I invited Orion and Marcus to tonight's festivities, if I was going to have to suffer through this night it would have to be at least tolerable. Ash would be too busy catering to everyone's needs tonight and Gregory was out finding his mate, I promised I wouldn't judge even though he was blindly excited of the thought. Marcus and I have been getting somewhat close in the past weeks, at first him following me everywhere was annoying till I learned he was just trying to learn as well. 

   "Nadia?" I turned around to a young man smiling up at me, he was quit short but his aura glowed gold a bit too blinding for my liking.

   "What is it?" I asked as Loren jabbed me in the side. "How can I help you?" I gritted my teeth under Ashs command Loren was also to help me with my people skills. If Ash and I were to reclaim Valkri I had to at least be professional but it was hard. I knew because of my age I'd be a target, pegged to be to young and new for this life.

   "I would like to dance the names Chancellor," he said glancing at my charm I could feel his hopes drop a bit as it didn't glow but he barred a dashing smile on his dark face. Gold Hughes seemed to be scatter over his body as I'd he was made of glass, his dark green hazel eyes wide and curious.

   Instead of telling him it wouldn't I took his hand, "You better be a damn good dancer," I smiled thinly.

   He swept me out onto the dance floor our bracelets brushing each other. "Fair warning half of the men here tonight are here to see their bracelet glow," at least he was honest.

   "Well you all are wasting your time."

   He tilted his head to the side as a dark coil fell across his forehead, "That's what I said."

   I raised a brow, "Really?" Chancellor was an open book he didn't even try to block me from entering his mind. I could see why the man was barely a man still untouched by the darkness in the world.

   "It's like thinking a rock would look good next to a diamond," he laughed. "Can't kill curiosity though can you?"

   I shook my head surprised how easy it was to talk to someone, "You really believe in all of this?" Of course I was skeptical if I had this a few months ago I would never have had to deal with all this regret and pain. It's cheating, like skipping all the rough patches and heading for the sunset at the end of a winding road.

   "My parents fell in love on this exact night, four years later they're still together. If your charm glows tonight don't take it lightly, if you fight it the bond will only become stronger. Once you know your person is out there there's no escaping them not even when you close your eyes. I know the fae have never relied on love but lust as you say but how do you think lust forms?" He had a point, for there to be lust there had to be attraction And we all knew where that leads...

   "Forever?" I asked. "Mates really are a forever deal?"

   "If you are true mates then yes." Well then I wouldn't have one, no one lived forever except for...

   "May I cut in?" Yet another gentlemen eying my charm and his anxiously, waiting for a miracle.

   "Of course, I'd love to see you again if you are ever looking for a friend," Chancellor gave me a wink and then handed me over, going into the crowd to most likely find his mate. I wished him luck.

   "I'm Dorian," the pale older man said as his hands tightly pushed me close to him. His moves were dramatic and clumsy as he yanked me around in circles making me dizzy. "I've never seen a woman as beautiful as you, you make feel hot everywhere," he purred into my ear.

   Ugh gross, I tried to shrug out of his grasp but he only tightened his nose burying into my hair and I buckled. "I don't feel too good," I stuttered as his hand inches close to my behind.

   "Would you like to go somewhere private?" He leaned back to look at me his drunken yellow eyes burning into my mind Like a serpent. The thought made me almost hurl, the stench of him made me want to flee, he was a incubus.

   "I need to go," I said through gritted teeth. I was hardly using any of my strength but I was running out of patience.

   "Not so fast you can't leave just like that," this time he gripped my ass in his and squeezed hard his retracting nails piercing my skin. At first I was too stunned to react but there was something else holding me back...the next thing I know Ash was hurling Dorian a crossed the garden and people were dispersing.

   "You pig," Ash spat as he pounced on Dorian striking him in the face repeatedly as everyone watched, I still couldn't move and I started to panic. That's when Gregory pushed through the crowd and grabbed Ash yanking him off of Dorian.

   "You cant be doing this man, look at your people they're scared," Gregory hissed into Ashs ear as he blindly tried to fight. I knew if he wanted he could easily over power Gregory but he didnt want to hurt him.

   "He was trying to get his way with Nadia slipped her a stunning herb," is that what I was feeling? Seemed so, I couldnt even speak as they both looked back at me anger washing over them, I spoke into Gregorys mind.

   "I'm fine, take him out of here before he does something he regrets, please everyone's watching."

   "What about you?" Gregory thought.

   "Dont worry about me, I'll find you in the manor in a little bit please can you do this?" Without an answer Gregory straightened up and the men both walked away letting Dorians bleeding face stain the grass.

   Finally I could move as Orion and Marcus came to my side a worried look on their faces, "What are they going to do with him?" He asked as Blade roughly grabbed Dorion and walked him away from the crowd.

   "We should burn him that's what," Marcus spat.

   "He drugged me," I said rubbing at my raw throat I still felt so loopy, "He will rot in a cell," I spat. If he would have had his way with me I could have been dead or worse...

   "Maybe Dragons mountain isnt as safe as we hoped," Orion said guiding me to a seat rubbing my back as I tried to regain my senses. Whatever herb he used was strong enough to stun me to kill me, a brush with death and yet I still didnt feel a thing. Not when loss is worse.

   "Nowhere is safe," we had to remember that.

   I found Ash in his room on his balcony sipping on some wine he didnt look over to me as I stood next to him facing him as he watched the party. "Thank you," I said clutching my white cloak to my chest.

   "Theres nothing to thank me for I would never just watch someone hurt you," his jaw twitched as he looked down at me, "I almost killed him didnt I?" Ash has told me time after time that dragons were dangerous especially when they were angry, there emotions always heightened.

   "He'll live, unfortunately," I said unable to keep contact with his eyes they were so warm and welcoming tonight. He turned to look at me moving my cloak down my arm to look at my wound, "I heal fast remember," I smiled shivering at his light touch then suddenly are charms flickered a bright red and he yanked his hand away as if I had shocked him, "Did you just see that?"

   Shaking his head in disbelief he said, "I knew it," that only made one of us he tried reaching out from me but I backed away yanking off the ridiculous charm bracelet. "You cant stand here and tell me you dont feel-"

   "We cant," I cut him off realizing what this meant, why couldnt we be normal? Why couldn't Ash and I make our own oaths? "I dont care what this month is supposed to mean, I hardly care that some spelled charm is telling us what to do with our lives. You had your mate and I've had mine, there's no second chances or duovers we fucked up our own fate," I scuffed. 

   He frowned stepping forward dark strands of hair curled above his brow, "Are you sure we can keep things professional then? Do you deny feeling overwhelmed around me? I could hear your heart racing, do you not remember when you kissed me? That wasn't just any kiss Nadia, could you lie to me and say it was nothing?" he cocked his head to the side, lightly his hand hovered over my neck as if he was touching me. "Does the thought of my skin on yours bring you a burning desire?" His voice was low and aching, it was almost impossible not to fold into his arms right now and take what I needed, what we both wanted. 

   "You know just as well as I that us happening will only make life more complicated," I gulped.

   "I've never minded complicated," he tilted his head searching me intently with his eyes, almost too personal. "But you are probably right..." He trailed off as the sadness built up in his eyes he then blinked and shoved his hand back into his pocket sucking in his breathe. "What would a life together look like?"

   "I would imagine difficult..," I watched as he closed his eyes for a brief second. It was so hard focusing when he was inches away from me. All this time we were only making things harder, all the shared looks, excuses to be around each other had gone on for too long. "You seen how well Rone and I fared out, you and Lorelie, I cant keep letting history repeat itself I need to break the cycle."

   "I guess theres nothing I can do..." without a second thought he grabbed me in his arms his hand cupping my face and kissed me, he kissed me.

   This was nothing like our first kiss, there was a softer passion and need behind every shivering kiss that sent me over the edge. My body felt like it was on fire even if I wanted to stop I had no intention to as his lips trailed down my neck and to my ear. "This is how I imagined our first kiss," He said leaning me against the balcony. I didnt even care if anyone saw us, I didn't even acknowledge the frenzy of light coming from our charms, I wasn't even wearing mine. I wanted his lips back on mine. "Without passion, without feeling there could never be a future but what do you call this?" He breathed setting his forehead against mine as he curled his fingers into the nap of my neck.

   "I didnt think I had any left," I frowned to myself as my lips began to swell with his absence.

   "Passion?" He frowned kissing the corners of my lips, no that was always there.

   "Feeling," I said looking into his eyes they almost looked black with how dark it was, he was breathtaking. I rarely could look at him long enough because I felt odd to do so, especially after losing Rone. "I feel happy," I admitted, "But I dont think I should feel happy."

   "You should always feel happy," he said whipping a tear away. "I know its hard to remind yourself of what you deserve when so many have less than us but without feelings, without letting yourself live for you you'll just drown."

   "I want to be strong in every way possible but love makes you weak, dont you see that?"

   He didnt deny it as he leaned off of me and rubbed his chin I could tell he was torn over something, all I could honestly think about was kissing. Kissing him made all the bad things go away, touching him made me feel safe in a world that fought against me. Something told me there would be no way that we'd keep things professional no matter how much I thought it or said it, the damn boy was right. All I could think about was him, even before this from the first moment I set my sights on those stormy gray eyes I knew I wanted to know everything about him, the good, the bad, the brave every part. 

   "When I met Lorelie she was as you know a bit rough around the edges not anything like her sister but she had a coldness in her. She loved fiercely but not many she never cared for her people if I had to say it Raven did more then her, in her own sinister way."

  "Why did you love her?" I asked, "If she was so much of a horrible person? How could you love someone so selfish?"

   "Because I was her first," he said looking down at his shoes, "I had to be her everything when she needed me, I had to be perfect for her because she owned me."

   "Thats not love."

   "That was also centuries ago, no one really even spoke of love that was a human thing remember?"

   "Yeah," I shivered placing the charm bracelet back on oddly missing the glow.

   "You're cold lets go inside," without asking he grabbed my hand in his and took me inside to the fireplace. He lit it afire with a snap of a finger and than sat down next to me on the pile of blankets on the floor. "I've found that most unknown relations go quit well," he said lacing his hands through mine. "We could spend time together in secret."

   "You would do that?" I frowned, "You don't care for the titles?"

   "I care about you," he said kissing my knuckles. "That is if that's something you can do."

   I was scared, he knew it and I knew it. The man I thought I would spend the rest of his life with is marrying another. Is going to be the father to another woman's child. One would have trust issues after such events. "This can be simple?"

   He gave me a half smile, "For now it could, I do believe we have forever."

   "Unless someone kills one of us," way to kill the mood. Ash straightened up and looked away for a second running a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry I didn't mean-"

   "I know," he interrupted, "It's just not something I'd like to think about. I don't know what Dorians intentions were tonight but the moment I saw him slip you something all I could see was red. I wanted to cut his hands off with his own sword and then watch as he chocked on his own blood. That's when I knew I would do anything for you, I would hurt anyone that even looked at you wrong." I could feel his anger just as strong as before.

   "Enough of that," I said pulling him to me. "Before I go I want you to hold me," I said caressing his face.

   He skimmed his hands over my mine, then my arm, shoulder till he reached my neck to pull me to him. "How would I even bring myself to leave him tonight?" I thought to myself as he laid me down beside him and held me. I focused on his shallow breathes, memorizing each heart beat as it drew me to feel tired.