The Tales of a Cursed Warrior

XVII

Asteria lost sight of her fiancé after dinner.

Atticus led her around to make connections but most of it just consisted of dancing around with other Royal sons and some of Felix's brothers.

"We don't get guests a lot," he told her with a laugh as he twirled her around.

"Lucky you!" she shouted over the music.

He grinned and dipped her in response.

"Excuse us," said Cassius with a charming smile, cutting off her chat with some girls. He took her hand and led her away.

"What is it?" she laughed. "Your father said talk to people."

"I don't like that," he said quietly. "I don't like watching you talk and smile at everyone like that."

She grinned. "Are you jealous, Cassius?" she teased.

He placed his hands on her waist and began to sway them. "Yes," he breathed. "I'm very jealous and I've done nothing of the tasks Father's asked from me because I was busy watching you sway with other men."

She seemed surprised at his honest answer. "Even Felix?"

"Especially Felix," he hissed, staring into her eyes. "And I think you know that because you've been walking around with him ever since we arrived. It's driving me insane," he whispered the last part.

"I think it's the gown," she said seriously.

He frowned and she laughed. 

They swayed quietly then she tilted her head and looked up at him. "There were girls talking about about your engagement ring . . ."

He raised his eyebrows. "And what did they say?"

"They said it's the rare Asteria ring," she whispered, reaching for his hand on her waist to see.

Indeed on his ring finger sat a magnificent, silver ring with an Asteria stone held by the silver.

He kept his eyes on her face as she stared at the ring. 

"It's been there the whole time and I've never even noticed," she muttered.

"How do you feel about it?" he said quietly, ignoring her last statement. 

"I like it," she said, meeting his eyes again. "I really do."

He smiled genuinely, smiled widely, smiled as if he'd won the world. "I'm glad," he said, brushing his thumb on her cheek.

Asteria licked her lips as she moved her finger over the stone. "Why'd you get it?"

He was quiet for a while so she looked up at him to find him staring down at her blankly, his face void of any emotion but his eyes were the eyes of a tortured man. A man who'd suffered and suffered. "Because . . . " he whispered, "because, for the first time in my life, I made a choice that I'm proud of. A choice that I'm rather fond of."

His words made her breath catch. And maybe it was the sweetness she'd always longed or the fact that he was just as lonely. But she found herself drifting closer to him, her heart racing.

They were in the corner of the dance floor and there were enough Royalty in the hall to keep prying eyes away from them.

Cassius didn't pull away. Instead he leaned to kiss the corner of her mouth tenderly. He lingered for a few seconds then pulled back with a rue smile. "Not yet," he whispered, his hands on her cheeks. "Not when you don't actually feel it."

As though he snapped his fingers in front of her face and broke her trance, Asteria blinked.

He didn't allow her much time to recover, he leaned his forehead into hers and continued to sway them, his eyes closed and his trembling lips pursed.