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Queen Sienna offered her hand to Thomas and the slight red color of his cheeks deepened into a darker blush.
"It's very nice to meet you again," Thomas said with a kiss.
Both Leo and Hollis stood there waiting. Hollis still looked amused while Leo bowed again.
"And it's nice to see both of you." Sienna left her hand hanging in front of Leo.
The man stared down at her for a moment longer than she would've liked before he too kissed her. When she pulled away from Leo, Hollis had already extended his hand and his dark gaze conveyed more of his humor.
Hollis took her hand in both of his and leaning down, he looked up catching her gaze, "Let's not pretend as if we've never met before," he answered with his now baritone voice that was much deeper than she remembered. The velvet of his lips touched her hand not once but twice. Before he righted himself he finally fully grinned.
Music played behind them without the vicious wail of sobbing criminals and Hollis didn't let her hand go before he asked. "Might I steal you for a minute? I would find it most pleasing to start this party off right with a dance with the queen.”
The air was thick with tension as soon as the words left his mouth and the others knew by the way the queen started to smile that she was keen to agree. Hollis eyed the four other men as he responded. "Don't worry, there will be other songs and more opportunities my friends."
Hollis’s hand in hers was warm, soft, and near nostalgic as she recalled all the times he’d touched her with those hands. The brush of his fingertips here, the playful tug of hair there, big sweeping hugs that swept her off her feet, and meaningless moments where he had grabbed her hand to pull her away that always made her blush. At least she’d always thought they were meaningless. But he was here…holding her hand again.
He led her away from the group and toward the dance floor where people crowded its edges waiting. All she could think about was the way she’d forgotten what it felt like to touch him. Settling her arm in his elbow, the scent of him felt almost like a new experience. Even through his suit jacket, she could feel the warmth of his body and a wild tingle chased up her arm into her chest where her heart gave a nervous pitter-patter.
People didn't make her nervous anymore and she almost choked when she realized what this feeling was. Good, bad, and deliciously dangerous, that’s what he made her feel. They broke free of the crowd and stepped with the beat of the music to the middle of the dance floor. She pulled her hand from his and they turned to face each other. Hollis's face remained relaxed except for the slightest uptick of a smile at the edge of his lips.
For a moment, she could see him as the boy he had once been. She could picture the dirt on his face and the fluffiness of his curls when his mom hadn’t had time to cut his hair for too long, and she could still see the mischievous twinkle. The same boy but he played those games much better as a man.
"I hate that you're pretending as if you don't know who I am." Hollis wrapped his arm around her waist, picking up one of her hands and pulling her close. He mocked a scowl.
Sienna swallowed her uncertainty. She was not the girl she once was and she wasn’t going to let him make her feel as though she was.
"Oh? You do look familiar." She smiled broadly at him.
He blinked once before they fell into the rhythm of the music and spun together while dancers joined them on the floor. Hollis carried their momentum, his hold growing tighter until she was flush against him and his breath caressed the side of her face.
"Oh, you wound me."
She chuckled under her breath. Far too often Hollis had been the one with the upper hand. He'd always been handsome and charming and caught the eye of any girl who happened to look up. He was smart, witty, and able to get himself out of any bit of trouble he found himself in. Sienna had been quiet, awkward, and went along with everything he did, always feeling as if she was the fool, always following him around like a lost puppy. Here they were inhercastle whereshehad the power, and he was still somehow getting her in trouble. She glanced over his shoulder at the four other prospects who were favored that lingered by the throne.
In her head, she could already hear the bickering of her court. They were complaining about the disrespect of her action when she had walked away from them so quickly. But she didn't care what her court thought and with the sort of power she had, she knew she could get away with it.
"You've…changed." Hollis straightened, pulling his attention from the bodies that still swung in the room. His voice didn't give away if he thought she was cruel or if he was impressed.
"Yes, I'm a far cry from the girl on that farm. Are you scared?"
It was Hollis's turn to laugh and the rumble of it traveled through his shaking shoulders and into Sienna's very being. "Scared?Of you?Never."
The queen tried not to physically pull away from his blatant honesty. However, the sneer that spread across her face made it obvious that she didn't like his answer. Fear was how she ruled. Fear was how she held her power.
His grip tightened on her waist. "You are different." He cleared his throat before he started again. "The Sienna Havlock that I knew would have hated this. What happened to my little rule follower?"
She died,she whispered to herself. That woman she used to be, the child, had been lost when she lost her parents, when she fought the Fae, when she made her sacrifice to the gods.
"You never wanted me to follow the rules," she amended, enjoying the way the room seemed to fade when she stared up into his familiar eyes.
"I wanted you to be free." The brown hue of his gaze shone as if he could draw forth tears at any moment. An old concern. The reminder of some sort of regret. A weakness.
The beginning of a grin warmed the queen's face at this small reaction. Weaknesses could be used. Queen Sienna loved—
"HEY!" The booming voice of a guard broke through the music. Faces turned toward the interruption like flowers facing the sun. Movement blurred as two people bolted toward the exit of the room, shoving the crowd apart and knocking a glass of wine from the hand of a bystander. Glass shattered against the floor splattering red along the hem of several dresses and drawing forth more than a few unpleasant gasps.
"Unsanctioned magic!" the guard shouted as he stumbled after the criminals who headed for the servants’ entrance.
