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She still reminds me of an elegant swan swimming across a lake.He peacefully watched her flit around the ballroom on her own, his eyes drooping as he lovingly followed her with his gaze.

King Bradwick was throwing a ball in celebration of his marriage to Lady Wyetta, who was now the queen consort.

He’d waited for Geryon’s return, uncertain about opening his gates to the public without him. Since these were his hunting grounds, he’d made Bradwick a potential target of all his past traps in this kingdom.

It was a wise move on his part.

Geryon had already quietly disposed of a female Witch who attempted to gain entrance earlier in the day. She’d reeked of the foul scent that came from those who were corrupted, so she had been easy to find and remove.

Wyetta had easily forgiven Valerie for her callous actions on her departing day, and she quickly became her private confidante. Geryon knew that if Valerie hadn’t punched the woman in the face, giving her a black eye, Bradwick would never have trusted Wyetta enough to marry her.

She helped her win Bradwick’s heart.

“Are you sure about this one?” Bradwick asked when they could see Valerie blatantly ignoring a nobleman by turning her shoulder to him. It was rude, but she managed to make it not appear obvious. “I still cannot believe you not only attempted to steal one of the ladies from me, but when you discovered what she was, you still intended to keep her. You are lucky I am forgiving.”

“Attempted to steal?” Geryon chuckled, lowering his head to be level with him as he placed his arm around the top of the throne’s backrest. “While you were distracted with the other ladies, I was under her skirt multiple times.”

“It still does not please me to know that.” Bradwick scowled, eyeing him suspiciously. “I thought you were loyal to me.”

“I am.” Geryon let his eyes fall to the pretty female sitting on her throne on the other side of them. “You have chosen the woman who is best suited for you, and I saw no harm in chasing after Valerie when I knew this would be the case.”

Like she could sense they were speaking of her, Wyetta turned her head to smile at them both. Even Geryon could see the happiness she radiated.

“And I must add, it does appear that this one actually seems to care for you, rather than just the crown on her head.”

Bradwick nodded, covering his mouth to whisper quieter.

“I do believe you are correct.” Then he waved his hand to dismiss him. “Leave me. I wish to speak to my new wife.”

Geryon did as he was asked, but only because he was already intending to leave the king’s podium anyway.

Since he was using a spell to dull his hearing to stop from being overwhelmed by the constant chattering, he needed to keep his sense of smell sharp as he made his way through the people. There were many here he didn’t know.

Grabbing the unsuspecting hand of his woman, Geryon lifted it to his mouth when it stole her attention from the person she was speaking to. Rather than kissing it, he nipped the back of her wrist with a coy smile.

“I do believe I once told you I wished I could dance with you,” he reminded her, his eyes bright with humour when her face dulled to hide her true reaction.

She often did this, became more doll-like when he was near her in front of others.

It wasn’t that she was hiding their relationship, since there was absolutely no way for them to hide it – not with how he chased her around the palace. No, she merely did it because that was just the way she was, not wanting others to know she was vulnerable to him.

“I was curious to know when you would finally come offer your hand.”

She turned from the nobles she was speaking with and allowed him to lead her to the dancing area. He walked backwards carelessly, barging people out of his way.

There was no awkwardness or hesitation from either of them, even though they’d never danced together before. She placed her arm around his shoulders while he wrapped one of his around her waist, interlocking their free hands.

It was not the intricate dance others were doing, but he wasn’t interested in putting on a show when he would rather just speak and spend time with her. It was the only thing he could really do while keeping an eye out for potential threats.

“You look rather beautiful tonight,” she said quietly, making sure her voice was hushed.

He noted that her eyes trailed from his detailed navy dress coat before they ran over the features of his face. They settled on his eyes, and his pulse quickened.

She never shies away from me.

He gave a raise of his brow. “I do believe that is supposed to be my line.”

She shrugged. “It is not my fault that you were too slow.”