A Storm of Flames and Deceit

XXXVIII. True Magic

Nephele
Eris had been weird earlier, but what the fuck else is new? It was diverting enough to spend the rest of the afternoon with Delia that I had completely forgotten his strangeness when he all but kicked me out of his study.
But I was reminded of it when he came for me before dinner, his hair still damp from his bath. I almost couldn't notice how dazed he looked over his sweet scent of soap and smoked cedar. He stared at me a bit longer before opening his mouth to speak, like he had fallen out of his skin during his bath and had never seen me before. The strangeness is nearly gone not too soon after, though he stays quiet at dinner.
He only seems to truly blink out of it when my mother stops us in the middle of the hall on our walk back to our chambers. Dad is still gone at the soldiers camp, and now she patrols the palace like she owns the place.
"Nephele, I think I was promised I'd be able to have your so precious attention by the end of the day," she muses politely, if only because Eris is there.
"Funny," I murmur in response. "I don't recall making any sort of promise like that."
Hostility floods her gaze, and Eris' grip tightens on my arm, proving him sentient yet. "We were off to bed, actually," he says. "Tomorrow is quite a big day- I'm sure you haven't forgotten, Lady Speirling."
Mother looks, for the first time, like she might throttle Eris. I feel equal parts protective and relieved to find that at least I'm not the only person that she is so hostile with. "How could I forget?" She says cheerily, taking my hand how a mother might had she actually loved me. "It will only be a minute before I send her back to you."
"It's fine," I tell Eris quietly, conveying things through my gaze which he refuses to meet, electing to glare at my oblivious mother. "I'll only be a minute."
He looks hesitant before he remembers his act of cruelty that he must dawn. "Five minutes," he says with a scalding tone in his deep voice. "Don't keep me waiting."
I remember my fearful rabbit act to his preying fox. "I- I won't, baby," I smile nervously, kissing him on the cheek. "Five minutes."
Grumbling, he stalks off. I can't imagine he goes far. If I know Eris, I'm sure he's glamouring himself so that my mother can't tell he's around the corner listening.
"What is it mother?" I ask neutrally, keeping my irritation at bay. If I keep her happy, she won't look too closely, and by extension, neither will father.
"We didn't practice the ceremony as much as we would've liked," she says, crossing her arms. "I wanted to make sure you still had your cues and timing down."
Seriously?
I think I miss her hitting me instead of insulting my intelligence like this.
"I do," I tell her, fighting to hide my impatience. "And I really must go find Eris-"
"I'm not finished with you," she says, grabbing my arm as I aim to walk away, pressing my skin sharply. I suck in a breath at the pain. I bruise like a peach these days after being denied nutrition for two centuries. Who wouldn't? "I want to hear you recite what you are meant to do before I let you go. I wouldn't want you making an embarrassment of your father and I."
I shut my eyes, breathing a restraining breath. I don't care if she's my mother. I want to fry her. I could swear thunder rumbles in the distance before I push it away. "Alright," I say patiently, rolling my shoulders back as she releases my arm. "I arrive at the gates of the ceremony at 4:00 sharp after I am readied by palace staff. I will meet father and you there for final inspections before you are seated at the end of the isle. I will be given my bouquet, and the music will start. At 4:15, father will give my arm to Eris."
"And..."
"And what?"
"And you and Eris will repeat the cues of the priestess," she huffs a frustrated breath as if that wasn't so obvious that I hadn't thought it even necessary to include. "And before you walk down the isle at roughly 4:45, you and Eris will kiss." I swallow a nervous breath before I can stop myself, and my mother, bred from deeply evil and demonic creatures, can smell my fear as she always could.
"Why do you cringe?" She says, disgust on her face. "It's not as though you have remained pious by him thus far. Did you at least feel shame when you let him fuck you before you were wed like some common brothel girl?"
I clench my fist. I always hated when she spoke of sex workers in such a belittling tone. Pulling myself together, I clear my throat. "I'm his property," I tell her, the words suddenly feeling sour on my tongue when they usually make me hot in other places. "He does with me how he wishes. It is not my place to have any input."
She rolls her eyes, unconcerned. "I just don't understand why the mention of kissing makes you so nervous," she powers on. "It seems that you two must do it all the time by now. What makes you so timid all of a sudden?"
Panic courses through me, and I hope for once that she can't smell the purity on me. We've never kissed, and it seems like me and Eris are the only people who know that. "Eris has never kissed me in front of others before." The truth is easy enough to speak. "I just am not entirely comfortable with the idea of others watching."
The latter is a lie.
If it weren't my first, I might love to have others watch me and Eris. I might love to be an exhibit the same way the lovers at Helion's party were. I might love to show Eris off, to be shown off by him.
But as for my first kiss....
I wasn't so keen on an audience, especially an audience of my family. It's uncomfortable to say the least.
"I suggest you get over your sudden prudence then, Nephele," Mother warns hollowly. "Because it better look absolutely and perfectly natural tomorrow for the ceremony."
I swallow the true lump in my throat, my palms sweating. "It will be," I promise her, if someone can promise something they have absolutely no clue about.
"Now go to him before he grows angry," Mother chastises, and I need nothing more to convince me to scurry away.
As I predicted, Eris waited just around the corner, and in my nervousness, I run square into his firm chest.
"Hey," he whispers, steadying me. "What's wrong?"
I swallow, adverting my eyes, listening to my mother's footsteps disappear in the opposite direction. "Nothing, I-" my eyes jerk to his lips, how close he stands, his hands holding my shoulders. His brown eyes are so sensitive, so entrancing. A girl could get lost in eyes like those, stuck and preserved in such amber, a frozen look of desire on her face.
"Kiss me," I blurt before I know what I said.
He seems to blink his eyes open wider, his mouth falling a bit open. "What?" He manages, shaking his head in confusion, deciding he asked the wrong question. "Why?"
"You heard my mother," I laugh quietly, holding up my hands for him to observe. "Eris I'm literally shaking I'm so nervous."
He frowns, letting his hands fall back to his sides. "I'm sorry, Neph," he says regretfully. "If it is scaring you so terribly, I can try my luck at finding a way around it for the ceremony. I-"
I laugh dryly. Madly. "I'm not scared of kissing you, Eris," my fingers find his necklace for the second time today, fumbling with it nervously. "I'm scared of my first kiss not belonging to me."
He furrows his brow. "I don't follow."
I groan, a bit frustrated, my cheeks heated with embarrassment. "I know it's stupid, and don't for a second think I believe in fairytales," I chuckle, still playing with his necklace if only so I don't have to meet his gaze. "But when I was a little girl in that cellar, dreaming of my first kiss, I never wanted anyone to be watching. I wanted privacy, and romance, and all the other stupid things girls dream of before the world makes it known that it doesn't give a shit."
He's quiet for a long minute, and I think he might do any number of things from laugh in my face to tell me I'm being ridiculous. I wouldn't know- I'm too afraid to look at him. "Come," he says so suddenly that I'm forced to look up, only to see the back of his head as he takes my hand.
"Where are we going?" I hurry after him, but he doesn't answer. It does nothing to help my nerves that I absolutely have no spacial or directional orientation about this unfamiliar palace. I'm not sure what direction we're going in, but I know we're going up. Perhaps, Eris is leading me to fling myself off the highest balcony. I must admit the temptation will only grow sweeter the longer he stays quiet.
My mortification has peaked by the time we've made it to the roof, but he doesn't drop my hand which must be a good sign. Instead, he turns to me, his gaze dark and unreadable in the moonlight, the stars twinkling above us.
"Make it rain," he commands me, and my heart splices.
He remembered.
Fighting my gushing smile, I obey, trying not to melt as he steps closer, brushing his knuckles over my cheek. My chest touches his now, our height difference more noticeable from this close. I'm quite tall for a female, but he still lingers around four inches taller than me. I wouldn't have him any taller. He'd be too far away.
His arm snakes around my waist as the first fall of rain drips onto my shoulder. Nervously, I wrap my arms around his neck in return, my skin and bones feeling fluttery and detached as he gazes into my eyes, tucking a braid behind my ear.
The rain begins to pelt the rooftop now, each drop a gentle kiss of its own on our wet skin. I stare up at him, my eyes wide and wanting. His breath is so close to mine that I shudder, my hands bunching into the fabric of his shirt. He comes closer, his eyes not closing, rather darting between my mouth and my eyes. I lick my lips before letting my eyes flutter shut, losing my breath when his mouth at last meets mine.
He's shockingly gentle, sliding his lips against mine with the tilt of his head. I've never felt fire like this, so concealed until his tongue slips into my mouth. A sound leaves my throat and travels down his as I anchor my fingers in his hair, pulling him with me as I arch my back. He holds to my waist, his other hand cradling the side of my neck with his elegant fingers.
This isn't how I dreamed it.
Not even close.
I have a pretty vivid imagination, but not even my wildest dreams could brace me for the true magic of the situation.
Learning as I go, I decide to bite his lip, and I'm rewarded by his thumb digging into the center of my neck, making it clear to me exactly how he likes it. Exactly how I like it. The kiss turns rougher then, his hand fisting the fabric of my dress like he is physically restraining himself from having me.
I wish he wouldn't.
I wish he would take me right here and right now in the middle of this storm I have brewed, our skin damp and buzzing with electricity. I would give him whatever he wanted then. Right on this damn rooftop, I'd give him it all.
And for a moment, I think he might take me.
But my life is so rarely fortunate. No, because in that instant, thunder cracks, and I know we weren't alone anymore. Pulling away, I'm mortified to see that my father has winnowed in, a look of absolute disgust on his face. To most, that look on a father's face would be warranted in the name of disdain to see their daughter grown up.
But I know better.
I'm inclined to believe he's so revolted because I- for once- looked happy.
He scowls. "So you were causing the storm," he grumbles. "Can you for a second learn how to control yourself, Nephele."
My fingers tighten in the damp fabric of Eris' shirt, but he speaks before I get the chance to ruin my submissive act. "It was my idea, actually," he muses, proudly draping an arm over my shoulder as I draw the storm out of the sky and back into my bones. "I like her better extra wet."
I choke on my breath, concealing myself with a cough.
"But we should be going anyway- your timing is impeccable Fergus," Eris says smoothly. "We do have a big day tomorrow- we should get to bed."
Leaving my father stunned speechless, he pulls me away and inside, smacking his hand over my mouth before I nearly cackle loud enough to wake the palace.
"Shut up," he whispers, humor glinting in his eyes, a barely concealed smile on his lips. I mumble incoherently against his hand, and he raises a smug brow. "What was that?"
I do what any mature person would do when silenced- I lick his hand. He pulls it away, a look of surprise in his eyes. "I can't believe you said that to him!" I repeat.
"And I can't believe you just licked my hand," he says, wiping his palm on his pants in princely disgust. I laugh at him.
"Let that be a lesson the next time you try to muffle me," I raise a brow back at him, and he chuckles, wrapping his arm back around me. "Besides, my tongue was down your throat not even thirty seconds ago," I point out. "I think you'll survive."
He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, at the wedding, we might want to dial that back a bit."
"Noted," I snort, trying not dissolve at the thought of kissing him again. "I suppose that sort of defeated the point of having privacy for my first kiss." It was less than ideal that we were caught, but I can't even be upset about it presently.
He shrugs. "Everyone gets caught their first time," he informs me as if his words were as sound as any proverb.
"Were you?" I shouldn't ask it, but I do. Even if I'm sure it will make me jealous.
He laughs in good humor which makes me feel a little better. If he had loved whoever it was, I'm sure there'd be bitterness in his eyes. "Yeah," he answers. "By my father of all people."
"Really?" My eyes go wide. "What did he say?"
He chuckles warmly, and I can feel the sound in my very bloodstream. "He just told me not to get her pregnant."
I choke on a laugh again, my head falling onto his shoulder as we walk. "Sound advice," I reply solemnly. "Is now a bad time to verify that you don't have any kids?"
He laughs too, a genuine laugh straight from his gut as he leads me into our bedroom. "No, Sweetheart. You won't have to be a stepmother," he promises me, and I sigh in relief.
"Thank fuck," I say as he snaps us dry with the twitch of his power. I breathe out in relief, feeling warmer instantly. "I need you to teach me how to do that at some point."
"I will," he smiles, snapping the both of us into sleeping clothes. I'm disappointed to find that my nightgown isn't the least bit promiscuous, high neck and falling a few inches past my mid thigh, but I decide I've done enough trying to seduce him for tonight.
Instead, I deign you fall into bed theatrically, swinging my cold body under the sheets as he slips under the other side.
I'm not sure if either of us sleep, but I am sure that I wake up in his arms the next morning.