Page 37 of Summer’s Seduction (Sinful Seasons #2)
LARKSPUR
“ Y ou’ve got to be joking,” Hebe said as soon as the door clicked shut.
Morpheus had kissed the back of my hand with a quick, ‘see you at dinner’ before being shone to his suite while a pair of red-cloaked servants led the rest of us down a short winding staircase off the main floor. Small windows were clustered along the top of the walls, too small for even Cyrene to fit through.
“This is unexpected,” Arete remarked as we looked around the dimly lit room.A rack was set in the middle of the large space, complete with seven dresses and matching black cloaks. The servants had even gone as far as leaving beauty products that included small jars of lotions and oils, thin sticks of charcoal and thick ones of color, and an array of brushes, pins, and jewelry.
Everything else was minimal. The high walls were bare, the entire room set with only one small couch positioned in front of a crackling fire place and a long hallway at the back. It felt cold, despite the flames heating the space.
Ignoring the accessories, Arete stocked forward, tentatively studying the edge of a sparkly sleeve. She lifted an apprehensive brow causing the skin along her scar to pull. “We don’t have to wear this, do we?”
“I refuse to,” Hebe said before Artemis could speak. “It’s an insult.”
“Maybe there’s a dress code?” Megara asked, probably thinking about her time at The Playground.
“It doesn’t matter if there is,” Artemis answered, cutting off the rebuke poised on Hebe’s lips. “We are not here as guests. Morpheus should have never asked to speak with Egerius. He is their rightful prince and needs to start acting like it.”
The others rumbled in agreement—even Megara nodded. I knew what the goddess said was true, but they couldn’t feel him the way I could. It grew fainter the longer I went without drinking his blood, but the flickers of emotion I sensed from Morpheus were filled with contentment, and brimming with peace.
“Do you intend to reveal yourself?” Cyrene asked, her soft voice no less powerful than the others.
Artemis looked among her huntresses as she contemplated her options, meeting my gaze briefly before setting on Camilla. “No. They outnumber us ten-to-one from what I’ve glimpsed of those stationed in the castle. It’s more than double that number if the city gets involved. I’d rather not risk the bloodshed or sacrifice the time of an outright battle, but I don’t trust Morpheus to get things done on his own. His past is clouding his judgment.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to blend in?” Cyrene asked, earning a glare from Hebe and Arete. “Only until we have the key.”
Artemis seemed to consider this momentarily, eyeing the stunning gowns of silk and diamonds before shaking her head. Hebe and Arete let out sighs of relief. “The dresses would expose our weapons and incapacitate our ability to move freely. It isn’t worth the risk.”
“And the cloaks,” Camilla pressed, eyeing them apprehensively.
“Each servant we met wore red cloaks,” I said, coming up beside her as I thought back to each person we’ve encountered. “There were a few others in red throughout the city, but most of the guards were in black. Maybe it denotes something?”
“Perhaps they see us as warriors?” Hebe offered, her disdain cooling a little.
“I still don’t trust it,” Arete said, drawing the edges of her cloak forward. “I’d rather not leave anything behind.”
In case we need to make a quick getaway.
The words were left unspoken, but we all heard them.
“We’ll forgo the clothes and lean into the idea of working for Hades as Morpheus’s bodyguards,” Artemis decided.
“Something tells me Egerius won’t like that,” I said, twirling one of the beaded filigrees between my fingers.
“Exactly why we need a play of sorts.”
I looked up, finding all six of them staring at me with grins stretched across their faces. Camilla stepped forward, pulling a particularly revealing dress from the bunch. “I think this one would look great on you, Larkspur.”
B lack gossamer fabric was pinned over my shoulders with golden clasps before drifting down my torso, leaving much of my body exposed. The light fabric was cinched in at my waist with a belt that matched the clasps before allowing the material to drift to the floor. Two large slits reached up to the belt, making it impossible for me to wear anything beneath. As if that wasn’t enough, the black fabric was twisted along my back into an intricate design that left my skin bare and exposed until right about my ass.
My umber curls had been brushed and treated until they shined. I selected a bright red color for my lips and a harsh, black charcoal for my eyes. Megara had pulled the top half of my curls back, braiding them into the resemblance of a crown across my head and securing them with jeweled pins. When she was done, it looked like the stars themselves had blessed me.
I would’ve liked to keep my boots, but Camilla insisted they would ruin everything we were trying to accomplish. As a compromise, I rejected the heels in favor of a pair of black sandals with straps stretching up my calves and secured behind my knees.
“Are you ready?” Megara asked softly from my left.
The pair of servants in red cloaks had been waiting outside our room. Without a word, they’d lead us through the castle halls before halting in front of a large set of wooden doors. The sounds of a grand party rose from the other side, and even though I knew I was only dressed like this to secure the key to The Glass Palace, I secretly hoped Morpheus would be impressed.
I glanced at Megara, glad that she, Camilla, and even Cyrene had taken advantage of the jewels and lotions offered. Despite remaining in the same clothes, they looked ready for whatever lay behind this door. Artemis, Hebe, and Arete also looked ready but in a look-at-us-the-wrong-and-catch-a-dagger-in-the-throat type of way. The balance between alluring and deadly was always crucial.
“I’m ready,” I breathed, feeling my magic swell just beneath the surface of my skin. Morpheus’s blood lingered in my veins, strengthening my power. Egerius and his warriors would be strong, and I had no doubt that persuading them, let alone compelling them, would take a lot of magic.
The plan was to lean into the persona of a doting woman who was happy to be at Morpheus’s side. If everything went how we wanted, Morpheus would be able to ask for the key without any issues, and I’d never have to test the limits of my magic.
Hooves clicked across the stone floor, causing the huntresses to stiffen a moment before a chimera came into view. It was the same one who had led the charge earlier. His golden eyes seemed to peer inside my soul as he sauntered over to me, heedless of the tension thickening the air. The blue snake that was his tail hissed sweetly as he pressed his great mane to my palm, demanding attention. Feeling some of my nerves flit away, I scratched behind his ears and the great, arching ram horns.
The servants moved, pressing the double doors wide as another red cloak, this one a male, announced our presence.
The boisterous room quieted instantly as everyone turned, watching with appraising eyes. Taking strength from the huntresses at my back, I lifted my chin and stepped forward with more confidence than I felt.
The gentle rhythm of instruments had stopped, and conversations halted mid-sentence as the chimera who’d greeted me at the doors remained by my side. Murmurs broke out as the chimera’s tails wound around my wrist as if voluntarily leashing itself to me, its blue scales slithering comfortably over my skin with a gentle hiss.
Chandeliers composed of hundreds of diamonds hung from the domed ceiling, anchored between detailed frescos. The dozens of pictures portrayed dark ones feeding from feeders in various states of undress and some very creative positions. Everything was clad in gold filigree with tapestries lining stone walls. I expected a large table where we would all sit to eat, but instead, there were black chaise lounges set along the perimeter with low-set tables draped in red silks.
There was one table in the center of the hall, a little taller than my waist but far too small to accommodate the entire room for dinner. The snake's tail gave another hiss as my pulse raced, but I desperately fought to keep the scent of my fear from lingering.
There was a crisp command, one in another language, and then my chimera was gone. Fury rose with my urge to protect the chimera, and I snapped my gaze to the one responsible for its dismissal.
“My apologies.” Lucius stepped forward with a smirk, dipping his chin slightly as I met his stare. “No pets allowed.”
There was a low rumble of laughter at his words, but I banished any thoughts about using my magic to make a fool out of him. I’d come to his home. Attacking the host or the host’s commander was never a good idea.
Instead, I turned from him and focused on scanning the ballroom, noticing far too many hungry eyes staring at me before I found the one pair I’d been searching for. Morpheus’s golden gaze ringed in red, met mine, and all at once, it felt like I could do anything.
I crossed the room toward him, needing to be by his side. He was The Prince of the Slumber and Nightmare Kingdoms, the ruler of these lands, and I was the woman he’d chosen to share himself with. I’m sure some would see us as nothing more than a fling. Gods knew he’d established enough of a reputation, but I trusted him when he said he had never shared his mind—his soul—with another.
Morpheus’s gaze darkened as he traced the thin layers of my gown. My nipples hardened under his attention, slickness building between my thighs at just the thought of him. I was so focused on the way he drank me in, his fangs peeking out beneath that wicked grin of his, that I didn’t see the man standing next to him until he stepped forward.
“Welcome to my home, Larkspur.”
Egerius dipped his head in an overt display of respect, but something about the way his golden eyes held my gaze had me fighting the urge to shriek back. They were only a few shades darker than Morpheus’s eyes but a coldness lurked beneath the surface.
He reached for my hand, pressing a kiss to the back before giving it a gentle squeeze as he leaned close. “Welcome, Lady Larkspur.”
The scent of pine and leather washed over me as his words unlocked something in my mind. It was only a flash, a brief image of the strong-jawed man before me. The same but different.
The gray streaks in his hair had vanished, and his chest and shoulders filled out a military uniform, the silver clothes streaked in red. Snow covered the ground at his feet where tile was currently. Deep banks stretched up the slope of a vast mountain behind him with sharp, clear spikes protruding from the ground and leaving rainbow prisms dancing in the sun.
I remember thinking it felt wrong to have the reflected rainbows against the white of undisturbed snow—for there to be something so beautiful in a place filled with so much sorrow.
Lord Egerius drew back, his face a mask of utmost politeness as his body blocked me from Morpheus’s view. He let his smile stretch, but those cold, calculating eyes studied me, noting each ragged breath, every minute flicker of confusion and panic flitting across my features.
His grin widened as my heart raced, his smile only faltering a moment when he caught sight of the chimera at my side. The lion's head nuzzled into me as if sensing I needed strength while the serpent tail unwound, arching over the goat's spine to hiss at Egerius.
Before anyone could notice, Egerius lifted his hands toward the waiting ballroom. “Now that our guests have arrived, the party can begin.”
Egerius clapped a hand on Morpheus’s back, leaning in to say something that made my Dark Prince smile before flashing me a concealed glance. Our little exchange had been over in a matter of seconds, but being left on my own at a young age had taught me to trust my instincts. And one thing was clear: Despite the warm welcome and the joy he brought Morpheus, Egerius couldn’t be trusted.