“You look…”Like sin incarnate. Like every damn fantasy I’ve had for centuries.
“Unhinged? Corrupted? One bad day away from burning down a castle?”
I pushed away from the column, drawn to her. Foolish, perhaps, but I’d never claimed to be wise where she was concerned. “I was going to say beautiful.”
“Careful there. Your silver tongue is showing.”
“Is it? And here I thought I was being remarkably well behaved.”
She shifted deliberately, the slit in her dress revealing more of those swirling markings.
Good girl. Come play with me.
My eyes tracked the movement before I could stop myself, and her resulting smirk made my heart stutter. “See something interesting, Supreme Sovereign?”
I adjusted my glasses, using the gesture to compose myself. “Simply monitoring the spread of corruption, Paesha darling.”
“And here I thought you were just being a typical man.”
“There’s nothing typical about me.” I let the arrogance seep into my tone, falling back on old habits.
“No? Because from where I’m standing, you look remarkably typical. It’s unfortunate, really. All that power and all your ridiculous titles and you still have to look at that hideous face in the mirror.”
The familiar dance of our banter felt like coming home. This was how we’d learned each other, and this was how we’d learn our way back.
“It’s a tragedy I survive every day. Thank you for noticing.”
The corner of her mouth lifted. I fucking loved that little smirk on her lips. “How could I not? What with that nose.”
I stepped closer. “Feeling ruthless today, I see.”
“Honestly, I feel ruthless every day. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed.”
“It’s adorable that you think I haven’t noticed every single thing about you.”
“That’s in line with your stalker tendencies, Thorne Noctus. Three days of pining in the treeline is beneath you.”
“How are you, Paesha? Truly.”
She lifted a shoulder. Not to shrug, but to try to silence the voices, I was sure. “I’m alive. I guess that’s something.”
I glanced at Archer. “I’m going to find a way to free you from that.”
“From being alive? Let’s not.”
“From those voices.”
Her eyes flashed and I could have sworn for half a second I saw the plea within her before she blinked it away. “Let’s not make promises we can’t keep to each other. You have no idea what I need right now. No one does.”
Moving closer, I took her hand. She didn’t pull away, those fucking eyes staring into mine with an intensity that made mysoul shake. I lifted her fingers to my mouth, kissing each one, lingering over the space where she used to wear a ring that marked her as mine. “You needed someone to dance with you in the rain, and I was too busy trying to control the storm. So dance with me now. Not because I’m yours or you’re mine, but because when you move, the whole fucking world stops to watch. I’ll stay at whatever distance you need, close enough to catch you if you fall, far enough that you can still breathe. And when those shadows try to drown your light, I’ll be the bastard in the corner betting on the fire.”
Her eyes turned haunted, as if the voices within her fought against me in her mind.
“Dance with me,” I said again, holding out my other hand.
She took a deep breath before glancing around the empty hallway, a breathy laugh escaping her lips. “Here? Now? There’s no music.”
“Since when has that stopped you?”
