Page 51 of All the Pain of Promises
“Not exactly.”
“Me too.”
It was a nonsensical response and Narissa didn’t care. All she wanted, all she craved, was the feel of Solarius’s mouth on hers.
“Lord Solarius.” A female voice squeaked, piercing the moment, deflating the sexual tension, and the servant assigned to their cottage, who’d all but made herself scarce for the majority of their stay, suddenly appeared at the most inopportune moment. “A letter, my lord. From House Celestine.”
“Fuck,” Solarius murmured against Narissa’s mouth, and she bit back a grin.
He hefted her into his arms and stood, cradling her against his chest with a pile of blankets trailing around them. “Come on,Rissa love. I know you said you weren’t cold, but your lips are turning blue, and I much prefer them pink.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Narissa tried not to be disappointed by Solarius’s decision to not touch her and failed miserably.
When they came inside from the snowy outdoors, he had a warm bath drawn for her, then retreated to the main living area…where he stayed for the duration of the night. Not once did he ask if she might enjoy his company or if he could share the bed with her. He was solemn and reserved, and the swift change in his behavior was jarring. He behaved perfectly, like a proper lord of Aeramere, yet not at all like a husband. So she’d slept in the immense bed by herself. Alone. Again.
She supposed it had something to do with the letter he received from House Celestine, and though he had not divulged any of its contents to her, she did not miss the way his knuckles whitened while reading it or how his jaw ticked when he crumpled it with one hand and tossed it into the nearest waste bin.
The next morning was no better.
In fact, she thought it was worse.
They spent most of the day exploring Galefell and all the while Solarius remained terribly agreeable. It was strange, not being at odds with one another, not bickering or tossing outwell-intended jabs. He rarely spoke to her as they wandered the streets, browsing shops, and when they stopped in a bakery so Narissa could grab more of those delicious tiny cakes, he didn’t even notice when she intentionally left a dollop of pink frosting on her lips. Solarius wasn’t exactly cold to her, but more overly formidable. At the same time, he was completely oblivious to the effect he had on her throughout the day.
His little touches left her wired, so her skin tingled with constant anticipation. When his hand moved to the small of her back, she felt the distinctive tug of longing in her core. If he gently took her elbow to guide her to another area of the streets, her knees softened and her heart skittered out of control. She was acutely aware of him, her body entirely in tune to him. To his chivalrous movements, his incoherent murmurs, his complete and utter distraction. Yes, he was with her, but he was going through the motions. His mind was somewhere else altogether, and he’d built a shield around his thoughts, one not even the bond could break.
By the time they returned to Windsong, Narissa was done with his foolishness.
She no longer felt guilty about sneaking off to House Galefell to deliver the truth serum to Lady Aria. Though balls and parties were one of her least favorite things to do, she was almost looking forward to the music and drone of incessant chatter, as anything was better than the suffocating silence of a withdrawn and distracted Solarius.
Narissa fisted her hands on her hips as she watched him.
He was sitting on the sofa, staring into the flames of faerie fire sparking in the hearth, with a small cup of hot cider balanced upon his knee. Gold flecks of the snapping fire reflected in the distant silver of his eyes, and Narissa pressed her lips together, refusing to waste any more time.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to swim fully nude in the hot springs behind the cottage.” Narissa didn’t even know if hot springs existed in Windsong, but her words had the desired effect, because Solarius blinked, and continued to stare absently into the hearth.
“Of course,” he muttered, barely hearing her.
She scowled then, her eyes flicking to the charming blown-glass chandelier floating above them. Mist billowed and swirled through the ribbons of fused glass like shimmering clouds, and for a moment she wished Solarius was coming to the ball at House Galefell, for surely there would be dancing, and it had been so long since she’d been swept around a ballroom on enchanted clouds.
But Solarius didn’t move from his frozen position on the sofa. He was so lost in his own thoughts, he wouldn’t even know she was gone. On a sigh of disappointment, Narissa fled to the main bedchamber to dress for the evening.
She chose a gown of dark pink, the shade reminiscent of Azurvend sunrises right before sunlight crested the sea’s horizon. The satin bodice plunged in the front, revealing the piercing in her navel, and dipped dangerously low in the back. Thin straps embellished with diamonds held the sparkling fabric in place, and the decadent skirts fell around her like a waterfall. She opted for a collar of tiny pink sapphires, matching earrings, and a gold ring for almost every finger. Her gown wasn’t incredibly thick, so nude thigh-high stockings were an absolute necessity to keep her somewhat warm, and she decided on heels the color of warm sand. She snatched the vial of truth serum from her collection and tucked it into the low waist of her gown, concealing it from view.
Though empowered with her choice to attend Lady Aria’s ball on her own, she didn’t quite possess the bravery required to leave out the front door.
Narissa grabbed a pair of gloves, wrapped her velvet-lined cloak around her shoulders, then left through the back entrance of the cottage.
She wouldn’t dally at House Galefell, she had every intention of finding Lady Aria directly upon her arrival to deliver the truth serum, then make a quick escape. Besides, she was quite good at being stealthy. This was not the first time she would mill about a ball unnoticed. Hopefully Calfair would be too busy chasing other ladies to even notice her. Considering the only reason he paid her any attention at all was because of Solarius, it shouldn’t be too difficult to avoid him.
Slipping out into the frigid night, Narissa swallowed down the knot of fear clogging the back of her throat that had nothing to do with facing Calfair and everything to do with flying alone in a carriage pulled by Eponians. But the only way to reach House Galefell was through the sky, and though it was bound to be an expedient trip, Narissa couldn’t quite overcome the terror that seized her muscles as soon as she stepped inside the waiting coach.
Once the door shut soundly behind her and she was seated, Narissa squeezed her eyes shut, held her breath, and whispered a plea to the stars to keep her safe.
House Galefell was exactlyas Narissa remembered.
Lavish. Whimsical. And dripping with excess.
