AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My cheeks burn as he takes my hand, bringing my knuckles to brush against his lips lightly.
“Her name is Lara and she’s off limits, Lor.”
My head snaps to Darian, blinking at his words.
Where in the world do men find the audacity?
Lor releases my hand and brings his own to his chest with feigned outrage, “I would never dare to overstep my bounds, my liege.” His emphasis on his last two words tickles me.
I chuckle to myself and both men glance at me before Lor walks behind the bar again.
“What can I do for you tonight, then?” Lor’s voice is dripping with amusement as he looks between us.
If I have more tequila, I may die.
Darian glances at me and smirks, “Water please, and four shots of tequila.”
My heart plummets as Lor tosses him a lopsided grin, “Aye aye, Captain!”
Chapter 30
Darian leads me to a seat at the bar overlooking the gyrating crowd down below as he passes water to me.
This place has a club-like atmosphere, yet it exudes an undeniable sense of comfort. The feeling of security is palpable, putting everyone at ease, as evident by their cheerful faces and the intimate displays everywhere I look.
In fact, intimacy appears to reach every corner of the place.
My sight falls to a group of men dancing with one woman.
Their hands roving up and down her body as they sway rhythmically with the music, almost in a trance. One is kissing her deeply, two are cupping her breasts and taking them into their mouths while another kneels before her.
My cheeks burn as he lifts one of her legs over his shoulder, burying his face under her short dress that’s hiked up to her hips.
I can’t tear my gaze from her as her deeply hooded eyes roll to the back of her head, any sounds she may make drowned out by the man kissing her and the bass pumping through the area.
No one seems to mind the public display. Most are lost in their own bubble of intimacy or enjoyment merely feet away.
Darian chuckles beside me as he gives me a knowing smirk and I avert my eyes quickly to down my water in a few deep gulps.
Returning my gaze to the masses below, I hesitantly ask, “Is this normal?”
Darian’s head nods in my peripheral.
“It is. It’s actually more normal to see this back home than to see people be monogamous and jealous of their partners beingintimate with others, though it does happen.” I feel his gaze on me as I continue to watch the crowd, “Conception is a problem for our people and thus reproduction is looked at with reverence, not shame. If any of these individuals bear a child to term it may be years before they do so. We’d suspected for millennia that our magic makes us unable to reproduce, but there are those who believe that to be nothing more than conspiracy.”
“It was a miracle that my parents even conceived my brother and I so close together.”
He falls quiet and I look at him.
His face is shadowed, eyes glazed over, and I have no doubt he’s recalling memories of days long past. Without giving it a second thought, I reach my hand between us and weave my fingers through his.
I bite the inside of my lip as his eyes snap to our intertwined hands before I speak, choosing my words carefully.
“This may not mean much, because I’m well aware that I did not know them but… If I were them, I’d have been proud of what you’ve done given your circumstances.”
My assurance must have hit its mark as I see him blink twice with momentary shock before his jaw clenches, and his grip on me tightens slightly.
We stay like that for a moment before Lor clears his throat behind us and our hands fall apart as we turn toward the bar. Lor grins as he slides two shots in front of me, then two for Darian, accompanied by a plate of limes.
