Crown of Flames and Ash (Courts of Aetheria #2)

Chapter 61

Chapter Sixty-One

A elia

The monstrous darkwood doors swung open, and my fingers tightened around Rue’s hand as a blast of frosty air and a healthy dose of nox skimmed across my bare shoulders. My jaw unlocked, head tipping back to take it all in. The ambiance of Arcanum’s grand hall was otherworldly, the ceiling mimicking a twilight sky filled with swirling constellations and a full moon. The obsidian walls flickered with gentle, luminous orbs that hovered like wayward stars, casting a soft glow over the assembled crowd.

“This is unreal…” Rue murmured.

A warm arm laced around my shoulders, chasing away the chill. “Much more grand than that clandestine bacchanalia the other night.” Symon grinned wickedly as he sandwiched himself between us.

“Are you going to find that special someone again?” I cocked a brow at my friend. Rue’s eager gaze was already scanning the sea of swirling colors as students danced to a symphony of mystical musical instruments.

“Many someones.” That devious grin only grew wider.

“Why are Light and Shadow Fae relations forbidden?” The question popped out as I focused on the raised dais at the front of the room where the Light and Shadow Fae royals sat atop gilded thrones divided by a throng of guards.

A tiny voice in the back of my mind whispered the dreaded word: the prophecy. If the two courts never intermingled, the chances of it coming to fruition lessened.

Symon shrugged, Rue’s attention still captive across the room. “I’m not certain, to be honest. It’s simply always been that way. I suppose the war had a lot to do with it, but prior to that, who knows? I would assume intermingling would dilute our powers, and no one wants that.”

“Maybe there was a time when the courts were free to mingle.”

Rue finally returned her attention to our conversation. “I’m sure it’s in the history books. After all, we were three courts once, and from what I understand, the Shadow and Night Court were long-time allies.”

She was right, perhaps it was time to learn more about my Fae ancestry.

“Anyway, I don’t know about you two, but I did not come here to discuss boring history.” Symon’s lively lilac irises flickered across the dancefloor to where Liora, Sylvan and Zephyr stood, swaying to the hypnotic tune filling the air.

“Same here.” Rue offered her arm. “Come on, A, if I can’t find Blyte, Sylvan will certainly do for the night.”

I laughed, shaking my head at my friend. It was good to see her in high spirits once more. Threading my arm through hers, I let her lead me through the mass of twirling bodies. Shimmering gowns and suits that reflected light sparkled brilliantly with every turn, while Shadow Fae students embraced the darkness with velvety, dark fabrics adorned with shadowy motifs, creating a mesmerizing interplay of light and darkness.

We walked beneath a grand, crystalline chandelier which cast radiant beams that mingled with the deliberate shadows, creating a dance of light and dark, mirroring the students’ quick footsteps across the floor. The entire ballroom was spectacular, the perfect blend of both courts.

A strange yearning bubbled up inside me, a need to feel the unmistakable presence of nox and rais together, intertwined.

“There she is! The resounding winner of Aerial Combat!” Sylvan hauled me into an unexpected embrace. As he pressed me to his chest, the scent of honeyed wine and something more potent reached my nostrils. “Not only was she the last one mid-air, she even saved the great prince of Umbral Shadows.”

Zephyr offered me a congratulatory pat on the back. “You should have just let the arrogant bastard die. One less Shadow Fae royal, the better.”

I bit back the retort poised on my tongue. This was not the time or place to express my traitorous tendencies.

“Yes, well done, Aelia.” Liora offered a tight smile. Reign’s other acquisition had done decently for someone so new. Speaking of my cuoré, where was he? I’d been certain he would have remained glued to my side all night after I’d caught the king’s attention.

As the others continued to chatter on about the final trial, I searched the dark recesses of the ballroom for any trace of Reign’s shadows. When I found none, my wandering gaze widened its scope to search for the other prince.

Ruhl and I hadn’t exactly left things on a good note when last we saw each other. Instead of a thank you when I’d risked my own life to save his, I’d received a brusque, you should have just let me die rather than suffer the embarrassment of being rescued by a lowly Kin .

I’d bristled from the insult for only an instant before the ground rushed upon us, and all was forgotten once we landed on the field only to be welcomed by the Shadow King.

Rue grabbed my arm and toted me to the center of the dancefloor, forcing away all thoughts of King Tenebris to be dealt with later. Symon was right, tonight was a celebration. Months ago, when I first set foot on this gods-blessed land, I never would have imagined how far I would come.

I should have been thanking my lucky stars.

Along that thought, I allowed the blend of haunting melodies and lively harmonies to move my stiff form, until my hips swayed, and I became lost in the moment. Sylvan, Zephyr and Symon formed a circle around us, and within our happy bubble, I felt free. Rue laughed, head tipped back to the midnight sky as Sylvan twirled her across the dark marble floor. The warm sound was a balm to my weary soul. Thank the gods we’d seen no sign of Devin or Mariana to ruin her fun.

“May I have this dance?” The rich velvet sound had every nerve in my body standing at attention.

I whirled around to find Reign in a formal suit, the material spun from pure night clinging to the broad expanse of his shoulders. My heart punched my ribs, a desperate attempt to breach the divide between us. He held his hand out, a rare unguarded look in his eye.

I glanced around the teeming dancefloor at the dozens of curious gazes slanted in our direction. “Do you think this is a good idea?” I whispered.

“I don’t give a flying fuck, Aelia,” he growled. “If one of these Shadow Fae males lances one more hungry look in your direction, I’ll take out the whole damned lot of them.” Dark tendrils of power crisscrossed the sleek fabric of his jacket, growing more frenzied with each ragged breath.

A chill raced up my spine at the violent edge to his tone.

He snatched my hand and dragged me to his chest as a whirlwind of shadows consumed us. “I am your professor, I am your mentor, and soon, I will be much more .” Heady nox skimmed my bare arms, and we were enveloped in darkness before we were catapulted across the room.

When my eyes dared open once more, Reign held me flush against him in a shadowed niche in the far corner of the grand hall. Glistening orbs danced over our heads, casting his hard expression in a swirl of light and dark.

“How much longer must we be here?” His eyes blazed, a mixture of fury and desire bleeding through those fathomless orbs.

“We just got here.” A smile tipped up the corners of my lips.

“I’m not sure how much longer I can wait, Aelia.” He dipped his head to my neck, warm breath spilling over my skin. “Every moment I spend with you, but not inside you, is pure torture.”

A surge of heat raced to my core, flooding every inch of me with desire.

He dragged his tongue across the sensitive skin of my collarbone, winding his arm around my waist so that our bodies were flush. I could feel every inch of his desire pressed against my belly. A faint groan mingled in the air between us as his tongue continued its dangerous path to the sharp dip of my neckline.

I was suddenly very thankful Rue had insisted I choose the glittering strapless, corseted gown which allowed Reign full access. As we swayed to the slow, ethereal music, his tongue trailed a scorching path across the swell of my breasts, spilling over the fine satin.

A torrent of heady sensations swept over me, a second pulse throbbing between my legs. The cuorem bond pulsated between us, a ravenous beast with only one thought in mind. To claim, to possess, to unite.

Cuoré.

Cuoré .

The hypnotic hiss echoed the mad thumping of my raging heartbeat.

“Did you hear that ?” I blurted.

His lips lifted from my chest, turbulent eyes meeting mine. “No, but it’s a good sign that you are.” His smile was devastating. “You will continue to hear it until the bond is complete.”

Reign captured my lips with the force of a thousand suns, each one more brilliant than the last. I staggered back from the onslaught until he had me pinned against the sleek obsidian wall, the cool stone sending chills across my heated flesh.

His muscled arms caged me in, shadows swirling around us at a fevered pitch. All-consuming energy surged between us, billowing from our hidden niche. “ Noxus , Aelia, I wish I could have you right here, right now. You make me absolutely mad.” His hand slid from the wall, down my back and curled around my behind. Firm fingers kneaded my sensitive flesh before skimming down my thigh and lifting my leg to wrap around his hip.

The new position drove his arousal just where I needed it most. I groaned at the building pressure, the swell of unfettered energy erupting between us. A devastating tornado of nox and rais twirled around our forms, light and dark dancing perfectly entwined.

“Do it,” I breathed. Only a few layers of clothing stood between us now, and gods, I wanted this too. I needed the security, the certainty of Reign. Once we were bound, nothing else would matter.

He halted, tearing his mouth from mine so those blazing orbs locked on mine. “ Noxus , I love you, princess. You deserve more, so much more than a rushed, tawdry encounter for your first time. I want it to be absolute perfection, a moment in time we will remember forever.”

Pressing a soft kiss to my forehead, he blew out a resigned breath. “And because of that, we should probably slow down before I am no longer able to control myself.”

“Control yourself from doing what, brother?” Ruhl’s voice scattered Reign’s shadows, dousing the building fire and smothering the embers with that icy tone. He stalked closer, tendrils of darkness beating the air around him.

Reign gently let my leg slide off his hip before he took a protective stance in front of me. “What do you want?” he snarled.

“Only a word with your acquisition. I scented her from all the way across the chamber.” His dark eyes sparkled with wicked mirth. “Or is she your mentee, or the female you’re bedding? It’s so hard for me to keep up with the nuances.”

Reign lunged at his brother, but I caught his arm before he pummeled into the prince and ruined everything we’d fought so hard to keep hidden.

“So touchy…” A sneer curled Ruhl’s lip.

“Don’t, Ruhl. Please.” I stepped between the two snarling males, placing a hand on each prince’s chest. Both heaved beneath my palm, the mad thunder of Ruhl’s heart catching me off guard.

Ruhl ticked his head up and over my bare shoulder. “I need a moment alone with Aelia.”

“Absolutely not,” Reign scoffed.

“Do you really think I could hurt her in a room full of Light and Shadow Fae, not to mention all the royals and guards?”

“No, I don’t believe you could because I would rip off your head before you dared.”

“Violent too… Typical, I suppose, for this sort of situation.” His dark gaze dipped to mine. “Trust me, duskling, you are going to want to hear what I have to say.”

Reign’s body tensed behind me, every sharp, muscled plane pressed against my back. “What did you just call her?”

Drawing in a steadying breath, I twirled around. “It’s okay. He won’t hurt me.”

“Are you mad?” A sharp laugh burst from Reign’s clenched teeth. “How do you know that?”

“For the same reason I could not allow him to die.”

The hard angle of Reign’s shoulders rounded, his chest deflating as he hissed out a curse.

“Trust me,” I mouthed.

The tendon in his jaw fluttered, a rhythmic pulse moments from detonation.

“Please.” I laced my fingers through his and squeezed.

“Fine, I’ll give you five minutes, but I won’t be far.” He leveled a murderous glare at his brother. “If your shadows so much as twitch, it’ll be the last move you make on this gods-cursed earth.”

A half-smile tugged at Ruhl’s lips as he bent his head. “Whatever you say, brother.”