Page 82 of The Rat King
I grabbed ahold of his wrist before he could get carried away, and Link cleared his throat. “I believe you two are expected momentarily, so cut it out,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning.
Nighval sighed and pulled away, giving me a chaste kiss on the lips, and offered me his arm. I had designed his tuxedo. The midnight fabric stretched over his broad shoulders and was cut perfectly to accentuate his narrow waist and long, muscled legs. Underneath, he wore a simple white button-up shirt and a thin satin tie in the same shade. The style was far more modern than anything the other men here wore and made him look that much more impressive. If he had sidled up to the bar dressed like this back in my plane, I probably would have been struck speechless. With his dark hair and chiseled features, even without considering the scars, he was intimidating. A work of art.
“What?” he asked, noticing me ogling him.
“Just enjoying the view,” I said, and a satisfied smirk appeared on his face as he patted my hand hooked on his arm.
The way he soaked in my appreciation for him made me realize I needed to spend more time telling him exactly how perfect I found him to be. That would be easy because he was painfully gorgeous. Not even the imperfections marking his skin could take away from it and really, they only made him come across that much more masculine and so freaking sexy.
I leaned toward him. His arm lowered, dropping my hand to hook around my hip and he angled his head down so he could hear me whisper, “That suit makes you look so hot. I can’t wait to get it off you later. Or maybe I’ll make you fuck me while you’re still wearing it.”
My bold words brought warmth to my cheeks and that same heat flared violently in his eyes as his hand tightened on my arm. Before Nighval could pin me against a wall and take me up on my offer, and for a second, I really thought he might, Link said, “Keep moving, people.”
I flashed my eyes back at him and he had a slightly amused, slightly annoyed expression on his face. Leviticus’s booming voice could be heard through the doors, announcing us. I gave Nighval a wink before we stepped into the party.
As we walked on to the dais, and Nighval caught the first sight of the room, he stopped, swiveling his head to take everything in. “I thought you were going with the green,” he said.
“I wanted to surprise you. And Jetta helped me make a few changes to the blue color palette that brought it together. What do you think?” I asked.
“Like you, it’s perfect,” he said, and then leaned down to kiss me. When I finally came up for air, I turned my attention to the gathered crowd, many of which were staring at their sovereigns who had just been making out in front of everyone.
“At least they know now that there’s no love lost between you two,” Jetta said as she and Link came to stand beside us. “Come on.” She waved a hand to usher us down the steps and pointed to the chair at the head of the center table. “Dinner will be served shortly. Then you can accept your guests’ well wishes.”
“Actually, I have something I’d like to say first,” Nighval said, and grinned down at me.
As he clasped my hand, lights flickered and a cool breeze floated through the room, raising my neck hairs. Was this his power? I glanced up at him and he seemed to sense it, too. Something was off.
Shit. I’d been so worried about how the populace of Ras alhague would receive me, I’d nearly forgotten to worry abouther.
Lightning crashed, and the air in the room shifted as a new energy entered, blowing through any security the Council of Warlock’s wards made around the space. You could almost feel them breaking down as the texture of the air crackled and cooled like a quickly forming thunderstorm.
In a blink, Nighval dropped my hand and his were in front of him, glowing blue. Next to him, Link’s were glowing in his aqua. I scanned the room searching for the cause of the disturbance, noticing many of the other warlocks present had readied their power, including Eshan, whose hands were cloaked in a vibrant grass green.
Then, out of a mist, a striking chestnut-haired woman appeared standing atop the center table. The crowd gasped. I instinctively moved to my husband’s side as his hand moved in front of me.
“Shit,” Link said.
“Is that who I think it is?” I asked in a whisper.
“Yes,” he replied, and Nighval shot him a glance, stepping forward.
Reading whatever the glance meant, Link stepped beside me protectively. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Nighval will take care of her.”
“What are you doing here, Mother?” Nighval called to the woman, clearing a path as she strode down the table.
Each time she reached a flower filled vase, or one of the beautiful silver candelabras, she kicked out, catching it with her foot and it went flying. Guests dodged as she kicked place settings in their direction.
When she got to the end of the table, she planted her hands on her hips and stared across the open expanse to her son. “I guess my invitation went missing. Did you not receive my letter?”
Double shit.
I had to do something. Surely, we could settle this without bloodshed. The last thing I wanted was for the people of my kingdom to come to my wedding reception and get hurt. I stepped forward. Link tried to grab my arm, but I jerked away before he could get a hold of me.
I threw my shoulders back and set my jaw as I took my place beside Nighval. “It was my oversight,” I said, and her icy blue eyes locked on me. Then a wicked smile erupted on her face.
“I’ve been dying to meet you, my dear,” she said, hopping down from the table as if it were a single step. She sauntered over to the bottom of the dais, and made to take the first stair, but Nighval held out a glowing hand in her direction.
“Not another step,” he said.
