Never Back Down (Split Between Worlds Book 1)

Chapter Eighteen

                                        Damien

"Thank you for coming." Aerity stood beneath the only tree in the courtyard attempting to fan herself with gloved hands as he approached. Damien, being the gentleman that he was, tried very long and hard not to laugh at the ridiculous outfit Elias had put her in. He had found it amusing all week when he noticed the clothes she was sporting. Part of him secretly hoped his men would find her less attractive dressed like this. How wrong he was. He still caught their wandering glances as she walked by. At one point he could have even imagined a few of them drooling in her presence. Today, however, was so over the top that he concluded later, that he would have a talk with Elias. Her clothing should have arrived already. Which led him to wonder what was taking so long. Elias was a good friend but held a grudge worse than anyone else he had ever met. If he didn't put a stop to this, there was no telling what she would be wearing next.

Aerity stood with her head held high like any noble woman but the narrowing of her eyes as he had approached didn't make a promise of a good conversation. She had to have been boiling in her clothes. The layers looked suffocating and the feathers could not have been comfortable. He had little wonder as to why her face held so much animosity. "Well I didn't have much choice now did I? But then again, I needed a wonderful occasion to wear this equally wonderful dress." Sarcasm poured out of her mouth like it was an oozing wound.

Damien almost cringed at her tone. Instead he allowed his mouth to tip up in a victorious smirk. Her answering growl only made his smile grow. "You do look quite beautiful in it." He ignored the way his body ached to touch her. Her lush curves springing to mind and how they felt when he had held her body against his. The dress truly was hideous, but it did nothing to diminish her beauty.

 "Yes, all the courtiers thought so too. In fact, while you were out playing with your little stick, they made sure to let me know just how insufficient they found me."

 He pretended not to catch her little dig about his stick and kept up the cocky facade. It did well to infuriate her and he loved when she was infuriated. The courtiers were vicious, he knew that first hand. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind about leaving her alone with them, but it did now as he mentally hissed. His eyes skimmed over her to assess the damage. The women probably ate her alive. Part of him felt bad but then the other half convinced him that she deserved it. She ran, she brought this upon herself but that wasn't true either. The court would have treated her the same regardless, but this would only increase their hostility.

"They were probably jealous of you." He said trying to cool her temper.

A true smile spread on her face. "You know what's funny? Siel said the same thing. Although when he said it, the words weren't filled with the same contempt and bitterness as yours." Well that was a low blow meant to maim. The image of her and Siel together flashed through his mind, causing his fists to clench. Oh, but she wasn't done yet. "Nor did he make false compliments in order to hide his own blunder." She took a step closer to him and he assumed it was a means to intimidate him. Too bad it only made him want to slam his mouth against hers and hear her moan his name. Her eyes flared, cheeks flamed, skin glistening from sweat. The gold specks in her eyes began to glow. "Damien, don't you think that for a girl you accuse of running away, that making my life more difficult than it needs to be, is a step in the wrong direction?" He wondered if the question was rhetorical, but she stared at him expectantly, so he assumed it wasn't. Deciding he would love to see her riled up again, he decided to answer with what he knew would set her off. "I didn't know I was making your life so horrible here. In what ways are you referring to?" Knowing he had hit his mark when a sardonic smirk hit her face. He was getting heated over her comparison of him and Siel and his frustration was beginning to leak.

She grabbed her skirt in her hand and shoved it forward as if offering it up for show and tell. "Really?!" Her voice raised higher than it was a minute ago.

"You mean the dress? I told you that you looked beautiful." Lie.

Her face was already flushed from the heat but it grew a shade darker. "Are you always this fake? Or are you genuinely delusional?!" Probably a little bit of both but he wasn't going to tell her that. She huffed and went to turn her back on him but he grabbed her arm before she could complete her spin.

Yanking her arm back as if he had burned her, she hissed, "Do not touch me!"

People around them had started gathering in a circle, their rapt attention on them. It was time to end this little party before matters were made worse for her. "Aerity, we are in public." He harshly whispered to her under his breath, hoping she would take the hint and look around.

"Oh, so that gives you the right to treat me like crap? Is that the criteria? You can do whatever you want to in public? Are you afraid of what the court will gossip about Damien? Is that it? You didn't seem too concerned about what they would spread around about your future wife when you shoved me in this dress!" He hadn't even seen her dress before he left but he most certainly would have found it amusing and not stopped to think of her in his absence. "Nor seem to care that I have lost every ounce of sweat in my body with your need to get even with me for something I didn't even do! Would that have made you feel better? If I had heat stroke and passed out? Would that help your fragile little ego?" She was trying to make a scene and he had to put a stop to it. He didn't like the idea of her passing out and with that thought came a bout of protectiveness and then it passed as soon as he saw her arms dramatically flailing in the air. Running through all the ideas in his head that would end in her silence, he got an evil thought that seemed to trump all other options.

 Taking a step towards her, she inadvertently shifted back. The more he stalked, the closer her back crept to the sturdy tree trunk. She eyed him cautiously just as she took the remaining step back, sandwiching her between his body and the tree. "Careful Damien. Remember the last time you cornered me." Her voice held much less venom than it had that day. He could practically hear her heart beating with how close he stood to her. Leaning in so slightly, he couldn't help but notice how the pulse in her neck skipped at his nearness.

"Yes, but I don't have any knives for you to steal today and I hardly doubt that you can move as swiftly, wrapped in that giant bird costume."

She sucked in a deep breath, getting ready to explode again. Before she could pull out her fangs, however, he slammed his mouth against hers. Gasps echoed around the crowd but all he could focus on was the feel of her mouth against his. She released a yelp of surprise, tense at the immediate contact but then her body slowly melted against his earning his own moan. Yanking her closer, like he had dreamed about since the hallway, he deepened the kiss. Her mouth was frozen at first but then picked up the memo, moving against his with the same urgency as he felt. That of one struggling for air while drowning under water. Her chest rose and fell against his as she gripped his shoulders. Almost, like she was holding herself up from falling. The need for oxygen forced them apart. They stood motionless staring at each other. After a moment she seemed to regain her senses, slipped her hands to his chest and shoved him away with all her strength. His lips ached to feel hers again but he didn't get the chance. Pivoting on her heels she stomped off towards the castle.

Stopping abruptly, she turned towards him. With her billowing sleeve, she lifted her forearm and rubbed it against her mouth as if to wipe away any trace of him remaining on her. With that she jerked back towards the gate and thundered inside as every guard in her path stepped out of her way. God help him but it turned him on. She could try and fight it all she wanted to, but he knew the truth. She wanted him. He just needed to seal the deal and convince her that she knew it too.