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Malyr caressed that shield of fine hairs along my nape by merely hovering his finger over my skin, teasing my nerve endings. Then he reached into an ocean of bowls that carried all sorts of fruits in front of us on the table, only to bring a blackberry, where it sat pinched between his thumb and pointer. He brought the berry to his mouth and clasped it between his lips. Then, he angled his head just so and lifted his chin.Offering.
Sebian leaned into me, running a finger down my thigh behind the privacy of the tablecloth before he whispered, “Take it from his mouth, sweetheart.”
Pulse quickening, I stared at those gorgeous lips that never smiled—the same ones Malyr had promised I would never get close to. But they beckoned me now, rousing fear and delight in equal measures.
When I shifted forward, his mouth lowered.Mine turned to seek his, parting in search of the black, plump fruit. Our faces drifted together, our breaths mingled.
I tightened my lips around the blackberry, loving the ripe sweetness as its flesh burst and seasoned the tip of my tongue. My eyes fluttered shut. For a second, the fraction of a shared breath, our lips connected. They sought and shifted in an almost-kiss, stirring a craving in me that penetrated deep into my core.
I didn’t realize I’d reached my hand around his neck until my fingers glided into his hair, letting a moan vibrate at the pummel of Malyr’s exhale. I opened my eyes, only to find his closed.
Until people clapped.
Malyr ripped his eyes open. We both jerked back just as the berry tumbled onto my tongue and down my throat from there. Seconds, minutes, maybe eternities had passed as we stared at each other, unblinking, unmoving, unsaying. This hadn’t felt like feigned affection.
Hadn’t felt like feigned affection at all…
“Enough with the feeding!” Asker shouted, the captain not at all his stoic self, but red-cheeked and harboring too many empty tankards in front of him at the table. “Speak your promise!”
Taking a deep breath, Malyr brought his thumb to his mouth, wiping up a dark red drop from his bottom lip before he looked at me. “Yeh ash valtem haron fer’ya.I will forever provide for you.”
My lungs stopped mid-inhale, giving room for his words to resonate as the edges of my vision speckled. Why did he sound as if he meant it?
Because I was losing my wits was why.
Hearing things that weren’t truly there.
Malyr took my hand right then and rose, letting me slip off his lap before he guided me around our table and to the grassy area. “Are you ready for our dance?”
Oh gods… the dance. Between the grooming and the almost-kiss, I’d forgotten all about it… including all the damn steps!
I sensed a fine mist of sweat settle on my forehead in preparation for impending disaster. “You know full-well I’m not.”
“Yes, I know,” he said and looked over at the musicians.
At his gesture, the lutes and harps turned as still as the air before a storm, only to flare up again in a different tune. Afamiliartune. One that whirled through my chest, stirring up a tangle of shock.
This wasnota Raven dance.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
Galantia
Present Day, Deepmarsh Castle, a meadow
My heart pounded in my throat to the lively rhythm of a song I’d heard a hundred times—during celebrations in Tidestone’s great hall, betrothal feasts in the courtyard, and my dancing lessons with Risa. But… but how could this be?
My stomach dropped alongside the deep hum of the lutes as I looked up at Malyr. “This is not the Dance of Ten Feathers.”
He stepped closer until our bodies touched. “No, it is not.”
Malyr took my right hand and placed it on his hard chest. The other, he intertwined with his before lifting our arms into position. His other arm settled across the small of my back.
“Fly with me,” Malyr said and, with a spirited step to the left, guided me into our dance.
My feet followed along easily, finding their way into a pattern I knew by heart, no matter how confusion tangled through me. There was no stumbling embarrassment, no floundering disgrace. Only perfect circles as we turned and turned, the sliver of space between us our axis.
I blinked up at Malyr, dumbfounded, his black long strands shifting with the breeze of our motion. “You were taught this Dranadian dance?”
