Page 193 of The Incendiary

“Okay,” I told Elias. “You talk.”

The gates opened, and we were ushered in by scantily clothed servants. Statues of nude bodies lined the stone pathway up to the manor. There were more on the balconies, in the gardens. They were everywhere.

“I’ve already seen enough,” Gemma groaned.

“I haven’t.” Mavic’s eyes trailed after a young woman around our age in a revealing bathing dress, and that was all. He smirked, and she giggled up at him as we passed. “I think there’s plenty more to see.”

“I suppose I don’t know what I expected, bringing you here,” Gemma retorted.

“I don’t know what you expected either,” replied Mavic.

I burst into a fit of laughter that had Elias glancing at me in concern, just as a bald, middle-aged man with piercings along his earlobes emerged from the glass front doors of the manor, arms wide in welcome. He wore blue, loose silk pants that left little to the imagination and a matching shirt left wide open, baring his tan, naked chest with a dapple of hair and… were his nipples pierced?

“Elias!” he shouted jovially, eagerly descending the stairs. “What has it been, six months?”

My eyebrows shot high, and I rolled my lips together. I knew he loved it here.

“Melonius,” Elias greeted him curtly.

The duke scanned his eyes over our group, ultimately landing on me. Predatory and hungry. “Who is this, Elias?” he inquired, his voice eerily casual.

Elias gracefully dismounted his steed and moved to stand beside mine. He reached up to offer me his hand. “This is your queen, Melonius.”

I took Elias’s hand and plopped to the ground beside him while the others dismounted behind us. The hungry look on the duke’s face transformed into something more… ambitious.

“My… queen?”

“Aryella Whitlock.” As Elias spoke, he wouldn’t let go of my hand. With the duke staring at me the way he was, I didn’t make him. While Elias wasn’t the safe, warm assurance I craved, he would certainly deter the duke. “Simeon Whitlock’s daughter lives.”

Melonius dipped into a deep, elaborate bow, stating as he rose, “The Selvaren has mercy on us, after all. I take it you are not here for pleasure.” He glanced between Elias and me. “Unless you both⁠—”

“No.” Elias’s sharp tone split the air like a whip. “We are not here for pleasure. We’ll be happy to further discuss after you show us to our rooms. I think we’d all appreciate the opportunity to freshen up.”

“Yes,” the duke agreed, clapping his hands together. “Wonderful idea. I’ll ensure that you are given the most luxurious guest quarters available.”

“Separate rooms, please,” I rushed out impulsively. Elias stiffened and dropped my hand.

Melonius now looked too curious. I just had to panic at the thought of sharing a room with my fiancé, didn’t I? “Very well,” he said, turning into the manor’s wide-open doors. “Please follow me.”

Like the coastal paradise outside, the interior was also a work of art. Black and white marble, elaborately crafted iron, obnoxiously bright floral arrangements.

And of course, there were more naked statues. Almost as if the duke wanted all his visitors to be thinking of one thing and one thing only.

We sequestered ourselves to our rooms and were invited to tea and dinner in three hours’ time. I spent the first hour soaking in the large marble bathtub while Shera groomed the dirt out of her silver fur and the sand from her paws. Once I was clean, I started rolling the ring I still wore around my neck between my fingers. I didn’t realize I was doing it until my hand began to cramp up.

I knew it was probably time to take the ring off, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

The dress the duke requested I wear was pale pink silk with a cutout in the back that bared most of my spine save for a thin strap fastened around my neck to hold up the entire piece. The very outer skin of my breasts was barely visible, teasing their roundness, and the long slit in the side exposed my leg almost to my hip.

I obliged, only because it was more fabric than I expected he’d give me. I let my silver-blond hair dry in natural waves over my shoulders rather than tying it up, even though it felt far too warm to not. My hair could cover more of my skin if I felt the need.

At exactly the three-hour mark, everyone showed up at my door. Elias in front, then Gemma, Finn, Mavic, and even Ezra, who leaned against the marble wall with his arms crossed, refusing to make eye contact with me. The men wore black pants and thin cotton dress shirts in various colors, while Gemma looked stunning in a silk navy gown that showed off her precious rounding belly.

“My gods, you’re incredible,” Elias uttered the moment he saw me, his breath hovering low in his chest. “You look⁠—”

“—perfect.” Gemma pushed past him and offered me her arm. “She always does.”

We descended a wide, winding staircase into the grand foyer, where Melonius and his three sons, along with a few other guests, awaited our arrival. The duke approached me before my sandaled foot reached the bottom step.