Page 29
Story: A Curse of Stars and Storms (The Choosing Chronicles #3)
You Deserve the Stars
D ancing was underrated.
Nikhail had never found much enjoyment in the activity, but now that River was in his arms, he was beginning to see the appeal. She fit perfectly against him, as though this was where she belonged, and he found himself questioning why he’d never asked her to dance before.
With his hand stretched across the small of River’s back, holding her so close that her breasts brushed his chest, he felt like he could breathe for the first time all night. A rightness had settled in his chest as the music started, and right now, his entire world was focused on River.
This was where he was always meant to be. Nothing else mattered. Not the icy Representative with her cutting remarks, not the dancing crowd around them, not the box in his pocket, not even the damned rebels who were growing bolder with every passing day.
The entirety of his attention was focused purely on the stunning goddess in his arms.
They spun around the ballroom, moving with ease. Nikhail didn’t know this particular dance, but that didn’t matter. The wind whispered in his ear, guiding his movements and ensuring his steps were strong and true.
The music crescendoed, and he held River’s hand high above her head. She pivoted gracefully, a fae ballerina, and her silver skirts spun as though they were crafted from moonlight. Her eyes gleamed, and a true smile stretched across her face.
She twirled back into him with a laugh, and he easily caught her. If she let him, he’d always catch her.
His hand stretched across her back once more, and the way his fingers spread across her flesh, the way she leaned into his touch, sent heat coursing through him.
Fae kind might have been playing at being civilized, with their cars and technology and massive houses, but they were still possessive, territorial beings.
That part of Nikhail had him wanting to snarl at everyone else in the ballroom to stay away from River.
She was his, and they were lucky he was letting them breathe the same air as her.
“I’m sorry about Tertia,” River murmured as he drew her close once more.
He tightened his grip on her hand, waiting until those stunning brown eyes met his.
“Never apologize about her to me,” he said softly.
As a general rule, Nikhail didn’t believe in fighting women. He’d make an exception for Tertia Waterborn, though, if he ever heard her speak to her daughter like that again. Who the fuck did she think she was?
It had horrified Nikhail to hear the icy Representative tear down her daughter so easily. In all his years, he’d never witnessed something so awful.
Calina, Nikhail’s mother, might fight with her daughters, but they loved each other. She would never speak to her children like that, never tear them down in private, let alone in front of other people.
“But—”
“She was being an absolute bitch,” he said bluntly, not bothering to temper his words.
A shocked laugh burst out of River, and several dancers glanced over at them.
“Gods, Nik,” she hissed, her cheeks coloring beautifully.
His dick stirred, thinking about all the other ways he could make her blush in a far more intimate setting.
“Yes, River?”
“You can’t stay stuff like that here. She might hear you.”
His gaze swept across the ballroom. He found the Representative standing next to Chancellor Rose and a shorter fae male he didn’t recognize.
“She’s busy,” he murmured, twirling River away from her gods-awful mother. “We’re safe.”
Not that it really mattered. He would’ve said the same thing even if the Representative had been in earshot. Her behavior had been deplorable, and he wouldn’t stand for it.
“Still…” Doubt flashed through River’s eyes, along with something else. It took Nikhail a moment to realize what it was.
Fear.
Fresh anger boiled inside him, churning alongside his magic. He gritted his teeth so hard, he could’ve sworn his jaw cracked.
By all the fucking gods. What had the Representative done to make her daughter fear her? It wasn’t like River was a magicless human or a weak fae. She was a gods-damned tempest, for fuck’s sake .
It was official: Tertia Waterborn was rapidly becoming one of Nikhail’s least favorite people to ever walk the planet.
Of course, before he could say something to reassure River, the song ended.
She drew her bottom lip into her mouth and nibbled on it. Her gaze darted around, and his stomach knotted. She was going to leave; he could see it in her eyes.
His soul twisted at the thought of letting River go. Somehow, he knew that if she stepped away, he wouldn’t get another chance to speak with her tonight. He wouldn’t get a chance to tell her how he felt.
He couldn’t let that happen. Not without putting up a fight.
They were at the edge of the dance floor, where the crowd wasn’t as thick.
A cool breeze blew in through the open balcony doors, which led out into the frosty night.
The fresh air was a reprieve from the heat of so many bodies packed together, and it whispered his name. Called him. Beckoned him forward.
Adjusting his grip on River’s hand, he gestured to the doors.
“Come outside with me?” He made no effort to hide the plea in his voice.
Those stunning brown orbs widened, and she hitched a breath. Indecision flashed across her face, and her lip ring disappeared into her mouth.
Oh, gods. This was it. They didn’t need to go outside because apparently, she was going to turn him down right here. She’d say no and rejoin her brother, ending Nikhail’s chance to lay his heart out on the line before it had even begun.
A fissure ran through his heart at the thought. “Please,” he added in a hoarse whisper .
They were attracting attention, standing on the edge of the dance floor, but he didn’t care.
Endless seconds passed as River’s tempestuous eyes swept over his. Back and forth, again and again. Every moment was longer than the last, and dread swirled in his stomach as he readied himself for her decision.
If she pulled her hand from his and walked away, he wouldn’t fight her.
Even though his soul clearly felt otherwise, he didn’t have a claim on River.
Not really. Watching her leave would be like cleaving his heart in two—unnatural and painful—but if that’s what she chose, then he would abide by her decision.
Lifetimes seemed to pass them by. The music started again, a faster tune that had dancers swirling around them. Conversations continued, a low hum all around them.
Nikhail barely heard or saw any of it.
Eventually, River released her lip ring. She breathed out shakily, the exhale as loud as a gust of wind to his ears.
“All right,” she said softly, the words just for him. “I shouldn’t… It’s not… but, okay. I’ll come with you.”
He’d never heard a better sentence in his life.
Exhaling, he loosened his grip on her hand, threading his fingers through hers. Her hand was so much smaller than his, yet they fit perfectly together. As if they were always meant to be.
Nikhail had not been one for hand-holding in the past, having never really seen the appeal. Clearly, he’d been a fucking fool. Hand-holding, like dancing, was criminally underrated.
He would gladly hold River’s hand every moment for the rest of their days. He hoped she wasn’t attached to having both hands free, because he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let her go .
In some deep part of himself, he knew he was being ridiculous. Of course, he couldn’t hold her hand forever. They had jobs. Lives. Commitments that would require them to be in different places.
But that fae part of him didn’t seem to care.
Before River could change her mind, or gods forbid, someone tried to talk to them—because Nikhail was fairly certain he’d snarl at them like the possessive fae he was becoming—he led her away from the party.
Neither of them spoke as they left the ballroom behind, but the silence wasn’t heavy or unnatural.
This is right, that fae part of Nikhail declared deep within him. It’s good.
He didn’t understand how it was possible to feel this connected to River when they hadn’t explored what was between them, but he didn’t really care. Not now that he’d decided to tell her how he felt.
Cold air enveloped them as they stepped outside. Snowflakes lazily drifted from the sky. The stone balcony stretched several dozen feet in either direction, and a few other couples were finding refuge in the darkening night.
The Winter Solstice theme continued outside, with silver garlands wrapped around pillars. On the grounds below, strings of twinkling white lights illuminated the Waterborns’ garden.
Although to call it a garden would be like calling Waterborn House a bungalow. The word was utterly inadequate. Nikhail recalled Ryker mentioning that his parents employed an Earth Elf year-round to tend to the grounds, and the gardener’s connection to the land was clear even from up high.
Every plant, from the snow-capped trimmed hedges running along the garden’s expansive perimeter, to the winter flowers and bushes growing along the marble statues lining the paths, flourished despite the winter season.
It should’ve served as a reminder that he wasn’t in River’s league, but he found he didn’t care. Not right now. Not after the dance they’d just shared.
River glanced up at him, the question in her eyes clear.
Why are we out here ?
He loved that even though she wasn’t sure what they were doing, she wasn’t pulling away from him.
“I have a plan.” He swept his thumb across the back of her hand because he couldn’t stop himself from touching her. “Do you trust me?”
River inhaled, and her gaze swept over him for a long moment before she nodded. “I do.”
Heat unfurled within him. Having her trust was an honor he didn’t take lightly.
Shrugging out of his suit jacket, he released her hand long enough to slide the material over her shoulders.
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