Purest Corruption - The Darkling [General Kirigan]

• Chapter 11 •

"You'll sit over with the summoners," Genya's voice snapped me out of the daze that Kirigan's eyes held me in.

"Wait you're not sitting with me?" Panic was the only thing I felt now.

"No, we all eat in our own areas, and tonight is the only time you'll see me in here actually. The Queen was gracious enough to give me the night off."

"Oh," I looked around the room again, seeing the Etherealki sitting where I was supposed to as well.

"Well can you at least walk be over there? I don't really want to go by myself..." my voice trailed off as she gasped.

"I believe I will actually be escorting you to General Kirigan's table," I followed her eyes and saw Kirigan motioning us over with a curl of his index finger.

Genya ushered us over, my stomach tightening.

How was I going to eat when everytime I'm near him I get like this?

"General," the gorgeous redhead said from beside me with a curt nod.

The general took no notice of her, keeping his eyes on me as I tried to look anywhere else. I hadn't completely recovered from our moment earlier and I wasn't sure sitting next to him for dinner was such a good idea.

"I see you were given a kefta, Miss Starkov. Blue suits you," There was a mischievious grin on his face as I walked to his side of the table. He got up from his seat and pulled out the chair next to his, gesturing for me to sit.

Once I was seated, he began pushing my chair back in. Before he finished though, he leaned his face down to my ear and whispered so that only I could hear, "You'd look much better in black though."

A shiver ran through me and I heard him chuckle. My head spun with thoughts of what would happen had we been the only two people in this room right now. He sat down beside me and flashed a smile as I picked up the chalice sitting in front of me.

I put the cup to my lips and began to drink the red liquid that was in it.

"I hope you didn't have too much trouble getting out of that uniform," my eyes widened and I choked on the drink.

"Um...n-no there was no t-trouble," I managed to say. I felt eyes on me and knew I'd looked like a fool just then with no obvious reason. Kirigan had made sure to keep his voice quiet enough so that only I heard him.

I heard him laugh and then he started up a conversation with the man sitting on the other side of him.

This is all a game to him.

I suddenly realized that he enjoyed how flustered I got with him, and only him. I scoffed lightly and an idea popped into my mind.

I turned to the man sitting next to me and introduced myself, "Hi, I'm Ana." I gave him the sweetest smile I could and bat my eyelashes a few times.

He quickly stopped eating and looked at me in shock.

Had he not expected me to talk to him?

"Oh, um I'm Elijah," the flustered look he'd had turned into a smile and he put his hand out.

I slipped my hand into his, expecting him to shake it, but instead he brought my knuckles to his lips and kissed them.

Heat crept up my cheeks and it was me who was flustered now. I noticed that he was wearing red, which meant he was Corpralki, and since he was sitting so close to Kirigan, he must've been important.

"I enjoyed your light show earlier, I've never seen anything like it...it was beautiful. Much like you in that department." The blush I had only got worse.