him or not. But could she really claim her and Siel’s flirting was just as insignificant? Was that any better than what Damien was doing?
She knew what game the count was playing as clearly as she knew the sky was blue. All courtiers did was play games and manipulate, which is why she avoided these dinners like they were a plague. But Maria had another thing coming if she thought Aerity would just sit by as someone hit on her fiancé. Damien would get his head chewed off too. He wanted to avoid her each day and then when they were finally in the same room, flirt with girls in front of her eyes? Yeah, that didn’t sit well with her. She wouldn’t be spending so much time with Siel if he hadn’t been practically shoving her into his arms. Besides, it wasn’t Siel that she was marrying, it was Damien, and she would stake her claim whether he liked it or not.
Refusing to give the count any other kind of ammunition for his gun, she simply smiled and turned her back to him completely. Jumping into Damien's conversation, Aerity leaned in to grasp hold of his thigh under the table as if she were hanging on every word he said. As soon as she made contact, Damien’s eyebrows hitched up. She knew he was itching to question her motives, but he remained silent. Maria's gaze vacillated between Aerity and Damien. A look of pure disgust rolled off her.
Aerity’s nostrils flared. Clearly, she was interrupting an important conversation.
Maria's hand wound up Damien's arm and Aerity simply nodded her head in agreement to what the girl was saying just to piss her off. She knew it worked when
Maria’s eyes locked on hers and stayed glued there. "Do you intend to contribute to the conversation Aerity? Or simply sit there like a nodding fish?"
Putting her finger to her lip in mock consideration, she forced herself not to snarl at the girl’s tone. "I didn't realize fish nodded, which would be a wonderful contribution to the conversation I think."
Maria's eyes tightened and blazed. "It was simply a polite way to explain that we were in a private conversation. It's rude to interrupt."
Smiling Aerity popped a grape into her mouth, drawing Damien’s attention to her lips. "It's also rude to flirt with people's fiancés, don't you agree?"
Maria’s face reddened as she sputtered, aware that most conversation around them had halted. The vultures were out for some blood. "I…we…I was just speaking, not flirting! Your words are offensive!"
Resting her chin on her fist, Aerity hummed. "Hmmmmm...well your hand on my future husband’s thigh is offensive to me. So, I guess we are even." The look on Damien’s face was almost comical.
Maria fumbled again and then her words seemed to come out smooth as silk. "I thought it only fair since my brother’s hand was caressing your thigh earlier." Damien froze, his body tightening. Ah, so she wanted to play like that then. Goody.
"Yes, and I also threatened to chop it off if he insisted on leaving it there. Would you like the same threat, so that we can call it officially even?" Aerity leveled an icy stare Maria's way until the flustered girl couldn't take it and looked away.
Slowly she removed her disapproving hand off Damien’s arm. "Last I heard you ran away from your betrothed."
Oh, now the girl was playing with fire. Yet again, Damien’s body coiled. It was only moments before he would explode.
"Well imagine that, I’m back." Aerity replied icily.
"Maybe you should pay more attention to your fiancé then." Maria mumbled into the table.
Anger churned inside and she spit out the words before she could keep them capped. "Maybe you should only spread your legs for unattached men.”
The table went silent, her words echoed in her ears. She said that far too loudly. All previous clanging utensils stilled. Damien stared at her like she was a foreign alien coming to suck his blood while the count seethed beside her.
"You dare speak about my sister like that?" Matteo said enraged.
Every lesson on etiquette Aerity had ever learned, flew out the window. The realization of her error struck her like a truck. "My bad." She shrugged at the few gasps echoing around the table.
Damien snapped his fingers to queue the music, helping to break a few out of their shock. "She meant no harm, I assure you. My bride gets excited at times, she means none of it." His glare warned her not to disagree. "Perhaps some good music and dancing can help to cheer people's moods? Siel, could you please dance with lady Maria? Count, I'm sure you will find that you have your pick of many lovely ladies here. I for one wish for a moment with my fiancé." It didn’t escape Aerity’s notice how quickly Damien was able to smooth over the problem. The one that she had created. Woops.
∞∞∞
Damien
Taking the cue, Aerity reached out, taking his outstretched hand. He knew he shouldn't be amused by what just transpired but he found it difficult to hide the maniacal smile spreading on his face. Aerity had offended the count and his sister to the highest degree so he should not encourage her behavior, but to see her fight another girl for him, made his glee triple and his blood boil. In a good way. She was jealous, whether she admitted it or not.
"I know I screwed up. I'm sorry." Aerity whispered. It was few and far between that he saw her act humbly.
Her hand fit into his like a glove as he led her to the center of the dance floor. It felt right to have her in his arms and when he pulled her close to his body, he could have sworn she let out a tiny gasp.
"What are you smiling at?" Her gorgeous eyes narrowed at him suspiciously and it took all his self-control not to laugh.
"You were jealous." A hint of pride exuded from his words as if the mere thought of her jealousy made him more of a man. How ridiculous was that? Still, he couldn’t help but take in a measure of joy when a blush spread across her cheeks.
She scoffed and looked away but not before he saw all he needed to see. "No. I wasn't. I just don't like gold diggers." She was looking everywhere but at him and he bit his lip to tamper down his amusement. He couldn’t believe she was nervous. Aerity. The one who had flirted with his men and run away from the wedding and yet she was here blushing like an inexperienced schoolgirl at just the thought of him.
"Gold diggers?" He asked with a smile he couldn’t quite keep from his face.
"Yeah, ya know, when people hit on you for gain or money. They are manipulative. I don't trust them." Aerity still kept her focus on the room as he spun her. She didn’t quite step on his toes but came dangerously close to it. It was odd considering she was known around her kingdom as a graceful and mesmerizing dancer.
"I don't either. I'm not saying you can go around insulting them either though." He was trying to be stern but the feel of her in his arm, embarrassed and jealous of him with another girl, had him biting back laughter. It had been awhile since he had laughed or been truly happy for that matter, but in this moment, it was everything. Maybe they could start over. Start fresh. With how she melted into his arms with each step they took together, it wouldn’t seem hard
to do.
"Then maybe they should keep their hands to themselves." She snapped.
"You were possessive of me." His smile had grown even larger, but he really was too far gone to care. Her left hand met his right as they circled each other and finally her eyes lifted to his, alit with flames. Now that was mesmerizing. Her dancing, not so much.
"Pfffft. No, I wasn't." She denied, the pink making a reappearance on her cheeks. He knew he shouldn’t mess up the moment, but he wanted to play with her and watch her eyes get even brighter like they always did when he pushed her boundaries.
"What would you have done if I slid her hand higher up my thigh?" Wait for it. Wait for it. He wasn’t disappointed. Her eyes snapped back to his and he could feel her body shake. He loved watching all her light up. She burned like the brightest of stars against a dark sky.
"Then I would have cut her hand off and made you not able to have children in the future." She huffed.
"How is that not possessive?" He was trying to keep a straight face, but he was fighting laughter at the defiant straightening of her stance.
"It's not. It's fairness. I stay loyal to you, you stay loyal to me." She replied calmly even though the hand holding his began to quake ever so slightly.
He didn't want to express how much her words meant to him even though he had a challenging time believing them. They didn't get off on the right foot but if she was planning on staying true to him, maybe they could salvage what little they had left.
"Ok." He didn't tell her so, but he knew he had mentally won this battle. She was jealous of Maria. He could feel it in his bones. He wasn’t going to lie about how happy that thought made him.
"Ok what? What do you mean by ok?" Aerity obviously wasn't going to let it drop.
"It means ok. You win."
Her perfect little lips pinched in a frowning arch. "I don't win. You didn't agree with me. Which is the complete opposite. You say that I win because you know that you won."
He gave up holding it in and burst out laughing. This woman was going to be the death of him. "That makes no sense."
"Of course it does!" His fiancé was quite stubborn when she set her mind to something. It showed in every one of her features. Tight lips, squinty eyes. Shaking his head, he offered her another smile. Her eyes sparkled, tracing his lips with her gaze. After another moment she licked her lips.
“You should smile more.” She whispered, her reverent words shocking him. His hands tightened around her waist.
“Give me more to smile about.” He teased back but she didn’t take it as a joke.
Her eyes met his, shaken. Something momentous was happening now. He could feel it. Were they flirting? Getting along? Maybe a little more than that?
“What would make you smile?” She asked gently. The fire was still in her eyes but this time it wasn’t heated in anger or aggression. Now it was something warmer. Something intimate and he felt special that he was being privy to witness it. Over the course of their dance, her shoulders had begun to relax, body folding into his. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and never let go, relishing in this moment between them. Her smile, her laugh, he wanted to be the one to make them break the surface and stay.
What would make him smile? After she taunted him in the dress she had worn tonight? His first thought was for her to be naked on his bed. Glancing up at her stricken face, he realized he had accidently spoken those words out loud. Leave it up to him to mess up the only moment that they were being civil towards each other.
Disappointment replaced the gentle warmth in her eyes. It was as if she had been hoping they could have started over too and he had just ruined it. He determined that he hated that look on her face, especially when it was directed at him.
“Is there anything else?” She asked, clearly trying to give him another chance to fix his mistake.
Yup. He definitely screwed up. He had every intention of fixing the rift that he had caused by being romantic and telling her that it would make him smile to have a baby girl with her eyes, but sadly, the road between his brain and his mouth were much at odds with each other. What he wanted to say and what he did say, were vastly different from each other. “I’ll smile when I get you pregnant.” He found himself cringing as her expression turned tight and closed off. The desire to beg and plead for the previous hope to return to her face was in the forefront of his mind but he couldn’t make his mouth work.
“Is that all I would ever be to you? A vessel for your heir?” She asked so sadly it broke his heart. Either she was a mighty good actress, or he was the biggest jerk in the world. He wanted to tell her no. That he wished to have so much more with her, but it was too late. The damage had already been done and it seemed as if Siel had an inner compass to the worst possible time to interrupt. Before he had a chance to explain, Siel’s hand was reaching out and Aerity was pulling away from him and slipping hers into it.
∞∞∞
Siel
He hadn’t planned on interrupting their dance, but something propelled his feet forward. The look on Aerity’s face undid him. Everything inside of him pushed to correct it. “May I cut in?” Her relief at her interference did not go unnoticed by him or his brother. Her hands quickly reached out to take his offered one. Damien appeared to be contemplating mass murder, his glare filled with all the rage in the world. Siel shot him a helpless look and turned back to the girl in his arms. Damien feet echoed against the stone floor as he stormed away but all Siel could focus on was Aerity’s sadness.
“Trouble in paradise?”
Her eyes flickered to the ground, shattering him completely. “Nope, I’m engaged to the man of my dreams, couldn’t you tell?” Bitterness laced her words. He wanted to make it go away.
“I do aspire to have a relationship like you two in the future. I see the sparks flying already.”
She cracked a small smile that didn’t fill her face. That’s when he the extent of his brother’s stupidity. Her smile was normally a permanent fixture on her face. The lack of a real one only made his hands tighten harder around her as if he could shield her from everything bad and hurtful.
“What happened?”
She glanced away as if embarrassed and then when she faced him again, her face hardened. “Just Damien being Damien.”
He knew he shouldn’t pry but he couldn’t help himself. “That’s a very informative sentence.”
She offered him her best look of exasperation. “I just thought we were finally getting along. Laughing. Joking. It felt good. It was less frightening to think of being married to him. Then he opens his mouth and it all gets erased.”
“Yeah that happens a lot with Damien. What he is thinking is always different than what he says. He was probably thinking romantic notions of love and ended up saying whatever it is he said.”
Lifting her arm off his shoulder, she tapped her lip in thought. “Let’s see, he said it would make him smile to have me naked in his bed… and then I asked what else and his response was ‘I’ll smile when I get you pregnant.’”
His brother was such an idiot. Siel jokes held similar humor, but Damien always came across so serious. “See, he probably meant to say that being around you makes him smile and he can’t wait to hold your child in his arms.”
She snorted. “Yeah I’m sure.”
He shrugged. “Well if all else fails, there is always archery and pretending the target is his head.” Finally, she released a laugh. A real one and he felt like the most talented man in the world with the smile she sent him.
“Give me a sword and then we can talk.”
He imagined her holding a sword and something in the idea gave him pause. “You certainly like your weapons, don’t you?”
She sent him a devilish smirk. “The better to injure you with, my dear.”
Glancing around at the party then back at her, an idea formed in his mind. But it shouldn’t have. It was stupid but like everything else, once formed, it was best executed. There was nothing proper about
it but then again, most things about Aerity weren’t. All he could think of was the light in her eyes when she aimed the bow and arrow at the target earlier. The desire to see her smile widen overrode all his better judgment. Before he could think better of it, he opened his mouth. “Do you really want to learn?”
Her gaze jerked to his. “Are you serious?” Renewed excitement laced her tone, resulting in every mistake he was about to make worth it. “Yes. We have to go at separate times so no one sees us disappear together but if it makes you happy, I’ll teach you some techniques.” A dazzling smile was her only reply.
He watched the sweat drip down her face as he desperately tried to control his breathing. She was good. Better than any beginner he had ever seen, not to mention the fact that she still wore her dress. She was graceful and lithe. A bird flying on the breeze. Every move she made was precise and deliberate. He had his suspicions this wasn’t her first time holding a weapon. “You seem like you have practiced before. You sure this is your first time wielding a sword?” He couldn’t keep his tone free of accusation.
"I've never needed to wield a sword before, but I know some stuff about daggers, and I’ve practiced with batons before." She answered.
Siel smirked, tossing the hilt of a sword in her direction. He had given her a wooden one to practice with but seeing how well she caught on, he thought she would do fine with a real one. The edges were dull enough to prevent any serious harm.
Catching it, she cocked her head to the side.
"Spread your legs." He said.
She let loose a glorious peel of laughter. "Is that how you charm all your girls?"