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I didn’t bother to offer him my hand, merely spun on my heel toward the center of the ring, where the judge raised my hand in victory.
As I exited, movement in the crowd caught my eye, and Izidora pushed away from the fence and raced toward me. A grin split my face as I caught her in my arms. Sensing eyes on me, I looked up and over Izidora’s head, discovering Kazimir and the Night Fae standing together and watching our every move.
Izidora whipped her head around too, finding them, and her face pinched with disgust. She tugged on my hand, clearly not wanting to engage with them as she led us away, toward Zuriel and the Demons who waited patiently for their names to be called. It was a small victory, but one that I relished immensely.
There was no need for me to shower Izidora with gifts and words of affirmation to win her over when Kazimir made an ass of himself at every turn. My mate deserved to be taken care of in every way possible, and I intended to do so for the remainder of my years. Izidora would not leave me, and I repeated the phrase over and over, once again hoping that eventually, I’d believe it.
16
Béke Day Four
The way Izidora looked at Ruslan after she won her division at the swordfighting competition nearly unleashed the sinister beast that lived inside my chest, wrapped around my moonlight magic like a parasite. It whispered sweet nothings in my heart, promising revenge and my mate, yet every time I gave into its siren call, I ended up worse off than I was before.
Should I have provoked Drazen? Perhaps not, but that beast was out for blood, and I was pissed that I had let the male best me in a competition I should have won handily. The Iron Fae mongrels were no match for me, not with this dark magic, but I couldn’t show my hand – not yet. The sweet secret held in my chest might have cost me the battle, but I would win the war.
Izidora and Ruslan slipped away after the competition, and amid all the chaos of the crowd, I called on that darkness, mixing it with the moonlight in my chest and rendering myself invisible. My footsteps were muffled as I followed them through the halls of Ryza Citadel, up the spiraling steps of a tower, and down a hallway to a terrace that overlooked Radence. It was largeenough to hold fifty Fae, and in the center, flickering candles surrounded a pile of furs. I pressed myself against a wall on the back of the terrace as Izidora’s aquamarine eyes scanned the expanse, though I knew without a doubt she could not see me.
Ruslan’s hand was on Izidora’s lower back as he led her to the wine glasses and bottle of deep purple liquid that waited for them, along with some sort of chocolate dessert. “I know we have to stay here for the feast, but I still wanted to have special moments alone with you.” Ruslan spun her to face him, and she melted into his body.
“You are so thoughtful, Ruslan.” She stroked the spot between his brows, smoothing the crease lining it. “You have nothing to fear. I love you.”
Her words were like a stab to the gut.
“You are my light, sprite, my path out of the darkness. I love you more than life itself.” Ruslan tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, smoothing the flyaways down with the palm of his hand. “Did you hear what Kazimir said to Drazen?”
She nodded. “Kazimir called him a mongrel.”
Ruslan growled, and I didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty about my words. I was, however, curious as to how Ruslan would respond. The male cracked his neck, and Izidora grasped his hands, running her thumbs over the back of them until he blew out a breath, his shoulders dropping. “Thank you,” he muttered, pulling her into his chest and dropping a kiss on her pink lips.
Bile rose in my throat, and my nails dug into my palms so hard that the metallic tang of blood filled my senses.
Ruslan’s nostrils flared, and he jerked his head away from Izidora, scanning the terrace like she had moments before. But Izidora drew his attention again when she moaned, reminiscent of the ones she made while I was between her thighs, as she bit into the chocolate. “Cedomir has outdone himself yet again.” Ruslan huffed a laugh into her hair as he kissed the top of herhead. Then he tasted the dessert himself, mimicking her moan with his own.
The smile she flashed him made my heart ache with an acute intensity I hadn’t felt since the day Ruslan ripped her from my arms. This moment between them was so intimate, so easy, and everything I wanted with Izidora.
Why couldn’t she see that I was the better choice?
I had to show her, but she hadn’t let me close enough to ask since our second day here. At dinner, I would force her into a conversation, and this time I would not lose my temper. She was mine, and if I could only hold it together long enough to get her to accept the bond, we could forget this shitshow and leave everything behind.
Ruslan seated himself behind Izidora and pulled her into his lap, cradling her in his arms as they looked upon the jagged peaks in the distance. He said something in her ear, eliciting a breathy gasp, and my cock hardened at the sound. Memories of all the times Izidora fell apart around me, how her walls milked me as she came, flooded my mind, begging me to snatch her from his arms and take her to my bed.
But I had to watch as Ruslan trailed his fingers along the seams of her armor, stripping off piece after piece and exposing her wool tunic and leather leggings to the cold air that blew through the Iron Realm like a bane. She snuggled into his chest, stealing warmth from him, and I ground my teeth together as she said, “You take such good care of me.”
I took better care of her. I was the one who brought her back from the brink.
After everything I did for her, she dared reject me for this male who didn’t have to pick up the broken pieces like I did. Izidora was where she was because of me, and if I hadn’t spent so much time teaching her magic, ensuring she was learning about the world, learning how to fight, she’d be nothing.
She. Was. Mine.
That black magic surged in my veins, and if I hadn’t already been clenching my teeth so hard, I would have growled as the darkness took over. With every ounce of self-control I had left, I called my wings to me and shot into the air, away from my mate and toward a place where I could let the beast within me loose, if only to vent the boiling steam it created with its desires.
Béke Day Five
Ruslan had been showeringIzidora with gifts and affection, and two could play that game. The morning before the strength competition, I convinced Izidora to go with me to a place I’d spotted as I flew to the mountains the previous night to blow off some steam.
Izidora and I were better when we weredoingsomething together, and I would show her just how great we worked as a team. The dance studio was on the outskirts of Radence, though I hadn’t told her where we were going when we met in the stables, only that it was a surprise. Astride Mistik, she seemed less tense, as if the horse’s familiarity lulled her into the ease we had as we rode through the Night Realm. I congratulated her on her victory at the swords competition, though I left out my distaste that she had chosen neither the Night nor Iron Realms to represent at Béke.
At least she hadn’t picked a side.
