AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The words I’d seared into my brain repeated themselves as I searched for answers.
“The ones that are part of all will be born under a full moon
Her white light will fill the land
But her mates darkness will rise
Kings will fall
Rivers will run with blood
There is a choice
Follow the light
Descend into the dark
The harrowing pass decides it all”
The words offered no more clarity during that review than any other time I’d repeated them. No matter which way I turned the puzzle, I couldn’t crack the code. But if there was still this connection between us, I still had a chance.
Taya waited for me to return to the table with her nail resting on her lower lip, her eyes flaming with lust. She was no Izidora; she was not my mate at all. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t use her to satiate the desire and fury pounding through my veins. Besides, she only wanted my crown. From my years navigating the Night Realm’s vicious political scene, spotting a social climber was as easy as breathing.
So, all through dinner, I indulged her advances, flirting shamelessly and brushing my fingers against her bare skin. The Day Realm’s High Lords were forgotten; Izidora was not. I wouldn’t mind if she glanced my way and saw the attention I poured into Taya. Perhaps she might grow jealous enough to pull me aside so we could talk, and then I could tell her my theory that she didn’t have to choose at all. I fuckinghatedRuslan, but if I had to tolerate him to share my mate…
I’d still kill him in the end, one night while he slept. Make it look like an accident, and the only solace Izidora would find would be in my arms. She’d be mine – only mine – somehow, and I’d do fucking anything to make it happen. The binding magic prowling in my chest snarled its appreciation for our plan, and I had to press my lips together and sip from my drink to hide that I hadn’t been paying attention to what Taya was saying.
Music floated from somewhere in the massive space, saving me from having to make up an answer to a question I didn’t hear. “Care to dance?” I asked Taya, proffering my hand.
She batted her lashes through the slits in her mask. “I would love to.”
Around us, people were rising from their seats, throwing back the last of their drinks, and leading partners to a quickly expanding dance floor. Servants scurried to clear tables, dodging revelers and other workers alike. I spotted Liliana and Endre across the sea of bodies and led Taya in their direction, only for my lips to curl into a sneer when Izidora and Ruslan appeared beside them moments later.
This was my opportunity to make her jealous.
I remembered the sensual way we’d danced at the studio on the outskirts of Radence, how our bodies had molded and moved once she finally let go of her anger at me. My cock hardened, and I quickly pulled Taya flush with my front as we ground to the beat of the music, hoping she’d think it was all for her. The tune changed from a primal beat to a flowing, musical piece, and I immediately shifted into the role of a king courting a female, showing off my dancing prowess for those around us.
Taya was a good dancer, expertly flowing through the steps, the fabric of her dress creating a flurry of movement that attracted the attention of many. Her golden eyes never left mine as we danced, and as the song reached its climax, I gripped her waist and lifted her into the air, spinning her before setting her down on the other side of me. My gaze dropped to the swell of her breasts, but on the way back up, it was torn away. Beyond her was Izidora, hair unbound and spilling down her back like a chestnut waterfall, looking up at Ruslan like he was the only air she needed to breathe.
I needed her attention.
The song changed to a haunting melody, and Taya closed the distance between us, entwining our legs as I propelled her backward in a sensual dance the Iron Realm was known for. She tilted, and my hand dropped to her lower back to support her.Her hips ground against mine before she peeled herself upright and brushed her hand against my chest. I spun her again, closing in on Izidora and Ruslan just in time for Taya to repeat the motion. The scraps of fabric she called a dress barely covered her skin, and every male around us watched on as we danced, whether they had a partner or not.
After the third dip, I yanked her upright and into my chest with a low growl, dipping my head to brush my lips along her ear. “You are so sexy. I can’t wait to get you alone.”
I lifted my eyes to find Izidora watching us, her lips thinned into a flat line and her brows pinched ever so slightly. Her gaze flicked from Taya to me and back before Ruslan twirled her, breaking our connection. Taya had flushed a pretty shade of peach at my words and proceeded to show me just how much she wanted us to be alone.
Around and around we went, always within sight of Izidora and Ruslan. Dipping and yanking and twirling until we panted for breath with the intensity of our movements. When the music died away, applause erupted around us, drawing my attention away from the female in my arms and to the gathered audience, only a handful of couples left in the center of the dance floor.
Izidora and Ruslan. Drazen and Natasha. The Angel and a female I did not know. Viktor and Aliana. Domi and Kaztar. King Airre and Queen Immonen. And finally, Endre and Liliana.
The tension among the dancing couples was tight enough to suffocate, and I quickly bowed to our audience, raising Taya’s hand to my lips and kissing it reverently to the sound of more applause. When the music resumed, I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Let’s get out of here. I need to be inside you.”
Her breath hitched, and as I pulled away, her eyes flamed with lust. “My place or yours?”
“Mine. I’m just down the hall.”
I made a show of tugging her along behind me, our fingers twined in a way that signaled we weren’t just going to fetch a new drink. As we passed Izidora and Ruslan dancing at the fringes, I winked at her, then pushed into the crowd and out of sight, Taya in tow. That faint string between us vibrated nervously, and I smirked, my victory as sweet as I knew it would be.
