31 | ACT II, SCENE III

P R E V I O U S L Y

Then he grabbed me by the shoulders, slammed my back against the wall and possessively crashed his lips onto mine.

CALCHESTER CITADEL, STEFFITH.

EDWINA

THE REST OF THE WORLD ceased to exist.

A hitched gasp erupted from my dry throat of its own accord as our lips made contact. Fountains of blazing desire shot up into my surging blood, nearly strangling me with the sheer intensity of the passion between us.

"Fuck," I let out a surprised, raw cry that turned into a breathless moan of pure arousal.

"Shut the hell up," he groaned against my lips.

Our bodies pressed together like snow against rain, and he possessively backed me against the wall, pinning my wrists with his.

"Per caelum, quam pulchra es," Tristan huskily drawled in a silky voice, eagerly pinning me to the wall as his insistent mouth sent wild tremors into my throbbing veins.

I lost control as the unknown, beautiful words left his lips, and I tilted back my head and offered myself to him, trembling with arousal and shaking like a boat lost in a tsunami.

He hungrily lifted me up, kissing me relentlessly as I flung my arms around his shoulders. I felt my dress riding up a few inches, but my mind hardly paid it heed as he hungrily ravished me, urged on by my seductive murmurs.

Because I was the desert and he was my oasis.

I could taste the wine on his lips, the burnt sugar and glazed cinnamon on his tongue, making a heady cocktail of desire that lulled and drowned me into its mesmerizing spell.

Vocal moans of approval took flight from my throat and landed against his lip. He let out a deep, possessive growl and kissed me ferociously, all the tenderness drained away by ever consuming and white hot desire.

All my resolve melted and the world faded from my eyes. All I knew in that moment was him, and only him. His soft black hair melting in the warmth of my palms. His marbled lips rolling over mine. His strong hand firmly backing my wrists and pinning them hostage to the wall.

A delicious tremor washed over me as Tristan let out a husky drawl, tilting my jaw to meet his. He playfully skimmed a finger over my chin, smirking to himself at my low moans with a mischievous glint in his eyes. I retaliated and teased him by biting down on his lower lip, seductively swiping my tongue over it. The god let out a low grown, sending me aflame with renewed vigor and I went about urging him closer to me.

"Stupendo," he whispered against my lips. The effect was immediate as I immediately melted right into a puddle of arousal, nearly falling to my feet to beg him to take me.

"Damn," I groaned deeply, silenced again as his alluring lips met mine in sweet salvation. Some part of me kept on getting mesmerised when he spoke in the strange tongue, something about it aroused me to my core.

"You like that, don't you, woman?" Tristan nuzzled into my neck, his nose brushing against the highly sensitive zone behind my ear and slowly reaching out to nibble it. I nearly screamed out in pleasure, gripping hard on his hair and tugging him to me.

"Damn it, Edwina," he hoarsely whispered against my lips. "You are a cruel woman."

"And you are a wicked man," I gasped once again as he nipped and tugged at my lip with a silver smile, savoring me like a freshly open split fig. The kiss was fervent and exploding with a fire that was unbearably hot, the fire of passion, the fire of addiction.

Every last bit of reluctance crumbled into dust under our feet. Every bit of resolve, every armor we put up scattered to the winds. The fact that we hated each other to death, that we nearly killed each other in our anger, that we would probably never ever do this again - it simply didn't matter.

I forced myself to think clearly, rationally, but my wanton needs and desires had a mind of their own.

Well then...

Reluctant and unrelenting, we both paused for a second, yearning for oxygen as it filled our lungs.

I exhaled, sucking in my breath and still seething at how fiendishly had my body betrayed me. The traitorous flames of passion were still licking their way up my spine. I was like a starved woman hungry for his sinful touch, and I mentally kept on scolding myself for... wanting him to kiss me again.

And in the name of all the deathless gods, was I hungry.

Tristan's eyes were gleaming with mirth and amusement, apparently taken aback by my responsive vigor as my chest rose and fell with my ragged breath. His free hand roamed lazily over my skin, and he softly traced a finger down my cheek as if admiring a porcelain sculpture.

His motion set my skin afire again, and with a shock, I realized that the arousal growing in me... was starting to creep lower, lighting up liquid oceans of fire down below.

"Don't-" I muttered in a hitched voice, infuriated at how ragged and shrill I sounded. "I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

"Ah, of course," he said smugly with a knowing smile. "Very obvious, considering the way you were moaning against my lips barely not a minute ago."

"I... was not," I protested, as his hand tenderly cupped my neck and I licked the sweetness glazing my lips, sighing out aloud. My palm rested on his shirt as I frustratedly tried to talk myself out of the various... imaginings running around my head.

Those visions did nothing but ignite my desires even more, and I could only think more of pulling him back into the bed and yanking the leather and silk off him so that I could touch his bare skin with my fingers...

... and possibly my mouth too.

By Uranus, I was going insane!

I breathed out slowly, still trying to douse the inferno that was my body, every part of which he had touched had burned into my white skin. I looked up and saw Tristan's hair was a complete mess, from how I'd tugged it over and over.

His smile pulled up in a sly grin, as my eyes traveled over the first few buttons of his shirt, which seemed to have magically popped open.

Me. It had been me.

A low rush of air hissed through my lips as I sighed, my throat burning as if someone had set it on fire.

"You're not very innocent, are you, wife?" he asked with a devilish smirk, winding his hands through my hair.

"I am extremely innocent," I protested. My heart pounded in my chest like drums.

"My, my..." Tristan mused with an idle smile, and his knuckles brushed warmly across my cheek. "Imagine if someone saw the Queen Regnant so flustered."

"Shut up," I gritted my teeth.

"Someone seems to have enjoyed that..." he whispered softly, trying hard to control his wide grin. His eyes glinted mischievously, threatening sexual fires to flare up in a tight knot in my body.

Uranus help me!

I tumbled past him, almost tripping over my feet and his strong hands caught me, straightening me.

"If just touching your lips can do this to you, I wonder what touching the rest of your body would..." he spoke into my ear with a bemused smile.

• • • • •

HARTINGTON CASTLE, ALNWICK, STORMHOLT.

TRISTAN

I kissed her and forgot to breathe.

It just didn't seem important at that time.

"The Century Ball, you Grace. That is a pressing matter for now," Daniel finished, folding up the piece of paper, nodding to the rest of us.

Apollo, Edwina, Llewellyn, Daniel, Cressida and I were sitting at the council table. I had called a meeting to make note of what had happened to the Castle in our absence. We had been away for almost two whole days.

"Cosmo killed Uranus. Uranus, being the Father of the Heavens, threw the six planets out of their orbit-" Cressida detailed, "and then he killed his wife, Aurea too."

"But Aurea was the Mother Earth. Before she died, she flung the planets back into their orbit using an enormous amount of power. Else, the planets would have fallen and killed all mortals. That was the day the goddess Aurea saved the world," Daniel continued, supplying more information.

"Her final sacrifice is, as you know, a widely celebrated event for all gods," Cressida sighed dreamily.

"The planets never really aligned themselves properly, and every one hundred years, the six planets pass within a degree of each other, the night they were when Uranus and Aurea died," Edwina elaborated with a wave of her hand, looking bored.

"And then-"

"-yes, yes... the six planets do not collide, but come very, very close, and the stars are arranged in the vertices of a regular hexagon, and the festival to commemorate it is called the Century Ball," Apollo muttered lazily. "I believe we can dispense with the history lessons," he snarled.

"Every hundred years, the special constellation occurs, and that is the night the Ball is held. And... er - it is held in a different Kingdom every year," Daniel said. "And... umm - this year, it is... it is Stormholt's turn to host the Century Ball."

Damn it.

I wanted her back against the wall, I wanted to kiss her senseless and feel her shake under me as I gave her immense pleasure. And tear that lovely dress off her and find out if every inch of her tasted as good as her lips...

Fuck.

The table was in shrouded in silence as everyone stared at me. Someone coughed and I blinked, trying to sort out my face.

Caught unawares, I quickly smoothed out my expression and assumed a straight face, trying not to grin.

"You idiot," Llewellyn nudged me, "stop grinning like the devil, will you?" he snickered into my ear.

I almost smiled again, just keeping myself in check.

"Yes?" I said out loud. "I heard that. It is Stormholt's turn to host the Ball this year. Good. Inform me a month before it starts so that we can make the preparations."

"But, your Grace," Cressida spluttered, "there are only six months left to prepare for the Ball! That's so less time!" she began to hyperventilate.

"So?" I asked coolly, "it's more than enough time, secretary!"

"No, it isn't!" she screeched, getting up. "We need to send out invitations to every god on Endollon, your Grace, it's a huge event!"

"No," I slammed my fist on the table. "There's no need to worry about it right now. Bring it up four months later. I refuse to spend six months worth of time blabbing about a Ball-"

"-but, your Grace-"

"That will be all," I said curtly, getting up and dusting my hands. "We have come back to the Castle after two whole days and need some rest, Cressida. I will talk to you later. Edwina?" I motioned to her.

My secretary gave me an angry glare, put her hands on her hips and walked away.

Women.

Edwina got up, stretching her hands as I led the way to our room.

"I need to have a shower," she muttered to herself.

Well, I so badly want to join you, woman.

I crooked an eyebrow and let her pass. She marched in front of me to our room, me following behind. The smile came back quickly on my face as I watched her red hair swing around.

That woman had a mouth the size of the river Derwent.

"I also need to sleep," she ticked her fingers absent mindedly.

"You could sleep in the shower," I suggested wryly. She turned around and gave me a curious look.

"Hmm. That could work, I suppose. You're not as stupid as you look, Valmont," she turned around and commenced walking.

"You're insane, woman."

"I'm glad that I am. Else that'd never work," she snorted, stopping at the door to the chamber. She struggled for a while trying to figure which way to turn the knob.

"By all means, do move at a glacial pace. You know how it thrills me," I rolled my eyes. Edwina gave me a death stare, fingers fiddling with the door. "For all your intelligence, you can't even figure out how to open the damn door. Move," I stepped up and turned the knob sideways with a click.

"Ever heard of genius?" Edwina marched into the room with her nose held high. "We don't bother ourselves with mundane things like doors."

And even despite myself, I couldn't stop grinning as she went to take a bath.

• • • • •

"Have you really fallen asleep in there?" I called out with a huff. It was getting late at night, and I was tired of shouting.

"I'm awake, Valmont!" her angry roar drifted out of the washroom.

A moment later, Edwina emerged from behind the doors and my jaw fell to the floor.

She was dressed in a silk shift the color of ivory. The garment fell way past her ankles but left her arms bare, which were peeking out from between the cascades of her lovely red hair. It was the first time I had seen her with her hair down, and it took all I had not to wind my fingers around those soft red curls of hers and kiss her senseless again.

"What?" she snapped. "Never seen a woman robe herself before going to sleep?"

"Excuse me, do you think I care?" I frowned, pretending to look shocked.

I could have just thrown her on the bed and ripped that silk dress off her. Her body seemed to tantalizingly invite me to her, all I wanted was to kiss the daylights out of her and give her body all the pleasure I could.

Wait. That would have to wait. All in good time.

"I'm going to sleep," Edwina muttered, sighing and picking up a coverlet and pillow off the bed.

"I gathered that much," I said dryly. "Woman, where are you going?"

"To the couch, of course," she snapped, turning around. "You can't expect me to sleep on the bed with you!"

"But-"

"-Shut up, I'm not very fond of your voice!" she huffed, flinging herself on my gold trimmed velvet couch and pulling up the coverlet to her neck.

"Sleep on the bed!"

"This is your room, you sleep on the bed!"

"Take. The. Bed. I will take the couch," I said frigidly, drawing myself up with a glare.

"Don't even dare," she rolled her eyes and closed them, pulling the coverlet up her eyes. I ripped it off firmly and pulled her warm, soft body up.

"No man lets his wife sleep on a couch when there is a bed available," I said firmly, and a muscle ticked in my temple.

"You aren't an ordinary man. And I'm not an ordinary wife," she hissed, sticking out her tongue.

I frustratedly sighed as she rolled over and closed her eyes. She was so, so stubborn, that annoying woman.

Annoying, beautiful woman.

I was finding it hard to admit, but a small part of me held a very large amount of respect for her. Respect and... pride. And awe. She was every inch a queen, but she wasn't one of those stiff old prudes. No, she was a warrior goddess. Easy to rouse, quick to temper. I found myself in constant admiration at the way she held herself. My heart kept on pulling me back, hating me for it.

I waited till her angry sighs turned to soft snores and laughed softly to myself again. Her back was facing me, and she'd rolled over facing the couch pillows. I quietly put a hand under her knees and the other around her shoulders, effortlessly lifting her unresisting body up. She was so warm and soft, I felt she would disappear if I touched her.

Yet I was touching her, through the blankets she'd covered herself in. Her head lolled over my arm as I walked to the bed, and an inviting strip of her vulnerable neck kept on insisting  me to kiss the soft, sweet spot.

I gently laid Edwina on the bed, shifting a pillow under her head and trying not to move her much. Then I pulled up a pile of blankets and tucked her in like a small child.

She must have been really tired.

Throughout the whole process, not a single sound escaped her lips as I shifted her into a more comfortable position onto her back. Lord only knew in what cramped state Emerick had held her captive.

Then I blew out the candle, donned my cloak, and left the room.

Headed for the second room at the end of the third corridor.

• • • • •

For a first kiss, Edwina has a thing for... men with accents ;) Or more specifically, Tristan Valmont :D