Chapter 182: Thank you, Alexis.
~Alexis's POV~
I wake up sore.
Everything aches, my thighs, my neck, between my legs. The kind of soreness that makes you remember exactly what happened and why. My body feels heavy, used, satisfied in a way that makes my cheeks burn even though I'm alone.
The sheets are twisted around me, mapped with sweat that's finally dried. I can smell him on my skin, masculine and sweet, tangerine, that's his the scent on him and it makes my stomach flutter.
My hair is a complete mess, tangled and wild from his hands fisting in it, pulling my head back so he could bite my neck.
I sit up slowly, wincing. There's a dull throb between my legs that reminds of wonderful last night was. The memory makes me clench involuntarily, and I have to bite my lip to keep from making a sound. Slut, I hear a voice say. I turned to look around and put it that it's my mind.
My inner walls are tender, stretched from accommodating him and sincerely speaking no fae male had ever filled me like that.
My hand goes to my neck instinctively. The bite marks are still there, tender to the touch but already healing with that strange tingling sensation.
And the pendant. His jade pendant is still hanging there, warm against my skin, I stumble to the mirror, my legs shaky and unsteady.
Gods, I look like I've been thoroughly fucked. My lips are swollen from his kisses, there are faint purple bruises on my hips where his hands gripped me while he pounded into me.
The bite marks on my neck are red and obvious, two small puncture wounds that make my heart race just looking at them.
But I'm smiling. I can't stop smiling, even though I should probably be horrified.
"Lucien," I whisper his name to my reflection, and my body responds just to the sound of it. Heat pools low in my belly, making me remember the weight of him pinning me down, the way he filled me completely, stretched me until I was crying out his name.
I should feel guilty. Ashamed, maybe. Worried about what people would think if they knew I'd let a vampire drink from me while he fucked me senseless.
But all I feel is alive. More alive than I've ever felt in my entire life. Like I'd been sleepwalking through my days until he came.
I need to find clothes that will cover the marks. A high-necked dress, something that won't raise questions. I need to find Ava. I have plans now, crazy, dangerous plans that I never would have considered before last night changed everything.
I'm going to leave this place. I'm going to go back to my people, fulfill my duties as their princess like I should have done months ago. And then I'm going to find him. Find Lucien, even if it's the stupidest, most reckless thing I've ever done in my life.
The thought of Milkalo flashes through my mind - my arrogant peacock of a fiancé that my father chose for political reasons.
Strong, handsome, and completely wrong for me in every way that matters. He struts around like he owns the world, all pride and showing off. My father keeps saying I need to think of my people first, marry someone who can stand against the court and our enemies.
"A princess shouldn't think about herself," he'd lectured me countless times. "You must marry a Fae strong enough to fight the ministers, to protect our interests."
But after last night... how can I marry someone who doesn't make me feel like I'm burning alive? How can I let Milkalo touch me when every cell in my body is still craving Lucien's hands, his mouth, his fangs?
Most people think we Armestine Faes are the only ones in this realm, but that's just what we want them to believe.
We're much larger than anyone imagines - our numbers could rival the most populated kingdoms under Lystra's rule.
We've been hiding our true strength for generations, letting everyone think we're small and weak. It's been our protection and our secret weapon.
I dress quickly in a dark blue gown with a high collar, checking the mirror to make sure the bite marks are hidden. My reflection looks different somehow, my eyes brighter, my skin glowing. Like Lucien left some of his dark magic in my blood.
"Good morning, Alexis."
Anastasia's voice makes me jump. I turn, hoping my expression doesn't give away what I spent the night doing.
"Good morning, Anastasia," I manage, my voice still slightly rough from all the screaming and moaning I did. "How are you? How is Gwen feeling this morning?"
Yesterday, I found Gwen collapsed in her room and she was barely breathing, her children were crying beside her, no one had been there.
Maybe, they never expected something like that to happen. I had given her my internal flame without hesitation, the backup life force that all Faes carry within them.
It was like having a second chance at life, and giving it away meant I'd forfeited any hope of survival if I ever died. The decision had terrified me, but seeing those children about to lose their mother had made the choice easy.
"I am fine, Alexis. Gwen is much better, thanks to you. She's outside by the lake."
Anastasia points toward the gardens, where I can see a beautiful lake dotted with white swans. Flowers bloom along its edges in brilliant colors, purple, yellow, and deep red. In the center stands the statue that's always fascinated me.
It's carved in the likeness of Norelle, though everyone here now calls her Ava. The statue has supposedly existed since the fall of Mesodomica, though how it survived all these centuries baffles everyone. The stone woman's face is serene, her hands outstretched as if blessing the water below.
Gwen sits on a bench near the statue's base, her two children playing at her feet. She's still pale, but her smile is genuine as she watches them laugh and chase the swans. She looks so much better than yesterday when I thought we might lose her.
"She looks happy," I say, relief flooding through me. I'd made the right choice, even if it scared me to know I might actually die if anything happened to me now.
"Thank you, Alexis," Anastasia says, and for once her cold mask slips completely. She's actually smiling, genuine and warm, transforming her entire face.
The smile reaches her eyes and softens her sharp features, making her seem almost human instead of the ice queen she usually appears to be.
But I can see curiosity in her expression too, like she senses something different about me today.
The jade pendant feels heavy against my throat, I am reminded of my plan. I need to find Ava. I need to tell her I'm leaving, that I'm going to chase a
fter a vampire who bit me and fucked me until I couldn't remember my own name.
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