Page 49 of Insurrection
Her body tensed and she tried to step away, as if just now realizing whose arms she was in, “Why are you over here, again? I appreciate the save, but I could have handled it myself.”
But you allowed me to handle it, Princess. Why did I want to continue to handle her problems for her? Better yet, why the fuck was I so protective of this woman? I should have stepped away and left her alone, but instead, I found myself leading her from our standstill on the dance floor to the side, an empty table allowing us to have some level of privacy.
I was only spending time with her to try to win over her vote…. was what I was telling myself. It was a complete lie because I knew that wasn’t why I was leaning closer to this woman as she watched me with caution. There was no chance of me getting the House of Death’s vote, but I was loyal to the House of Fallen, so I had to at least give it a chance.
“I have to apologize for the first night we met,” I offered sincerely, keeping my gaze locked with hers as I sat forward, my elbows on my knees. The woman was the picture of elegance, her skin-tight dress shaping the way she held herself—like the future queen she was, sitting on her throne. My cock only got harder at the idea of fucking her on that throne, and I seriously needed to get laid because this woman was doing a number on my head.
I would have attempted a random hookup, devil knew there were enough women here who would be willing, but the idea made me…well, I didn’t have a good word for it. Uncomfortable? Maybe it was because I knew that my attraction to Ama was strong enough that it would taint every other experience. It wouldn’t be worth it. I wasn’t positive what I was going to do, but fucking some random chick wasn’t it.
“You were sort of an ass,” she agreed, her lip twitching. “Why the apology?”
“Because we got off on the wrong foot,” I explained.
“Wrongwing, not foot,” She smiled, eyeing my shoulders as if she expected my wings to pop out over them from my back.
“Of course,” I chuckled. I swear to the devil, if the woman ever asked to see my wings, I would fucking lose it. I tried to ignore the surge of lust that slammed into me at the idea of her touching them. Her delicate fingers running along each and every feather…
“Why were you at that restaurant?” She narrowed her eyes.
“I’d been traveling through your territory for a few days and was exhausted,” I shrugged, “Then, I assumed you were using your magic on me and got pissed.”
Her eyes lit with amusement, “Why did you assume I was using my magic on you?”
Fuck. I felt my jaw tighten, “You had an effect on me that I hadn’t expected.”
“You thought I was hot, so you assumed I was trying to use my magic on you for… what? So, you would fuck me?” Ama’s amusement was only growing, and I felt frustration fill my chest because it sounded bad when she put it that way. It also sounded like I thought a lot of myself, which frankly wasn’t completely off base.
“I’m still sorry,” I grunted as she leaned forward and squeezed my hand.
“Apology accepted.” Thank fuck.
Maybe the dreams would stop now. Ever since that first night I’d met her, I’d been plagued with the most vivid and intense dreams of her and I. It wasn’t unusual for me to dream, but I’d never felt so sure that someone was there with me. It was also possible I wanted her badly enough my subconscious had decided to terrorize me with dreams of fucking the gorgeous princess every night. A dream that would never come to fruition.
My gaze moved over to my parents, who were both watching me, and I felt myself stiffen, having forgotten why I was here. As if noticing, Ama sat back, watching me with equal parts curiosity and caution. What I wouldn’t do to make the caution aspect disappear, but I knew my next words weren’t going to do anything to help with that.
“So, have you given any thought to who you are voting for?” I asked directly.
Immediately, her eyes narrowed, “Is that why you apologized, Colt? Because you thought it would somehow garner my vote? Why the hell would I ever vote for the House of Fallen?”
You wouldn’t.I felt like a dumbass for even broaching the topic, but if I wasn’t here to try to convince her to vote for us…I didn’t know why I was over here. Well, I didn’t want to consider why I was over here. Honestly, I probably just needed to get up and leave. I couldn’t, though, because now I hated that she was pissed at me again, and it somehow made me even more frustrated.
“No,” I exhaled and ran a hand through my hair. “Although, I did assume it would help to some extent.”
She blinked and then shook her head, standing up. Without thinking, I caught her wrist, and she scowled down at me. “Don’t leave. Seriously, Ama, it’s not about that.”
Why was I saying that?
“Then what is it about, Colt?” she growled. “Because this sudden urge to play nice feels like bullshit, considering I have had to listen to your father berate me at every chance he gets. I don’t even need to be over there to know he’s been talking shit about me all night.”
My mouth opened as I tried to figure out what I could do to fix this. I attempted as much truth as I could muster. “I don’t have an excuse for him. I am telling you, as the heir to the House of Fallen, that I wish to make amends. It isn’t about the vote—although I can’t discount that’s important. It's about taking responsibility for my shitty behavior. And getting to know you, Ama. I would very much like to know you better.”
Her eyes dilated slightly as she looked down at me, although ‘down’ was a stretch because even standing in heels, she was nearly eye level with me sitting. I fought the urge to tug her down onto my lap so that I could feel every inch of her curves, and instead waited for her response.
Before she could respond, though, a shadow crowded over us, and my spine stiffened. Annoyance flared inside me.
“Colt,” a voice purred. I frowned, looking away from Ama, and found a woman from my house standing there looking at me expectantly. What the hell was she expecting? Ama tried to tug her wrist from my hand, but I held it there.
“What?” I snapped out at the woman, suddenly annoyed that Ama was trying to escape. Unfortunately, Ama jumped at my tone and pulled away in earnest. I stood up and tried to follow her as she walked across the dance floor, but the new woman stepped in the way.
