Evil Queen (Ruby Rose fan fic)

TWENTY-FOUR (Ruby POV)

My girl picked out trout stuffed with ham and almonds wrapped in puff pastry, roasted chicken and salad and delicious lemon and raspberries tartlets with a sharp contrast between sweet and acid. I've poured her several glasses of wine trying to force her to drink more than usual, but Iselen is always cautious and never gets tipsy although she looks relaxed, she's eaten well and now sips at a small glass of liquor listening to the songs some vampires are singing while laughing at the same time. Luckily, she doesn't understand the language... Those obscene choruses are making me blush too. The moon keeps shining high in the sky and lanterns aren't even necessary, that's why my girl is able to see all the tables from our privileged position.

"Ruby?"

"Mmmm?" I take my own glass of fruit liquor and drink a gulp while feeling her fidgeting on her seat next to me.

"They're... at that table, Ebla and Shani are starting to... don't you think your vampires are getting a little too affectionate in public?"

"Seriously? It must be because of the wine..." I bite my lower lip, suddenly I'm so anxious that I feel like laughing and that's a bad idea because I get the impression that Iselen will get mad a t me and giggling hysterically would make it worse.

"Wine... Because of the liquor, Ebla has kneeled down on the ground, crawling under the tablecloth, and Shani tilts her head back moaning... Oh wow!" My girl turns to stare at me horrified with her cheeks red as a beet. "Ruby, the captain of the guard has taken his pants off and I saw his..." I lean forward in order to look over Iselen's shoulder and shrug.

"Don't worry, thanks to the girl bouncing on his lap you can't see his..."

"Ruby!"

"Okay, I'm sorry..." I heave a sigh and drop my glass. "Why don't you come with me and I explain everything to you before you realize that your aunt and my cousin are lying on those pillows over there and their clothes are flying everywhere?"

"What? Oh no, I shouldn't have looked..." My girl covers her eyes with her hand, embarrassed, and grabs my arm while I guide her out of this area of the garden. "What's going on?"

"I think it's pretty obvious... Babe, you can look now... I was telling you that I think it's pretty obvious. This is the most important festival of the year, after all, and we're worshiping Innana, goddess of love and war, beauty, fertility and..."

"Sex... I understand. You talked about rituals that involved having sex in public but I never thought, I mean I didn't..." Suddenly, my queen looks scared and she stares at me like she did months ago when she believed I was a cruel, powerful and merciless vampire... I am, but not with her, and I can't stand seeing fear in her eyes. I don't understand why I thought it was funny before. I stop abruptly to cradle her precious face in my hands and I speak slowly so she can hear it clearly.

"Babe, no one is going to force you to do anything you don't want to..."

"But you could..." I stare at her in disbelief before frowning furiously.

"Do you think I'd be able to manipulate your mind forcing you to fuck with me in front of the whole Court? You're my consort, the woman I love... You're my wife, for the goddess' sake! Do you really think I'd disrespect you in any way?"

"But Innana's orders..."

"I'd demolish her temple till the last stone before humiliating you in front of my people... How can you believe that I'd behave in such a cruel way with my own partner? Our intimacy is precious to me, I've spent the happiest moments of my life in a bed with you, I'd never force you to do something like that in public without your consent..." My outraged tone of voice echoes through the rose garden and a cold win shakes the flowers making my girl shudder before she hugs me tight while her tears fall on my shoulder.