316
Lucy
My face was on fire. I couldn’t believe him. He chuckled, coming toward me. He kissed me briefly. My toes curled, and I wanted to press closer to him. He was so warm, and there was something else about him that wanted to be nearer to him.
Resonance, something whispered to me.
“Are you staying the night?” He asked, wrapping an arm around my waist.
I bit my lip and nodded. He pressed his forehead to mine and brushed our noses together. A low, contented rumble escaped him. I smiled at the sound.
“Long day?”
I closed my eyes. “Yeah.”
“Cuddles?”
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Deal.” He kissed my forehead. “I’ll throw in a few kisses for free, and I’ll see you soon for dinner… Dressed.”
I laughed and nodded.
“Not too dressed,” Duke teased. “She deserves access to the full package.”
“Duke!”
He cackled. David stroked my cheek and headed upstairs. “Leave Lucy alone, or I’m inviting Tom over and sticking him in the room next to yours.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“Blue would relish the chance. She finds you two adorable, and Amos wants her happy, so watch yourself.”
I turned around and glowered at Duke. He was flushed, but he grinned at me.
“You staying the week?” Duke asked. “Might be easier to get all the cuddles you want leading up.”
Was it really on a week from now? I shuddered.
“You’re bothered…”
“We’ll talk about it,” I promised. I rubbed my arm. “Do you think… it would be okay?”
His gaze softened. “I think he’d love it… and the rest of us would love it even more if it would keep him from bouncing around like an energizer bunny. You’d get a lot more towel action.”
“He does that often?”
“All the time,” he said. “He’s still growing or something, so he’s… borrowing his Dad’s old clothes and… well, he hasn’t moved them to his room.”
I nodded. I could imagine that being hard. “He’s… in some other room, huh?”
“Blue says he’s not going to move into the master suite until he’s married, so…”
“Duke, please,” I said, trying not to think about what he was implying.
He shrugged. “Just saying. He’ll want you to have the gigantic bathtub, so maybe you could nudge him in that direction? He’s been alpha for years and is still in the heir room.”
I wondered if that was just grief or if maybe he just didn’t feel ready. He was doing all the work of an alpha, but did he really feel like the alpha yet? I wasn’t sure.
“I’ll see what I can do… shows of future fealty and all that.”
Duke grinned. “Right this way, my liege.”
The guest room I usually used had an attached bathroom. I closed the door. The sounds of the Estate seemed so much softer. I could still see David’s bare chest, dripping with water in my mind. I stepped into the shower, sighing at the hot water hitting me. The swirling steam only made me think about David more. I bit my lip, got washed up, and headed out as quickly as possible. I stopped at the threshold of the bathroom and winced.
I didn’t have any clothes here. Not that I could remember. The thought of putting my clothes back on made me grimace. Then, I noticed that the rack of shoes beside the door was full: boots, sneakers, flats, sandals, the shoes from our dance lessons were there too. I opened one of the doors of the closet.
I smiled, shaking my head and wondering if this was a silent request for me to just move in. I bit my lip and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. I tried not to think about who bought my underwear as I headed downstairs, where I could hear Amy, Sarah, and Michelle chatting about the Ball. It sounded like Sarah was still on the fence about Peter, but Michelle sounded so happy.
Duke came down soon after me. David and Trent were the last to arrive. David seemed tense as he sat beside me. Trays of food flew onto the table, and we ate. It was oddly normal. It was almost comical in the face of what I felt was coming, but it was welcome.
There was no tension, really. David just smiled, kissed my temple, and told me that he’d tell me later. He squeezed my hand.
“And you? Are you feeling better?” His searching gaze warmed me, and I nodded.
“Thanks… for the clothes.”
His eyes flashed. “It’s my pleasure.”
Sarah cooed. “You two… I swear… David, don’t you have a brother?”
He burst into laughter. “No, but I have a few cousins I could introduce you to. No promises, though.”
I chuckled and went in for a second helping. Duke was on his third and didn’t seem to be slowing down. Though, I noticed he was wearing his father’s dagger. He seemed at peace. Hito even looked pleased as he sipped quietly further down the table.
Just as David stood, announcing it was time for dessert, a knock at the door rang out. David frowned, but it was Trent who went to the door. He came back with a tower of boxes floating behind him.
“Everything’s here,” he said.
David nodded. “We’ll deal with it later. Cinnamon rolls first.”
He looked at me. “I’ve been barely restraining myself from eating them all.”
I smiled back at him. “I’d make more.”
He bit his lip, stole another kiss, and headed into the kitchen. Duke whistled.
“Take notes, Sarah. You’ll need something under your belt.”
“There’s plenty under my belt.”
Michelle burst into laughter as Amy started scolding Sarah, bright red and clearly flustered.
“Don’t you have any sense of decorum?”
Sarah grinned.
The tower of cinnamon rolls floated out ahead of David, followed by cups, and he walked in carrying a large container and a jug of milk.
“Ice cream,” he said, grinning. “Tastes like cream cheese icing and milk for people who don’t want cavities.”
I ate two cinnamon rolls with ice cream, and within an hour, I was so full and sleepy that David had to carry me up the stairs. The rest of the house waved good night and filtered off to their own rooms.
“David?”
“Yeah?” He murmured, walking down the hallway.
“Do you think… everything will be alright?”
He kissed my forehead. “I think so… Mostly because of you.”
“Me?” I asked. “I can’t even use a dagger properly.”
“Give yourself more credit, darling.”
My face heated. “Darling?”
The door of his bedroom swung open. I could smell his cologne, the easy, warm scent of his skin, all mingled together. The blankets folded back, and he set me down before covering me.
“You don’t like it?”
I bit my lip, looking up at him. “I like it.”
He smiled. “Me, too.”
He climbed into bed beside me and pulled me close, sighing deeply. He sounded so content, and every muscle in my body relaxed.
I slipped off into sleep, dreaming of the sunlit shores near Shell Cove.
David appeared there, offering me his hand. “May I have this dance?”
I took it, and the beach faded away, turning into the ballroom we’d been practicing in. The lights sparkled around us as he led me through the Moon Waltz. My sweatpants melted away into the soft white dress, twined with blood-red roses. I felt the armor around my waist and over my shoulder. His pajamas turned into an embroidered suit with blood-red roses on the lapels and cuffs. A cloak swirled around us. His armor gleamed a deep black like the night sky.
“You’re breathtaking,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving my face. My chest grew tight, and I pulled him down, pressing our lips together.
My stomach flipped as he pulled me closer. My eyes burned. My heart wavered. He pulled me close and hugged me tight as tears streamed down my face.
“I… David, I…”
“I know,” he whispered, sliding his hand into my hair. “I wish I could tell you… that nothing will happen. That the Festival will go smoothly…”
“But you wouldn’t lie to me.”
“No.” He paused. “If you remember nothing, Lucy. Please remember this….”
I trembled in his arms.
“Don’t put on the necklace.”
I nodded. However, I felt like there was no way I could keep that promise.
He pulled back and cupped my face. “I have to get up, but rest a bit longer, okay?”
I nodded. The ballroom faded away, putting me back on the shore. He kissed me once more before vanishing, and as soon as he was gone, a forest began to grow on the edge of the shore, and standing at the edge of it was Selene with a smug expression.
“This could have all been much easier,” she said. “You have no one to blame but yourself.”
My jaw trembled as she turned and walked into the woods. I sank into the surf, wishing I felt more sure of anything but how badly this would all go.
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