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“Nothing, my queen,” I replied with a bow of my head. “I was just about to leave.” She moved closer to me, extending her hand and gazing into my eyes with authority and tenderness.
“Okay, but I want you to dance with me first.” Then she winked. “That’s an order from your queen.”
Bayleon backed away and I grabbed Lia’s hand, feeling the pulse of electricity run through me the very second I touched her delicate skin. Having her this close was a cruel kind of torture, a punishment I certainly deserved more than anyone else. I had taken the lives of many women due to my cursed nature, which was why I figured I didn’t deserve love or joy.
Lia tugged me behind her, and we moved past the dancing people to a tranquil spot located on the side of the castle. A circle of blooming pear trees grew from the ground, their white petals floating in the air. She dragged me into the middle of the circle, creating a barrier between us and everyone else.
With her hand still in mine, she made no move to let me go. Heart racing, I stared into her eyes, hating that I was about to tell her I had to leave her court. I was afraid of what I’d do if I stayed. My fear was that I’d end up hurting her somehow.
“I thought you wanted to dance,” I said to her.
Lia smiled and it was such a beautiful sight. I was going to miss it. She let my hand go and bit her lip, a nervous gesture I’d only seen from her a handful of times. But Lia wasn’t the type to be scared of anything.
“I do but I had other plans tonight,” she murmured, moving closer to me so our bodies almost touched. Her lips pursed when she peered up at me. “Needless to say, it didn’t involve dancing with Cas.”
My voice came out low, almost possessive sounding when I spoke. “Trust me. I didn’t want you to.” She smiled as if that relieved her.
“Why?” she asked, her voice breathless.
I had to tell her the truth if I was going to leave. I’d kept it inside for way too long. I slowly raised my hands until my fingers intertwined with hers and my thumbs rested against her cheeks.
Lia’s gaze was intense; her eyes spoke volumes as if she had been waiting for me to make my move. I could feel the heat radiating from her body, and I knew the distance between us was bridging.
“Because I’m in love with you, Lia. I have been for a really long time.” I spoke in a low voice, my lips inches away from hers.
When she responded, “I’m in love with you, too,” a wave of emotion crashed through me. Her words were like a shock to my system, and my heart raced as she leaned further into my touch. Our eyes locked, and I could only focus on her full lips that I had fantasized about for years. All I wanted was to feel her against me, to know what it would be like to make love to her.
All of my desires ran rampant at that moment and I felt they might consume me. I was on the brink of losing control . . . and knew it’d be too much for her.
Hurting her would destroy me.
Chapter6
Lia
Asigh of relief escaped my lips as I finally said the words I’d wanted to say for years. Bastian’s arms tightened around me, and I melted against him. I longed to see the warmth of his midnight-blue eyes behind his mask and feel his labored breath on my face. Even though he’d previously expressed to Ella that he wasn’t worthy of my love, I wanted to show him he was.
Gently, I reached up and pulled off his mask to look into his eyes. His gaze locked onto mine and his breathing quickened.
“Youareworthy of love, Bastian,” I said quietly.
Before either of us could say another word, I rose onto my toes and pressed my lips against his. A shock of passion filled my body as we kissed. It was all consuming and I wanted more. His arms were like iron bands around my waist, trapping me against him. He kissed me so intensely that I could barely catch my breath. When I tried to pull away, he held me tighter, his lips never leaving mine. Then he suddenly stepped back, and I saw raw emotion in his eyes—confusion, regret and shame. His hands shook as he ran them through his disheveled hair.
His voice was full of torment when he finally spoke. “Lia, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” His shoulders slumped and his gaze dropped to the ground as he turned away. He took a few steps toward the pear trees before he stopped and looked back at me with a tear running down his face. “It won’t happen again,” he said before turning and running away.
“Bastian, wait!” I shouted, hoping to take off after him.
But when I tried to see which direction he had taken, all I could see was darkness. Bringing a hand up to my lips, I could still feel the warmth from our kiss and the spark of electricity that had passed between us. My heart raced and my mind reeled in confusion. What had just happened? There was only one other person who could explain the situation.
Steeling my courage, I whirled around, coming face to face with Bayleon. His expression mirrored Bastian’s earlier anguish and shock, and a startled gasp escaped me. He opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.
“I was just about to come and find you.”
My pulse spiked even higher as his gaze flicked down to where I still clasped Bastian’s mask in my hand. He didn’t need to say anything for me to know how dire it was for his brother to be without his mask.
“What happened?” Bayleon asked, and I knew he had guessed the truth of our moments together, even if he wasn’t ready to admit it.
“I’m not sure,” I replied carefully. “But I think something is going on between you both that you haven’t told me yet.” Bayleon just stared at me, so I took the opportunity to continue, “What’s going on with you two?”
