Page 58 of Darkness Births the Stars #1

CHAPTER

THE GOLDEN DAYS OF LYRHEIM

Noctis

B aradaz looked radiant on Aramaz’s arm. They both did—the perfect King and Queen of the Light.

My gaze kept wandering to them despite my efforts to focus on my plans.

Important plans. While they included my brother’s fiery betrothed at some point, I had other matters to attend to first. Concealing the strange anger rising inside me every time I glimpsed my brother and his bride among the other revelers at the Midsummer Festival should have been easy.

I was used to hiding my true feelings. But somehow, resisting the urge to do something unwise was far more challenging than ever before.

Maker! He was practically flaunting her in front of everyone as if she were his possession. Baradaz’s laughter rang out as Aramaz twirled her in the boring shuffle he seemed to consider a dance. Her hair glowed in the firelight; her face filled with joy.

Enough. I had wanted to rally support among the Anima tonight. A few well-placed questions here and there to gauge if others were as discontent as me with the limitations put upon us by the Allfather. There would be other opportunities, though.

I barely remembered to excuse myself from my current companions before approaching the royal couple.

“Brother, I fear I have to steal your bride.” My tone was sharper than intended. Seeing their confusion, Baradaz’s eyes wide, I added, “I may have found a lead on the Kritak and need her assistance.”

Aramaz regarded me with an unreadable expression on his face. “No.” The harsh finality of his response made me pause. Then, his mouth twisted into a grin. “You two should at least share a dance if you plan to leave the feast so soon.”

That vexing arm around my shoulder returned. Curse it, I should have known better than to ever allow such liberties. Now he would do this all the time.

“Have a little fun,” Aramaz exclaimed, beaming at us before lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “It will send a nice message of unity.”

I swallowed the sarcastic comment that I had quite a few ideas about how to show my unity with Baradaz, though none were appropriate for polite company.

By the Abyss, was there no limit to my brother’s naivety?

He was basically shoving his betrothed and me into each other’s company.

His unwavering trust in me brought back the odd unease I had felt before.

Leave it to Aramaz to drain all triumphant amusement from this moment by being such a fucking paragon of virtue.

Baradaz offered me her hand with a resigned look. She was as unhappy as I was about the situation. For the first time, I wondered about her true feelings. Did she regret sleeping with me? Was it guilt slowing her steps as we moved into position just as the music picked up once more ?

She sank into the curtsy the dance demanded, her gaze fleeing mine while I bowed. It set me on edge, my annoyance deepening when her eyes remained downcast despite our hands touching in the air between us.

“Do you plan to stay silent the entire dance?” I murmured mockingly as we passed each other, switching positions. “You heard the king; we’ve been ordered to have fun.”

At my words, Baradaz finally looked at me. Something wild and desperate flashed in her silvery eyes, yearning to break free. She quickly regained control, her body tense as we circled each other, her face a mask.

“Don’t you dare.” The warning hiss in my mind held all the emotion she kept hidden from the world.

I ignored her, giving her my most insolent smile. My palm met hers, the touch of her skin like a living flame. “Dare what?”

“Don’t you dare do something… scandalous.”

I slid behind her, grasping her wrist for the next twirl. “We should give my brother what he wants,” I remarked. “He expects a little spectacle.”

Her skirts fluttered in a swirl of white and gold, each ripple of fabric catching the light.

Around us my shadows awakened in answer—writhing, shifting, eager.

It felt as if we were alone on the dancefloor, the onlookers reduced to a sea of faces.

Murmurs grew; eyes turned toward us. Already we were drawing attention, the space around us clearing.

“You have to rein it in,” Baradaz cautioned.

I laughed, my gaze fixed on the sparks igniting in the air, mingling with my darker powers. I raised an eyebrow. “ I have to rein it in?”

She bit her lip, her lights flickering but not extinguishing. Maker, those lips. Did she know how hard it was to fight the impulse to lean down and taste them once more ?

This time, when our hands touched, our magic followed, swirling around us in a mesmerizing dance of its own.

“Afraid of what your little worshippers will say?” I asked, each word a calculated provocation. “I’ve seen the statues they carved of you in their temples. They look nothing like you.”

“How do I look, then?” Baradaz fired back, a flash of her magic betraying her annoyance. The rhythm of the drums picked up, our feet racing to follow the beat.

Without warning, I broke the dance, pulling her close—far closer than necessary. Her scent tickled my nose, her hair a brush of silk against my cheek. “Like you’d enjoy it quite a lot if I did something scandalous,” I murmured in her ear, savoring her telling shiver.

A quick turn, ripping her away from me. Baradaz concealed the abruptness of her action with a few graceful steps, her arm intertwining with mine between our faces, the backs of our hands touching.

Our magic surged and crackled, sparks raining down around us.

The crowd’s agitated whispers rose above the music, but Baradaz had eyes only for me.

I wasn’t the only one capable of issuing a challenge.

Let’s give the little queen something to chew on.

My next words in her mind were soft, a caress. A contradiction to the battle of wills our dance had become as we circled each other, the air full of tension. “I dreamed about you.”

“Nightmares?”

“No, the kind of dreams that would make you blush.”

“It is not easy to make me blush,” she retorted, fire reigniting in her gaze. Oh yes, that was it. Another twirl, her back against my body, all that tempting, smooth skin in reach of my fingertips. I wanted to touch her again, taste every inch of her, drown in her warmth.

“I thought about the promise you made the last time we went into the Other together,” I sent to her mind, not hiding any of the desire I felt for her.

We had danced around each other for moons.

My patience had come to an end. “I’d love to have those pretty lips wrapped around my cock.

You taking me as deep as you can manage until I spill down that graceful throat. ”

Her audible intake of breath at the provoking words lifted her chest in that glorious dress. My breeches suddenly felt far too tight.

A sharp response: “We are in public, you impossible man.”

“I know.” I slid one hand around her waist, brazenly skimming the underside of her breast. “Adds a certain thrill, doesn’t it?”

Her tumultuous emotions sizzled on my skin. It had become second nature to let my mind brush against hers to catch them. A dangerous addiction, since it allowed her to do the same with mine, but I couldn’t stop.

She was torn. Part of her reveled in this dance, in the exhilarating play with a fire that threatened to burn us at any moment.

Like a bird whose cage had been opened unexpectedly, and now it was hesitating at the threshold, entranced by the beckoning freedom of the sky yet too afraid to take the plunge.

“Oh, come on.” My taunt vibrated in the air as I dipped her, my grip steady. “I did not judge you such a coward.”

Come, my queen, spread your wings and fly.

She straightened, her eyes flashing. Then she was gone. A few swift steps took her out of my arms and closer to the fire, its glow revealing every tempting curve of her body through the sheer material of her dress.

Had I taken things too far? Suddenly, I noticed all the eyes on us: Aramaz standing next to the dancefloor, flanked by Ashur and M’tar—

“Catch me.” The breathless command in my mind was the only warning I got.

“What?”

Baradaz flew back to me as the music crested, drums and fiddles rising to a storm. I acted instinctually, my hands on her waist as she jumped, propelling her up in the air.

The world fell away. There was only her. Wild smile, molten silver eyes, her light raging around us, illuminating the night sky behind her. Unfettered. Free.

Something washed through me like a wave as I brought her down again, my hand cradling her head, swiftly dipping her, my fingers tangled in her fiery locks.

Something warm and inescapable that filled my entire being.

She let herself fall without hesitation, her head thrown back in one of those hoarse laughs.

A twist of my fingers released her hair, sending pearls and flower petals cascading down in a waterfall of white and silver.

I wanted to kiss that laughter from her lips. I wanted to sink my teeth into that beckoning, vulnerable throat and taste her. I wanted… impossible things.

Instead, I gently pulled her up and stepped back, my hands lingering a moment too long. The dance had ended.

My face settled into a bland, polite expression. My shadows clung close to my skin. Breaths even and measured. Control. I had always been a master of it. So why did it feel nearly impossible to restrain myself around her?

“Sister.” I bowed respectfully, as befitted her status. She accepted it with a regal nod, slipping back into her role as the gracious queen.

One last caress of her magic tickled my ear. “Courageous enough?” The corner of her lips lifted in a secret smile; a smile meant only for me.

“You,” I sent back, “are insane. And utterly beautiful.”

My gaze drifted to our audience. Silent stares turned to whispers.

I feared there would be a price to pay for our daring.

Then, loud clapping. With a wide smile on his face, the king stepped closer.

The crowd took the cue, and applause rose around us.

As if this had been nothing more than a performance, a pleasant little show to amuse them.

I searched my brother’s face. Did he truly not notice anything amiss?

Or was he shrewder than I gave him credit for, stepping in before this could become a scandal?

To my surprise, I couldn’t read that bright, sky-blue gaze.

What would it take, I wondered, to raise his suspicion? What would it take to make him worry?

Not everyone was as gullible as Aramaz, though. M’tar and Ashur had not joined the applause, their expressions disapproving. I was loath to deal with them tonight.

The Veil was thick here, so close to the center of Order and Light, the toll on my power high as I tore into the fabric of reality to open a gate. Yet it was worth it. My brother was right. This was too good an opportunity to send a message to let it pass me by.

Ignoring the shocked cries ringing out at the sight of the dark entrance to the Other appearing and the bite of Chaos in the air, I lifted my hand in invitation. “My queen,” I said to Baradaz. “Ready to follow me into Darkness once more?”

Her gaze did not waver as she put her hand in mine.