Page 39 of All the Pain of Promises
It was a decadent ball thrown in the honor of the Midsummer season, when quite literally everyone in Aeramere was on the hunt for a mate. House Galefell was known for their lavish parties, and that particular one was no exception. While most events were hosted later in the evening and carried on well intoearly morning the next day, this festivity began at the golden hour, when the sky was set on fire by the gilded rays of the setting sun so all of Galefell looked dipped in gold. It was a spectacular sight to behold, but when Narissa tried to focus on the more specific details, she found her memory blurry and somewhat out of focus.
“We were at House Galefell for a late Midsummer celebration. There was cloud dancing.” She knew, because though Solarius was courting her then, she was again plastered to the wall like a flower and left without a dance partner. “I waited for you, but you were called away by someone of more importance, I suppose.”
“Stop that immediately,” Solarius demanded, snatching her chin and tilting her head so she was forced to look up at him. “Do not diminish yourself. Do not think yourself unworthy of my time or attention.”
“Easier said than done, my lord.” Narissa jerked, yanking herself free from his hold. “Whether you intended to abandon me in search of other pursuits is neither here nor there. What matters is I was alone, at least until Lord Calfair…”
Acid roiled in her stomach and her gut clenched as a swell of nausea swept through her.
“Until hewhat?” Solarius uttered the last word with such finality, Narissa was certain she could feel all the blood drain from her face.
“He gave me a glass of wine while I waited for you. He said it would keep the edge off.” She shook her head once, pressing the tips of her fingers to her temples in an effort to ease the pounding ache growing there.
Images from that night were hazy, the wine was the color of crushed black cherries. She rarely drank, but in that moment, she’d been so overwhelmed by disappointment and her own loneliness that she’d allowed herself a moment of weakness toindulge. Narissa knocked back the contents without a second thought, not realizing that the scent profile of the wine didn’t quite match the flavor.
“The wine,” she repeated numbly, her gaze slowly trekking over Solarius until it reached his face. “It tasted like muddled cherries and spice, but it smelled of dragon root.”
Dragon root. The warm, earthy scent should have been her first clue. The queasy feeling settling in her stomach expanded and her lungs seized.
“Dragon root?” Solarius crowded her, cupping both sides of her face with his hands. His touch was cool, her skin was hot. “What’s dragon root?”
“It’s a plant with leaves that mimic dragon scales. But the roots, if ground into a fine powder, have been known to cause hallucinations of the one thing you desire most.” Narissa grabbed Solarius’s wrists and pushed away from him.
She’d been drugged.
Calfair haddruggedher.
Narissa sucked in a garbled, gasping breath. She was suffocating, even the air was seemingly laced with poison. Her vision swam, a watery version of the world around her, and when she spun away from Solarius, everything tilted. She stumbled into a slim, curving bronze tower filled with books, sending them cascading to the floor. The beating of her heart was so loud, she could scarcely hear Solarius calling to her. Fingers fisted into the heavy silk of her gown, she pulled, the ripping of fabric not nearly enough to disguise the broken sobs erupting from her chest. She wanted to tear the flesh from her bones, to mutilate herself so severely, that the bastard of a lord never dared to look upon her again.
Calfair hadtouchedher.
He’d coerced her. He’d stolen her virtue while pretending to be Solarius.
Bile scalded the back of her throat and Narissa heaved, her nails digging into the back of the plush sofa for support. She could sense Solarius hovering near her, the layers of his scent wrapped around her like a comforting blanket, but the chill in her blood would remain forever. She did not think she would ever be warm again. Not even the security of the bond was enough to save her, to soothe the agony restricting the beating of her heart. Her body had been violated, her mind deceived. Each ragged breath caused her chest to burn as though it had been set aflame, like she’d been scorched from the inside out.
She reached back behind her, her numb fingers fumbling with the ribbons of her gown.
“I can’t…” she choked out. “I can’t get it off.”
“What do you need?” Solarius asked, desperation pinching his tone. “What can I do?”
“Get it…get it off me.” She tore at the sleeves, her nails grazing skin. “Get it off, please.”
“Okay. Just breathe, Rissa.” He reached for the velvet laces, but he wasn’t moving fast enough.
“Get it off me! Get it off, now!” Narissa clawed at the elaborate dress, hating that there were so many beads and buttons and utterly useless bows. “Please, Sol. Get it off.”
This time, he didn’t hesitate.
He hooked his fingers into the front of her bodice and tore, ripping the seams in half, sending beads scattering all over the cottage floor. He yanked the rest of the gown off her, freeing her from its smothering confines. Gathering the crumpled heap of fabric in his arms, he stalked into the kitchen and shoved the ruined dress into a waste bin. When he returned, his eyes rounded with worry.
“Narissa…your body…”
She clamped her hands over her face, mortified beyond measure. “I don’t wish to talk about my body at the moment.”
“No. Rissa. Something is wrong.” Solarius’s rough palms gently cupped her elbows, the faintest of touches. “You’re covered in red splotches.”
“What?”
