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Sly.
So sly.
“Eh, I just want to sleep.” The second guy shrugged. “Maybe next time.”
Both men looked at Lavee.
I noticed Jesh had called for a break in the fighting, and was sipping from a water bottle with his hand clenched around the thing so damn tightly I wondered if it would break.
Lavee hesitated.
“Come on.” The wine-and-sex guy nudged her with his elbow, grinning more widely at her. “I’ll buy. You’ve got even more of a reason to celebrate than I do, and we all know it’s been ages since you’ve had a good time.”
Lavee sighed. “Persuasive bastard. Fine, I’m in. I’ll need backup, though. Diora?” She shot a grin my way. “Have you ever even tried wine?”
She had surprised me, but I could play along.
I shrugged. “No.”
“Come on, it’ll be fun. And considering the mark on your neck, it’s probably your last chance to try drinking for the next two years.”
I felt Namir’s eyes on me, but didn’t look his way. We were mates, and I cared about his comfort, but he still needed to trust me.
And… I wanted to go. To experience the wine-drinking and whatnot. There would be no sex for me until I got back to the castle, obviously, but I could still enjoy myself. “Alright, fine.”
I finally looked at Namir, and found him wearing a genuine, playful grin. He approved of me going, and was still okay with being away from me for short periods of time; that was good. “Come find me in a few hours,Love?” My voice took on the teasing tone it always had when I attempted to use his accent and his nickname against him.
His grin widened. “You’ll be lucky if I last two without you. Don’t worry though; I’ll bring chocolate to lure your sexy, drunk ass back to my bed.”
I snorted. “Good call.”
“It’s settled,” the wine-and-sex guy declared, looping his arm through Lav’s. I stepped toward them, but Namir beat me there. He’d crossed the room in two steps, stopping in front of the guy whose name I still didn’t know.
His voice lowered, his eyes narrowing at the male fae. “If another man so much as touches one hair on my female’s arm, I will hold you personally responsible.”
The guy’s expression grew just as serious as Namir’s. “If another man so much as stares at the queen, I’ll take his head off.”
Namir’s head dipped in a nod, and he stepped to the side, gesturing toward the door. His lips lifted in one of his genuine, playful grins as he snagged my hand and used it to tug me to his chest. His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, and our lips crashed into each other for a moment. The kiss was brutal, and possessive, and claiming, and I returned it just as enthusiastically as he gave it.
When he finally pulled away, he murmured against my lips, “You’re mine, Love. Best not forget that for both of our sakes.”
Goosebumps went up my spine. “I won’t.” I dragged my teeth over his lower lip, releasing it as I stepped back. “Watch yourself while I’m gone, Namir,” I called back as I strode over to a grinning Lavee and the guy whose name I still didn’t know. We slipped out the door, and I added without turning around, “If I get a report of any flirting, I’ll do far worse than take a few heads off.”
My king’s booming laugh had me fighting a grin as we walked away.
Chapter28
We madeour way through the city, grinning about the possibility of Jesh finally being forced to realize that Lavee was the perfect woman for him. I learned the male fae’s name—Ander—and we chatted about how the magic lessons had gone during the day.
It was lighthearted, and fun, and I found myself laughing far more than I expected.
We walked into the bar, and I looked around curiously. Though I’d been to a lot of places in the city, I’d never made it there before.
The building was large, with most of the ceiling open to the sky above, and the walls lined with slim tables and stools. In two opposite corners of the room, the tables were angled so there was a triangular gap between them and the wall, with plenty of space for a bartender to mix, pour, and serve drinks.
Relaxed but upbeat music came from a few instruments I didn’t have names for, and when Lavee noticed me staring at the musicians on a short stage in the center of the building, she murmured the names of the instruments to me.
Between the stools and the stage, there were large, bare stretches of space. In those spaces, couples moved and danced and spun, some with feet moving rapidly and others merely swaying slowly around the dance floor, lost in either the alcohol or the buzz of each others’ arms.
