Page 55

Chapter fifty-three

A strid strolled the halls with Dimitri. He’d been surprisingly well-behaved, sitting in a pew while she prayed. He didn’t interrupt her, or insist she’d spent enough time with her goddess as her father had.

He stood as she rose, and Astrid made note of the Ledivites seated adjacent to him. Did they believe they were safe in a holy place or had her proximity softened their view of him?

Astrid recalled her neighbors during the Ascension and relegated her opinion to her first notion. Her volatile male worshiped conquest and blood, but his respect for her seemingly extended to her temples.

She took his hand as they made their way back to their room.

Dimitri opened their door, and the scent of grilled beef wafted to her.

She glanced over the cart beside their bed.

It was topped with covered dishes and Astrid couldn’t help but wonder if Dimitri ordered this, or if the meal had been delivered so he’d leave the dining hall in peace?

Dimitri uncovered a dish and took a seat at his tidied desk.

His gaze raked over her body. “Sit with me, wife.”

In the single chair occupying their entire suite ? Astrid kept her expression pleasant and straddled his thighs. It was a tight fit, but the cushioned leather hugged the bend of her legs.

Dimitri meticulously unfolded the rolled napkin and removed the fork. He skewed a small cut of beef and softly blew on it before offering the bite to her.

The male craved control over everything in his domain and Astrid leaned into his compulsion. She flattened her hands over his waist, rocking forward. Her lips parted for the morsel he offered as she held his molten gold stare.

The corners of his mouth lifted and his eyes warmed. “You play the part of my devoted wife too well,” he said, trailing the tip of the fork over the root vegetables. “Do you expect me to believe you love me now?”

Astrid took his utensil and laid it down. She contemplated her response. What he’d want to hear and what she should say, but ultimately settled into the constant she’d known to be true.

“Love is a privilege never meant for royalty. The best we can hope for is to be paired with someone useful,” Astrid recited as she straightened his lapel.

Her night-streaked nails slipped between the buttons of his shirt and she stroked the unyielding planes of his chest beneath it.

“I find your… talents useful,” she whispered, gazing up at him through her lashes.

Dimitri curled a strand of her hair around his finger. He watched it pull across his hand and fall before his gaze snapped back to hers. “Is that all?”

Humor brightened his molten gold stare to amber.

Astrid leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The warmth of his body lured her closer and their lips met. He didn’t force her mouth open or catch her by the throat.

Her sword smiled against her lips and let her pace their kiss. The meeting of their lips. A moment of his tongue sweeping across hers. She pulled him closer, and his callused hands palmed her ass.

She pulled away and laid her head on his shoulder, blinking up at his bony appendages. “You could let me cut your wings off. Then I’d find you useful and attractive.”

His dark laugh flowed over her. “You don’t need to maim me to admit you’re attracted to me.”

His deep voice caressed her, and she could hear him grinning against her hair.

Relaxed. Quiet.

“You don’t even have to admit it. I can scent you, neva,” he purred.

Maybe not too quiet. He was still him, but his words were steeped in temptation and dark promises.

Astrid grazed her teeth along the side of his throat and kissed her bite. Her mind drifted to her mother’s freedom. The King was a liability—a wild card between them she didn’t trust.

“Does Ambrose know about you?” she asked.

Dimitri turned toward her, and Astrid reluctantly lifted her head off his shoulder.

“Of course he does.”

Then where did he fit into this equation? Constantine despised Dimitri. He attempted kill his own son, and Dimitri’s magic took his mother’s life in place of his own.

My father killed my mother. I was his intended target, and she was an incidental consequence. I learned to control my curse after her death. Which is why you survived your little assassination attempt.

Her sword had killed his father, in turn crowning his younger brother King of Ledivion. Could she trust him to remain at her side if Ambrose stepped between them?

How could she test him without leaving herself open for betrayal?

“Your brother is going to send you beyond Clorea for your next kill.” Astrid hesitated before adding, “I’m asking you to leave when he assigns your target.”

Suspicion darkened his features, and his hands grasped her thighs. “And why should I be in such a rush to leave my wife’s side?”

Because I need to free my mother. Because I want to test your loyalty. There was risk in every truth.

“Because I’m yours,” Astrid answered.

“If you’re mine, you should want me at your side.”

“I’m asking you to trust me. Or would you rather strike a bargain?”

“I need no bargains when I have everything I want,” Dimitri said, sweeping his hands beneath her skirt. His index hooked the lace trim of her thong, pulling it down.

Serpents devour you. “I’m asking for a simple favor. If you betray me, husband, I will destroy everything you love.”

He caught her by the throat, firm enough to keep her close but not so hard he cut off her air.

“Love, if you betray me, I’ll spend centuries making you regret it.” Dimitri sealed his promise with a kiss and lingered as his breath fanned over her lips. “Now, tell me why you’re in such a hurry to send me away.”