by K. Lyn Hill
His voice reminded her of their fight and the moment fled. He just wanted to control her again. One more move on their chess board.
Tilting her head, she ran her lips along his stubbled chin. "Never." Her word came out breathier than she planned it too, damnit. She shoved her elbow in his ribs and tore out of his grip. During her escape, their feet tangled in disarray. They both buckled and fell to the ground. She landed on her back as her hips straddled his thighs. His body pressed completely against hers. The weight of his arms pinning her to the ground made her heart gallop.
Again, her traitorous body ignored her mind and arched off the ground, pressing him closer to hers. He released a groan, surprise flitting across his feature. His eyes caught hers, their faces only inches apart. His breath fell in waves over her face and she felt something hard press against her thigh. She gasped. He eyed her wearily as she licked her lips in expectation. He was a monster. A beast. She needed to finish this now. For both their sakes.
A cough in the crowd shook them back to the present, the reality of which struck like lightning against a metal rod.
“Yield." His voice came out huskier than normal as he loosened his hold on her arms.
With one last tantalizing smile she used the only weapon she had left. "Not a chance." She breathed just before her lips crashed into his.
∞∞∞
Damien
Deep down he knew he was being used. She was hoping her kiss would distract him enough to let his guard down. And she would be right. He greedily sucked in her touch like a starving man given bread.
As soon as her lips met his, all mental thoughts perished at the feel of her body underneath his. Forgetting the company surrounding them, forgetting almost everything, he drank in all she was giving him. Her lips tasted like jasmine and mint as he devoured her.
He wanted her hands on his body. Desired to feel her touch so desperately that he released her prisoned hands completely, knowing as soon as he let go, she would take the chance to strike out at him again.
She didn't disappoint.
The moment her hands were free, she used the momentum to flip them over, leaving her straddling him on top. Her blinding smile beamed in his direction, wider than any smile she had given him before. "Aha gotchya." There was something almost angelic about her voice and yet it cut him to the core. Gently lifting his hand to her face, he watched as she studied him like a weary mouse eyeing a stalking cat. Raising to one elbow, he swept at a loose strand of waywardly blowing across her face in the brisk wind. The movement caused her to slide further down into his lap as he carefully tucked it behind her ears. Thrown off by the gentle gesture, her eyes locked onto his. Guiding her head down, he slowly placing his forehead against hers. Her body tensed.
He sighed in defeat. "All my life, choices have been made for me. What classes to take, how to act. Which girl I am to marry. Even how to act around my people.” Wanting to see her face, he lifted his head. Aware of prying eyes and ears he lowered his voice so it stayed between them. "But if I could have just one desire, one wish that I got to choose..." he glanced away and then back again. "It would have been for that kiss to have been real and not just some political move in a silly game." Silently, he lifted her off his lap, placing her on the ground. Without meeting her eyes, he stood up to dust his pants off and made his exit.
∞∞∞
Aerity
Stunned.
That's about the only word that explained what just happened. She finally got a peek into Damien’s soul and he looked completely shattered. That was no act. No ploy. He simply spoke from his heart. And she played him like a fool, using her body as manipulation. She swallowed a lump in her throat. That wasn't like her.
She could still taste him on her lips. Licorice and dandelions; the perfect assessment of him. Harsh; few able to appreciate who he was. A weed that looked beautiful and had the potential of make every dream come true, yet a nuisance in everyday life.
He was an outlier. An anomaly.
Someone's presence beside her drew her attention. Siel didn't sport the typical stupid look on his face as he plopped besides her. Now he just had hard, unforgiving lines marring his perfect features.
"I screwed up." She spoke before he had the chance to say it himself. She could reprimand herself just fine.
"My brother is his own species and can irritate the most passive of personalities."
She squinted at him and repeated, "I screwed up. That's why you look like you just sucked a lemon."
He smiled but it was a sad one. Pretending to be highly offended he huffed, slinging his arm over her shoulder. "Why Princess, this is what my face normally looks like. Many wish me to wear a bag over my features, but I will not succumb to peer pressure! I must live with the fear of looking upon your face every day! It's only fair for you to suffer through mine as well.”
Sighing, she leaned into his touch. "I shouldn't have played with his emotions. I thought he was a stubborn mule. Not a man with an actual soul."
"Ah yes, my brother is a complex disaster with a mess of feelings and emptiness all rolled into one. Don’t get me wrong, how he treated you earlier is inexcusable. He was beyond out of line. It was not in his usual character. Just as that doesn’t seem to be a part of yours either." A scowl replaced his usual silliness, making his face unfamiliar.
He lowered his arm from her back. Leaning forward he placed his chin on his fist, seeming lost in his own reveries. "I got to run amuck while he had to learn with tutors and sit in war council meetings. Father hardly ever looked my way. I was left to my own devices." Aerity leaned back on her elbows, taking in the whole account. "But Damien didn't have that life. My father was tough on him. Obviously, he is king, so he kept a firm hand. Mother was the only one to show him softness and she passed when we were little. I was so young, I hardly remember her. My father took out his grief on Damien. Training him harder than anyone else, removing any obstacle or joy the boy could have had otherwise. He's seen little happiness in life. He doesn’t know the correct things to say to females nor how to charm courtiers but he's a fierce leader with a big heart." He paused to plant his gaze on her. "I was shocked at his behavior earlier because I know who he is and what heart he possesses. A hidden one but nonetheless, a big one. One he doesn't take out for all to see, and one that when trampled on, loses its ability to function once and for all." Understanding sizzled between the two of them. Damien had never known love and once his mother died, he lost the only love he knew. Aerity was all too familiar with the loss of a mother and the damage it causes.
Tears prickled the backs of her eyes as she choked down a sob. "I honestly don't know if anyone believes me or not yet." Her throat bobbed. "But in my world, I lost my mom when I was 8. My dad raised me, and he was a law enforcer. He was tough, but I knew he loved me. I understand loss." She grabbed hold of his hand. "I’m sorry for yours."
One moment of weakness was enough. Tilting her chin up she didn’t flinch when Siel suddenly nodded his head sharply.
"I'll make this right." Standing up to put her plan into action, she was no longer paying attention to additional conversation although she could have sworn that she heard a gentle, "I know. I believe you Aer." drift behind her on the breeze. She didn’t know whether it was belief in her story or belief she would do the right thing but either way it brought warmth to her heart and flight to her step.
Chapter Twenty-six
Damien
"My my big brother. Why are you already in bed? Did our mutual little tiger wear you out?" Siel was trying to ease the blow of Aerity’s manipulation, but he wasn't in the mood. Groaning and rolling back over to face plant into his pillow, he wished for a strong breeze to magically come and shove his brother out of his room.
"Oh no you don't. We have dinner plans."
Damien tilted his head to level a menacing glare at the current gnat buzzing around his ear. "I don't want dinner. I want to sleep. Now leave me alone."
Siel circled the room wi
th a tsk. "But I went through all this planning for a special dinner together."
He blinked. Slowly. "Siel, what do you want?"
A dramatic sigh filled the quarters. "Uh duh, for you to get up out of bed and have dinner with me."
"If I have dinner with you, will you leave me alone afterward to enjoy some peace and quiet?" Damien was marrying the devil, one would think Siel would have a little more understanding for his situation.
"Of course, brother! It's just one insignificant meal."
Somehow, Damien doubted that, catching the little twinkle swirling around Siel’s eyes. Exasperated, he climbed out of bed and blearily began walking over to his brother. Siel glanced sideways, looking him up and down. A curl flipped his lips. "You’re going to wear that?"
"Oh, I'm sorry Siel. Do I need to look sexier for you? How carelessly thoughtless of me." Piercing his brother with a glare, he trudged a little heavy footed towards the door.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Siel shrug. "Is it too much to ask for you to dress up a little? You don’t want to look nice for me?”
His brother’s playful tone was grating on his every nerve. All he wanted to do was to get back into bed. “No.” He deadpanned.
Siel didn’t relent. “Is that a ‘no it’s not too much for me to ask you to dress up’? Or a ‘no you don’t want to look nice for me’?”
Damien bit his tongue to avoid the lashing he wanted to fling at his brother.
Siel cut him off before he could respond. “I just didn't think you would want any courtiers walking around the halls to catch you in your underclothes. Can you sing scandal?!" Siel pitched in a sing song voice.
Cursing under his breath Damien relented, storming to his closet to don proper pants and a doable shirt before they strolled out into the hall together. Slipping their way past the air headed courtiers fluttering their eyelashes at Siel, Damien couldn’t help but roll his eyes as his brother returned their flirting with blown kisses. He watched in wonder as their faces lit up. Fools. Everyone knew who his brother was. Any girl hurt by him deserved it.
"Here we are." Siel wagged his eyebrows before opening the door and pushing him inside. The door slammed shut behind him. Before Damien could catch his breath or spin, the smell of rosemary stung his nose. His eyes darted to the direction of the smell. There, his gaze locked with the perfect green eyes of a goddess.
He froze as Aerity peeked up through her long dark eyelashes and smiled. "Hello."
∞∞∞
Aerity
It had been a mistake to kiss him. One that still haunted her. Then he stepped into the room and she couldn’t remember just why it had been such a bad idea in the first place. His tousled hair practically beckoned for her to touch it and the intense way he was staring into her eyes made her knees unstable. He was a tiger and she the gazelle and he was about 2 seconds away from pouncing and making his kill.
Her shaking hands betrayed her as she tried to regain her composure; obviously failing miserably. Finally, she forced her tongue to unstick from the roof of her mouth enough to spit out a greeting. "Hello.” It wasn't much but it was something. Baby steps.
Still, the roof of her mouth resembled a parched dessert as she choked out, "Can I get you a drink?"
Still standing stock still, Damien continued staring at her like he was trying to hypnotize his pet cobra. His silence was unnerving. "Okay well, how about wine then?" Grabbing the wine decanter and pouring two glasses, she walked over to hand him one.
Darting glances between the wine glass in her hand and her face, he took a cup wearily. "What's going on?"
Deep breath in. Deep breath out. "I wanted to apologize for earlier today. It was a low blow and I'm sorry."
His head cocked to the side like an owl in the night as he lifted the cup to his nose and sniffed.
Rolling her eyes, she grabbed his cup and took a big gulp. "It's not poisoned.” This was starting out just lovely. He assumed she was trying to kill him. Wonderful.
She shoved the cup back into his hand. He had a right to feel the way he did, but it didn't make things any easier. She wasn’t the only one to blame in their little war.
Taking her seat, she motioned for him to join her. She cooked all afternoon, so he was going to eat her blasted food if it was the last thing he did. It was close to impossible to find all the ingredients she needed for what she made but they had similar things that were comparable. At least she hoped. "Are you going to sit down? Or just keep gaping at me?" Annoyance peppered her word despite how hard she tried to rein it in.
The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly as he took his seat across from her. "There's the girl I know. Snarls and frills."
Not being able to keep a handle on her temper, she snapped. "Then you clearly don't know me at all." Planting her face in her hands, she grunted. "Look, I don't want a war between us. I'm trying to start over. A fresh start. We are getting married soon and we need to learn to be civil. So…" she blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, "As a piece offering, I cooked you something that’s popular where I come from."
"You cooked it?"
"Yes, I used to cook all the time back home."
"Why? You have servants for that?" Suspicion rang abundantly clear in his voice. She could see it now…their dinner was going to end with either a food fight or a throat punch. His throat.
"I know you don't believe me but in the world I'm from, it was just my dad and I. My mom died when I was eight from cancer. The responsibility to cook normally fell to me."
Damien grinned. She just told him her mother died and he grinned. He was about to lose his teeth if he didn't wipe the smirk off his face. "Let me guess. Siel told you about our mom dying young and you’re trying to use that to your advantage? Get me to trust you? Cook me food for whatever reason to get in my good graces. Is that it?"
Her skin began to flush from white to red, blossoming into purple. The stars she had thought she saw when he had walked into the room at the beginning of the meal were beginning to blacken. Her voice didn't even sound like her. "Are you saying I made up a story about my mother dying of an excruciating disease to trick you into trusting me? I watched her slowly lose weight, lose hair and her energy completely diminished until she was barely a breathing skeleton fighting on for dear life." A sob racked her body, but she tried to hold it back. This was not how she imagined the evening. "You claim that I made up a story of an eight-year old girl mourning the loss of her mother while needing to keep her family from falling apart. One tear from me and my dad would have collapsed. He was strong and fierce as every father should be, but wrinkles on his face grew as his sunken eyes fought to open each day. You think I made it all up?" She was so close to breaking. The dam she held back for so long threatened to tip over as the tears itched to be released. But she refused to give him the satisfaction.
Holding her emotions at bay she said, "Your brother insisted that you had a big heart. That if I exercised patience and searched, I would be able to find it. He said you had it rough growing up and that if one could find a way to get to it, they would hit stone and it would take time but that in the end it was worth it. But I’m starting to believe he was wrong. Because he also said that if someone could get to it and it slipped from their grasp, that it would fall and break. But it was not your heart that just shattered." That was all she had left in her as she threw open the door and dashed outside into the cool night air.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Damien
Her words were a rushing river violently slapping against his mind. They slowly gained momentum in their efforts to drown him. He was sure Siel told her about their mother, but he knew Siel couldn’t have described what it was like to watch someone slowly die because it hadn’t been slow. Her death had been too sudden to be real. They had held the common funeral such as any royal would get with the ocean’s sendoff, but the body was layered with clothing, making it impossible to really sink in who had died. His mother.
He kept
expecting someone to jump up and say they were jesting but no one made such notion. Damien had been just as young when he watched his mother be set aflame in her boat and it was not something he wished for anyone to live through, let alone a young girl at the ripe age of eight. Still, he had seen her mother alive and well only a few years back. So how could she speak with such heart about something that made no sense?
Her words had been genuine and laced with agony, too real to be false. To know that it was his callous words that sent her into a tailspin sent a blade searing through his heart. How could he have been so condescending? She clearly believed her story with everything she possessed. Her acting skills could not possibly have been that good. She had run from him...again...but this time, he had been the one to cause it. Maybe she really did cook for him. The food did look unique, none like he had ever come across on a journey through her land. His cooks certainly wouldn't know how to make any of it. She must have been the one to prepare it.
A peace offering. An olive branch. One he trampled on yet again.
He had to find her and set things straight.
Racing down the hallway, he stopped, hearing voices around the corner. A somber conversation reached his ears. "Baby, what's wrong?" The familiar voice made Damien want to grind his teeth until they were obliterated into dust. The endearing tone of voice the speaker used, sent flames scorching over his skin.
"He doesn't believe me. He seriously thought I was using my dying mother as manipulation. I can't live like this!" Her shaking voice raked claws over his heart. He had done that.
"Shhhhhhh it's okay. We will figure things out, alright? We will get you home to your dad." Hearing Elias’ words sent a cold chill through his lungs.
"I can't leave Eli. So many people are counting on this. On me. I need to marry him."
The chill thawed for a second before Elias spoke again, using his nickname for her of course. It grated on his nerves every time. "Aer, this isn't our world. They aren't your problem. Let the other Aerity deal with it. This is her fault for running."