Page 21 of Insurrection
I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the hell was going on in Drayven's head. Sometimes, it felt like he truly cared about my safety, that he was jealous, and that he wasn't okay with Otto slighting my hybrid heritage. But that couldn't be right...right? Maybe it was just my crush from years ago creeping in and making me wish that was the case.
This was exactly why I avoided Drayven.
I snagged a couple banana nut mini muffins and some coffee from the foyer, which was constantly stocked with food and drinks for our residents and guests. Crossing out of the large entrance, I made my way to the black carriage that awaited us, our bags already packed on the back of it and strapped in.
Walking towards where our horses stood, I quickly gave the two beasts a muffin each and rubbed their heads. Just because they were soulless horses that were permanently dead didn't mean they didn't enjoy love and food just like a normal horse. I made sure to sneak them some treats every time I saw them. Much like me, most people seemed to ignore their happiness, and I did what I could to treat them better.
They bumped their heads into me, demanding more treats, and I giggled as I made my way back to the carriage and climbed in. The interior was a crushed black velvet with ample seating on both sides to comfortably hold six people.
Plenty of room to ensure Drayven and I did not share a seat.
The carriage tipped slightly as he used the step to enter and take the seat across from me. He was dressed nicely today...who was I kidding—he was dressed nicely every day. But today, he took it a step further by being in a three-piece black suit. It contrasted nicely with his pale skin and silver hair.
He let out a chuckle and smirked knowingly at me as I finished my inspection of him, making me scoff, "What?"
I sipped my coffee, enjoying the burn it left down my throat. That was ruined when I choked on it as he said, "You were just checking me out like you'd consider kissing me again."
That would be a negative, sir. After all, I wouldn't want to kill you. Or would I?
Lowering my cup to my lap, I glared at him, deciding his ridiculous statement didn't deserve a response. The carriage jolted as we started on the journey to the capital. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes and ran through the short tutoring session yesterday and Otto's tips on who I could possibly sway to our side and who to not bother with.
I'd tucked his advice into the back of my head, but I was determined to come to my own conclusions about who to trust and who could be a potential ally after I’d met the key players myself.
Drayven cleared his throat obnoxiously loudly, but I kept my eyes shut as I lifted my coffee to my lips once more and drained the rest of the precious liquid. Sighing in contentment, I let my mind drift to the Summit and all that would occur over the next few days.
Thankfully, today was just a day to get settled in. We would have an introductory day tomorrow, followed by lunch. Next up would be an open day to “explore the city”, which really meant “make private alliances in secret”, followed by an extravagant ball at night. The final day would be voting day, where each member would cast their vote in private, then the Supreme seat would be announced before we were allowed to return to our territories.
Four days, including today. I could do this. That was nothing in the span of our existence.
I let out a shaky breath with the intent of expelling my nerves with it, but it didn't work. I felt such immense pressure to make my dad proud and to prove to our house that I could be fit to be their next leader.
"For what it's worth, I think you're going to prove everyone wrong," Drayven admitted so softly I almost thought I’d imagined it.
I peeled my eyes open slowly and found him relaxed in the corner of his side, eyes closed as if he was going to take a nap.
It took me a moment to figure out if I should continue to ignore him or if I should respond. That had been a really nice thing for him to say, and with no audience around us, he truly had no reason to say it if he didn't mean it.
"Thank you," I hesitantly said back, manners towards Drayven feeling like sludge on my tongue. I was used to the exact opposite with him, and the politeness was strange.
If he was going to be nice to me, we were headed into uncharted territory, and I, for one, had no map of how to navigate those waters.
This Summit would be anything but boring.
Chapter Nine
Ama
Iwasn’t positive when, exactly, I had fallen asleep, but the lull of the carriage heading towards the capital finally allowed me to relax. With that realization, unfortunately, came the awareness that I was still extremely needy. Even in sleep, my body was uncomfortable. Despite shifting, I could feel heat on my skin, creating a flush, and my breathing wasn’t as steady as normal. So, I wasn’t exactly surprised when I fell into a rather…interesting dream.
* * *
My eyes fluttered open,and my breath caught as I met a gaze that was dark but pulsating with a neon green. Almost immediately, my fingers curled into the bedding beneath me, the dark green sheets twisting as I resisted the urge to touch him. I tried to force the words from my mouth to ask Drayven what he was doing, caging me to this unfamiliar bed.
Were we in his room? I had no idea what it looked like, so that wasn’t possible. Why?
I didn’t want to ask him. I didn’t want to ruin the fantasy that I should have hated but didn’t in the slightest. His massive frame almost completely covered my own, and he watched me with a predatorial intensity that had never been there before. The walls that were normally up between us were completely gone, exposing the raw heat and need that seemed to thrive under the surface of the broody Reaper.
“Why are you in bed with me?” My voice sounded soft and almost foreign, the seductive lilt to it making his chest rumble in a response that vibrated through every part of me.
