His thoughts, however, were another matter entirely, and were proving much more difficult to control.
Do not think about her naked.
Do not think about her naked.
Do not think about her naked.
His cock twitched.
Solarius swore.
Stars above, he had to get out of this room and put more than a door of distance between them.
He stalked over to the bathing suite, rapping twice against the hardwood. “Narissa?”
Her soft voice floated from the other side. “Yes?”
“I’m going to the dining hall to grab breakfast for us, and I’ll bring it up to your room.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and rocked back onto his heels. “And I’m also going to see if I can find something for your headache.”
A pause, then, “What makes you think I have a headache?”
Aside from the obscene amount of alcohol she ingested the night before?
He shifted on his feet, keeping that thought to himself. “You just smacked your head on the door. I’d say it’s a lucky guess.”
Rolling his eyes to the driftwood chandelier hanging from the ceiling, Solarius didn’t wait for her to respond and strode out of the bedroom in search of food.
He was pleased to discover there was another winding staircase that led from Narissa’s room to the interior of the house instead of the balcony, especially considering the wind gusting off the coast was brutally cold. Tiny waves frothed, their white caps crashing into the shore, and he wondered how often the tides were in sync with Narissa’s mood. That notion alone sent his thoughts spiraling back to those ethereal wavetattoos marking the tips of her ears as well as her spine. It was fascinating that they would glow a silvery blue in the wash of moonlight, it was even more curious how he’d never noticed them before.
Or perhaps he’d just failed to pay attention.
Apparently, his memory was lacking.
Narissa had made an outrageous claim against his honor last night, alleging they’d been intimate together, only for him to discard her like days old rubbish.
But she was severely mistaken.
Solarius had never had sex with Narissa. If he had, he would fuckingremember, and he sure as stars wouldn’t abandon her in a cold bed the next day. No, he would show her the most sensual kind of affection, worshiping every beautiful, desirable inch of her until she was trembling with longing. Until he was the only one capable of sating her needs. Then he would make her come so hard, the moon would fall out of the damn sky.
Something he should be doing right at this very moment, he thought with a rush of bitterness. Considering they were newly married.
Instead, he was fetching her breakfast and finding something to alleviate the agony from the night before, all because he’d broken their previous courtship and she’d broken his heart. He’d never publicly spoken ill of Narissa after their courtship ended, nor had he commented on the cause of such discord. No one needed to know Solarius had caught her in bed with Lord Calfair Skyhelm, one of his oldest and now former friends, but his lack of explanation hadn’t kept the rumors away. They spread like wildfire, growing more absurd and outrageous with every whisper, until the truth of the matter was lost to an ocean of lies and misjudgment.
Stars be damned, even Narissa seemed to have forgotten that she was the one at fault for their resentful estrangement.
With his mood dampened by unwelcome memories, Solarius wandered aimlessly through the corridors of ivory pillars embedded with turquoise shells, following the deep blue floor that rippled with every step, like walking upon waves. The curving ceilings depicted painted murals of sirens and swirling seas, of jagged cliffs and rough shorelines.
Solarius wasn’t incredibly familiar with the layout of House Azurvend. He wasn’t exactly friends with Lord Reif Marintide, nor did he often visit Aeramere’s esteemed coastal city. While the swirling staircases and soothing waterfalls were pleasing to the eye, they made it difficult to discern which way he was going. It didn’t matter if Solarius passed more than one servant who certainly could have given him directions, he refused to look like a foolish husband who’d yet to be given a proper tour of his new wife’s residence. Once he made it to the main level, he simply followed the scent of fresh biscuits, candied fruits, and spiced beef.
Eventually, he discovered the dining hall where Reif was already enjoying a late breakfast.
The lord of House Azurvend was lounging in a chair near the dining table with his legs stretched out before him, one ankle kicked over the other. His pants were the color of sand, and his crisp shirt reminded Solarius of warmer days. It was a bright, sparkling kind of blue and Reif had paired it with a trim cream-colored vest embellished with waves of shimmering thread. He held a cup of steaming tea in his hands and his dark blond hair fell across one side of his face when he lifted it to his mouth.
“Morning,” he drawled, watching Solarius from over the rim of porcelain as he took a sip.
“Morning.” Solarius gestured to the spread of food on the table. “Do you mind if I take a plate up to Narissa? She’s feeling a little…unwell.”
“Unwell?” Reif straightened and sat up, his brows pinching together. “Does she need a healer?”
