CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Astaroth
“Are you sure you’re feeling well?”
I glanced over to the dressing shade Calista demanded we have in our room. Her hums of discomfort as the maids readied her for the games were the only thing unhidden. After all the times I had worshipped her naked form, she still insisted on hiding herself from me when dressing and bathing.
“You have inspected my wound with every tintinnabulation of the tower.”
Squinted eyes poked around the side of the shade.
I pushed to my feet with less difficulty this time and pulled the tie on my breeches. Her eyes traveled down to my hands, squinting less as they went, and filling with a heated intrigue as I tugged my shirt loose. I lifted the fabric, and the heatdisappeared as she looked over my abdomen with a furrowed brow. Thick, puckered slashes decorated my skin from the bottom of my ribs to my hip. It was a deep wound that required a lengthier time to heal. Since we healed from the inside out, my stomach looked far worse than I felt.
“Satisfied, my love?”
“Don’t call me that,” she mumbled and disappeared behind the screen.
“Your attentiveness shows me the depth of your devotion,” I said and finished untucking my shirt.
“Just because I didn’t want you to die last night doesn’t mean I love you. Don’t go catching feelings based on your assumptions.”
I raised a brow at her quirky human sayings. “You may deny your feelings toward me, but I see it, and I feel it.” I opened our connection further to prove my point. “And I know how I feel about you.”
The room went silent, but her emotions did not. A tumultuous battle raged inside her as she continued to war with herself. All I could do was let my love move through her. Maybe that would help her find some peace. She didn’t find it on her own when I left her to herself. I went to the wardrobe and withdrew my clothes for the night’s festivities.
“I look foolish,” she huffed. “Why can’t I wear pants?”
I smirked. “Pants are unbecoming on a being such as yourself.”
“That’s not what you said when I wore my yoga pants.”
I ignored her comment, and the image of her scrumptious bottom that came to mind. “We will dress appropriately for this special occasion.”
She snidely mimicked me under her breath. After dressing, I stood in front of the shade and coaxed her out. “Let me see you.”
Calista sighed and stepped out. Crimson silk embroidered with bloodsuckles wrapped her shoulders and curves then cascaded to the floor. How fitting for tonight’s events.
I stood there gobsmacked and couldn’t form words. She had a tendency to do that to me as of late.
Her head tilted back, and she groaned. “I knew it. I look—”
“Enthralling,” I breathed, eating up every inch of bared skin from the column of her throat to her cleavage. There, resting against her chest, was the wishing stone. Broken as it was, she still wore my pendant.
Calista’s gaze snapped to mine, and for a moment, I allowed her to feel the mess she made of me and watched as it made a mess of her.
She took a breath to speak, but the bell tolled, and she clamped her lips shut. I desperately wanted to hear what she had to say, but the moment was as broken as the stone around her neck. “It’s time to go.”
I cupped the sides of her head and pulled her closer, careful not to mess up her hair when all I wanted was to weave my fingers through it and make it as wild as she was. My gaze flicked over her expressive face, unable to linger on a single feature too long for fear of missing something that would bring that jolt of happiness I’d grown addicted to. “You are the most formidable creature I have ever encountered, and you don’t even realize the power you hold over me.”
Her lips parted, and I brushed my mouth against hers. Calista swayed forward as I took the shoes dangling from her fingers and knelt in front of her. She collected herself, then grabbed the skirt of her dress and swung it to the side with a flourish. A slit appeared, going all the way to her hip. Goosebumps rose over her skin when I trailed my fingers up one calf to the back of her knee and lifted her foot from the floor. She gripped my shoulder for balance as I slid it onto her foot, then did the same with theother. Sitting back on my heels, I gazed up at her, overcome with emotions, some I didn’t understand. My queen. My heart. My life source. I would be the first to swear my fealty and bow to her.
My fist thumped my chest and rested there. Energy swept over us, and Calista’s eyes widened a fraction before flicking around the room to the maids who were tidying up but stopped to watch their king on his knees.
“From this moment until our last, my sword is yours to wield as you see fit. My life is yours to lead as you desire. My heart is yours to bleed if you so wish.” I slipped the knife from my boot and sliced my palm. “My life source is yours.” I reached out, and she hesitated before giving me her trembling hand. Calista winced when the blade gashed her palm, a faraway look entered her eyes as blood welled to the surface. Touching our wounds together, I laced our fingers and cupped her hand between mine. “Yours is mine. Forever of forevers or until the end of our time.”
My flesh began to burn with my oath, and Calista gasped trying to jerk back. It was over in an instance. I released her and showed her my hand. In the center was a healed scar. She held her open hand next to mine, and she had one, too.
The maids dropped to their knees behind me and covered their hearts with their fists. “Our queen,” they chimed.
