ELRETH

They were all out there, dancing and having fun. And because she was Queen and she couldn't be seen to use her power to press others, and because no one had asked her, she was just sitting there.

Her stomach ached. And she wanted to bite something.

She'd sat there for nearly an hour, and not a single male had asked her to dance. Was this what it was going to be like, now? Was Dargyn the only one who'd had the courage to express interest, and since she'd told him no, now she would just be… alone?

Except, Aaryn.

There was still a chance.

She hadn't found him in the market and it was making her twitch. He must have been at the back, too far away to scent in the crowd. He probably left already. He was a good dancer, but he got bored quickly. And… and they were still fighting. She just prayed he'd stayed long enough to hear her speech. To know she had a plan.

She was counting the minutes until she could leave and go find him. She didn't care if she had to drag him out of his furs—or, hell, out of Gwyn's arms. Actually, as she thought of it, that would be better. But no matter what, they were going to speak tonight. She had a plan. She might fail—he might defeat her. But she was going to try.

If she was destined to sit here, lonely and frustrated for the rest of her life, she wanted to know for certain.

A breeze rustled through the market, bringing with it a hint of Aaryn's scent, but before she could find him, her eyes landed on her parents.

They'd stayed for the dancing.

Her father had one hand at her mother's waist, the other twined with hers, but pulled to his chest. He'd rested his forehead on hers and they swayed and stepped together—so in tune it was as if they were one person.

Her mother sparkled. She loved to dance. And though Dad always teased her about how he'd had to teach her when she arrived, there was no sign now of the awkward human she'd been back then. She was elegant, and graceful. And so utterly in love…

Sometimes her parents made her envious. She'd never admit it to anyone, but sometimes watching them opened a pit in her stomach that no amount of training or dominance could fill.

Sometimes she wished she wasn't what she was. That she didn't scare males off. That she'd been able to find that thrill in the touch of a male before… before Aaryn kissed her.

Only sometimes.

She swallowed hard and tore her eyes away from her parents, scanning the aisles and crowds, looking for Aaryn. He had to be here. That tail of a scent she'd caught was fresh.

Then, without warning, his scent bloomed next to her. She turned quickly to find him pulling out the next chair, not looking at her, but staring down at the dancers.

He sat, leaned forward, one elbow on the table, the other on his thigh. Even under his shirt, his bicep curled so the fabric tightened around it and Elreth had to swallow. His shoulders, flat and broad, called for her to run her fingers along them. That tendon on his neck begged to be tasted—dear Lord, what was wrong with her?

She snapped her head around to stare in the same direction as him. At the dancers. On the floor. Not at his chest.

*****

AARYN

She was tense and… something curled in her scent that called to his body, but he shoved it away. He should have greeted her when he sat down, but for a moment it had taken everything in him not to meet her eyes and beg her to discard Dargyn and take him instead. So he'd made himself be still. Brace. Put up the wall. And by the time he felt like he could speak without his voice shaking, it was too late.

They both sat there, unmoving, watching the dancers on the floor below.

Fuck, she smelled good.

"My parents are disgusting," she said softly. Aaryn blinked. "They're out there, getting all hot for each other. They always do this when they dance. You watch, they'll leave in a few minutes and think no one notices…" Then she growled. "Shit, that means they'll be at the Weeping Tree. They always go out there after they've been dancing. They're so gross."

"I think it's beautiful that they still want each other after all these years," Aaryn said honestly. "Why do you care if they go to the Weeping Tree?"

"Because I wanted to escape tonight myself and that's the only place I can go where no one can find me."

Except him. Aaryn swallowed back the growl. "You wanted to escape… with Dargyn? Are you trying to keep it a secret? Is that why he's down there dancing with others?"

Her head whipped around and she looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Dargyn? What—"

"Don't bother, Elreth. I was in the meadow today when he left. He was… very clear about what was happening. I… I'm happy for you, if that's what you want. But we need to talk about—"

"If you were outside why didn't you—wait, whoa, hold up. What?! What are you talking about?" she hissed, leaning closer to him so she could keep her voice down, but the urgency in her tone, combined with her fierce frown, made Aaryn confused. "Aaryn, what did he say happened?"

He turned to meet her fierce blue eyes and knew he had to be the one who was able to talk about these things and not… lose it. He swallowed and tried to make his face gentle. "Well, he said he'd been kissing you, but the way he was acting, I figured he was being polite. That's good news for you, I guess. He's not out there showing off—"

"WHAT?!" she whisper-screamed. "WHAT THE ACTUAL—" She cut herself off and sat back in her chair, her eyes wide. For a second she put her hands to her face, but then she dropped them and locked eyes with him, her jaw tight. "Dargyn showed up at the cave this afternoon when I was asleep. He kissed me—he tried to—but I told him I wasn't interested and asked him to leave. I made it very clear to him, Aaryn, that I was not interested in having him… close. If he told you anything other than that, he was lying."

Aaryn's heart began to pound.

*****

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