Page 66 of V for Vilified
“Better.”
I was immediately assaulted by such a strong feeling of amusement and adoration it battered my pulse and threw my entire heart, body, and mind out of sync.
Aram put out his hand and waited for me to take it. “Come. Let this playboy show you the true splendors of the Nether Kingdom.”
A sassy quip waited on my tongue, but Kate beat me to it. “Oh, like what? Dancing and singing silverware and a castle full of furniture that talks back?”
I might be on the fast track to my demise, but at least I didn’t have to ask myself what Kate would do.
Neither one of us expected him to laugh, so when his husky chuckle echoed off the walls, it was a concerted effort on both of our parts not to look dumb.
“I could arrange that, but I’m afraid we’re all out of Beasts. We do have quite a nice library. Enough to lure a Belle.” The influx of emotion from him was staggering. “Should she want to see it.”
Did this dude just plot dropBeauty and the Beastto me or was I going crazy? What even was this flirt factor? I expected a lot, but even I couldn’t have anticipated a well-versed-in-the-human-world Fae enemy. It just never crossed my mind.
I’m going to kill Cash for not preparing me for this.
Kate glanced at me. “Okay…maybe villain is my type.”
“Not helping,” I groaned as I took Aram’s hand and muttered curses under my breath about charming villains.
The narrow hallway led into a bigger corridor, the ceilings easily thirty or forty feet above us. Like Lyra, the architecture was held together by magic and imagination, and the walls were reflective.
It was uncomfortably awkward to catch my unusual appearance next to Aram’s every time I turned my head. I expected guards to line the walls and doors, but so far, I hadn’t seen anyone.
A set of twenty-foot-tall double doors opened before we reached them, unveiling an insanely large ballroom. After nothing but empty hallways, I wasn’t prepared for the number of well-dressed supernatural creatures.
It was practically a city inside a ballroom. Every single one was dressed similarly but in white. Only Aram and I were in dark colors. Even Kate had been given a white dress.
A ceiling didn’t exist when I glanced up. Instead, a pink moon beamed down on the entire space, cloaking everything in light and shadow. At one side was an elevated platform with a long table stretching across it, and at the other, a stage where beautiful Fae danced and sang in unison.
The melody was darkly mesmerizing, a haunted series of notes that raised hair everywhere on my body. It filled the space like a siren song, luring a crowd into a sultry dance everywhere my eyes went.
Of course, that could also be the Season’s fault. Either way, it was exactly how I thought Fae would party it up—dancing seductively, dressed in beautiful outfits, and their gorgeous bodies on display to a magical moon.
“This better not be an orgy,” I grumbled.
Aram leaned down conspiratorially, endlessly amused by the things I said. “And if it were?”
“I’ll take my friend and go,” I warned, eyeballing a suspicious group of sultry party-goers. “I’m not your prisoner,” I added more to myself than to him.
His arm went around my waist and it took every bit of my training not to gasp at the electric current that spread from where we touched. Suddenly, the entire room’s eyes were on us.
“No, you’re not, little mate.” A smug grin graced his beautiful mug, and I hated how much that look went straight to the traitor between my legs. “Besides, I’m pretty sure I told you I don’t share.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Can’t be in the middle of a room-wide orgy and not participate. That would just be rude,” I retorted sarcastically.
His reply was far less sarcastic. “A crime, really. But I wouldn’t risk any activities that might tempt my impressively greedy mate.”
My head snapped his direction, eyes narrowed. “Hey—”
“I’ve got plenty of stamina to keep you satisfied,” he said over my objection, his mouth close to my ear, and treacherous shivers raced my spine. “Fear not, little mate.”
I wasn’t given a chance to give him a piece of my mind. The music suddenly died out and even Kate would’ve heard a pin drop as Aram stared out at the crowd. No one spoke. They waited patiently for their king to address them, as if this was a common occurrence, and I’d never been so uncomfortable.
“It’s time for you all to greet your new queen,” he said so loudly it carried across the room like an echo.
“Wait, what?” I balked.
