The song ends, and I step into a waltz pose with Verity. The crowd erupts into applause, but it’s short-lived and the music starts up again. The Fae don’t hesitate before crowding onto the dance floor. Bright smiles split their faces and my servants slip through the crowds with flutes of spirits for my guests. Summer’s Eve can be riotous even among the noble Fae, I hope Verity will enjoy it.
With her hand in mine, we drift through the crowd to the fringes of the room so she can take a breath. Verity’s fingers twist the ring on her finger. “This is different from last time,” she notes, staring apprehensively at the Fae.
I watch as they drink and laugh, practically shouting. A few of the women have already stripped out of their fine gowns and are swaying, naked, in the crowd. “The Fae used to be one with nature, we lived in meadows and streams, naked as the day we were born. But we’ve drifted away from such ways of life. We still honor our origins with Summer’s Eve and Winter’s Night,” I explain, eyes raking over one of the swaying Fae.
“So, all those legends about the wildness of the Fae are true,” Verity says, cocking a brow.
“Were true,” I correct her. “Now, we only return to our roots when we’ve had plenty to drink.”
She snatches a goblet of wine from a passing servant and takes a long drink. “I guess I need to get very drunk then.”
I chuckle, imagining Verity’s awkward human frame dancing the old and aggressive ways of the Fae. “You aren’t joining them,” I say, a smile playing at my lips.
“Why not? You have centuries more to get naked and party like this. I have only a few more years before I’ll be too wrinkly to dance nude in a crowd,” she says, arching a brow.
“You aren’t joining them because the pleasure of seeing you stripped of this finery is mine and mine alone,” I purr, bending over her ear. “Why should strangers enjoy what I haven’t?”
She shivers, biting her lip, and then suddenly rounds on me. “I’m not your property,” she says angrily.
“Of course not.” I shrug. “You musn’t forget the instincts of the Fae. You remember how territorial I can be.”
“Like an animal.” She narrows her eyes, as if to insult me.
I grin. “Perhaps.”
Verity steps closer to the crowd, her fingers tugging at her skirts. “Maybe I’ll join them now.”
“Verity,” I say warningly.
She eyes me as her hands finger the buttons on the back of her gown. “It looks like fun.”
I glance towards the crowd. Already, the music has changed, taking on a more wild tune. The Fae are drinking with abandon, laughing ferally. Verity can’t go down there. She would be trampled in their drunken stupor. I cut her off before she can turn and see how the dancing has devolved. I press against her, forcing her back.
“You will not join them,” I snarl. “You will stay here with me.”
“Stop telling me what to do,” she snaps.
“It’s for your own good,” I say quietly, letting her peek around me to see the Fae.
Her eyes widen as she takes in their nakedness and the wild dancing. “Altair, why the hell have you brought me here if you’re just going to keep me trapped on the sidelines?”
“I forgot what Summer’s Eve can be like.” I meet her stubborn gaze. “I’ll stay close to you and they’ll gather near the arch, that’s what it’s for.”
Verity brightens. “Does this mean I can leave?”
I purse my lips. “No.”
She rolls her eyes and takes another sip of her wine. “You’re such a hard ass sometimes.”
I feel a thread of satisfaction as Verity returns to her normal self. The subdued, anxious Verity has all but disappeared. I missed her sass and her stubborn nature; this is a welcome change. I can’t resist taking her in my arms, the atmosphere of Summer’s Eve is already clouding my mind. The Fae don’t need spirits to fall into the giddy haze of summer’s call, but alcohol certainly helps.
I nuzzle her neck, letting the fog of the wild overtake me. Verity stiffens in my arms, and then suddenly eases into me. A thrill courses through me. I nip at her neck and she gasps softly. I don’t care that Verity and I can be seen by the entirety of Fae nobility and my foreign guests. The last thing on my mind is prudence. The music escalates and I hear the Fae shrieking wildly in the background.
I bury my hands in her tulle skirts to clutch her ass. Her arms wrap around me tightly as I drive her back against the pillar. The wildness in me wants her right now, to take her while the music is at its peak and the moonlight shines through the windows. I growl low, trying to restrain myself even as I fight to give into the urge. I don’t know if it’s the wine she drank, or if the atmosphere of Summer’s Eve has affected her too, but Verity is supple in my hands.
She shivers as I drag my tongue across her jugular. It’s been too long since I kissed this woman. Too long since I felt her heat in my arms. She writhes against me, panting, and I grin ferally. Suddenly, I feel a sharp tug at my collar, and I’m ripped away from Verity’s body. I stumble, catching myself before I fall into the crowd.
Navi glowers at me, one hand on her sword while I glare at her. “Altair,” she says firmly. “Get a grip.”
I snarl. “Back away, Navi. She’s mine.”
“I don’t want your mortal,” Navi hisses.
I clench my hands into fists at my side, wishing I had a weapon with me. Suddenly, Navi strikes me. My
