Chapter 32 -Avianna-
\-Avianna-
The ballroom sits nearly empty beneath the late evening glow of chandeliers and candlelight. Rain still lashes softly against the palace windows while musicians quietly pack away instruments near the far wall. Most of the court retired hours ago after the lockdown orders spread through the palace, but Rhydon insisted the wedding preparations continue regardless.
Because appearances matter more to him than safety ever could.
“Again,” Rhydon says smoothly, extending his hand toward me.
I place my hand into his automatically. The moment his palm settles against my waist, the tether burns. Not from me, but from Caylix. The reaction hits so sharply I nearly lose the next step.
Rhydon notices immediately. “You’re distracted.”
If only he knew.
“I’m tired,” I answer carefully.
Across the ballroom, Caylix stands near the carved pillars lining the wall, dressed entirely in black as always. He’s motionless, silent, and watching everything. To anyone else, he probably looks perfectly calm. But the tether betrays him. Frustration coils through it in brutal waves, smothered so hard it almost hurts to feel.
Gods.
I swallow carefully as Rhydon pulls me through another turn. For the last two days it has been getting worse. Not the hex…Him. Or maybe that is the same thing now, I don’t know anymore. I only know I can suddenly feel pieces of him I was never meant to. Fleeting flashes that slide through the tether before he locks them down again. Heat. Agitation. Possessiveness so intense it steals breath from my lungs when it spikes unexpectedly.
And every single time Rhydon touches me, it happens again.
Rhydon’s hand slides farther against my back as he guides me through another movement. “You’ll need to stop anticipating the turn,” he murmurs. “You keep reacting before I lead it, I’ve already told you this.”
Another violent pulse tears through the tether. My breath catches. Because this one feels dangerously close to anger. I glance toward Caylix instinctively. Big mistake.
His jaw flexes once beneath the dim chandelier light. Just once. But his eyes lock onto Rhydon’s hand against my waist with something so dark it sends heat spiraling low through my stomach.
My step falters completely this time.
Rhydon catches me easily. “Concentrate, Avianna.”
“She said she was tired.”
Caylix’s words cut cleanly across the ballroom. Rhydon’s gaze lifts slowly toward Caylix. Irritation flickers briefly across his face before smoothing away again beneath practiced charm.
“And yet she is still here,” Rhydon says lightly.
Caylix says nothing. Gods. I can feel how badly he wants to walk across this room. The realization that I want him to sends a dangerous shiver through me.
Rhydon’s eyes flick briefly toward me before returning to Caylix. Something calculating settles behind his expression then.
“One more,” he says smoothly. “I would hate for us to end poorly.”
I feel Caylix’s restraint pull painfully tight. Rhydon steps closer before I can answer, one hand settling firmly against my waist again as he guides me back into position. This time he keeps me closer than before.
Every movement suddenly feels deliberate. His fingers spread against the curve of my waist while he pulls me through the next turn slower than necessary, keeping my body close to his the entire time. The tether burns with anger so hot it almost makes me dizzy.
Caylix has gone completely still. He looks controlled in the way predators do right before violence. Rhydon notices too. And smiles slightly.
Oh gods. He is provoking him.
Rhydon turns me once more before drawing me back against his chest briefly, his hand sliding upward along my spine with intimate familiarity that makes the tether practically snap.
The possessiveness pouring through the tether suddenly feels unbearable. Rhydon finally releases me slowly at the end of the dance.
His fingers brush deliberately along my arm before he reaches upward, gently sliding a loose strand of dark hair behind my ear. The gesture should feel soft. Instead it feels like a challenge.
Especially when Rhydon’s gaze lifts directly toward Caylix while he does it.
Then he takes my hand. And kisses it. Slowly. Lingering just long enough to become intentional. Rhydon finally walks toward the ballroom doors, speaking briefly to one of the guards waiting outside before disappearing into the corridor.
Silence settles. The second the doors close behind him, the tether erupts. I suck in a sharp breath. Caylix turns away immediately, like he cannot stand inside his own skin anymore. He walks toward the opposite side of the ballroom with controlled steps, one hand braced briefly against the back of a chair as tension rolls through him hard enough for me to feel.
“Caylix.”
“Don’t.”
The single word comes rougher than I have ever heard from him. I stare at his back. The ballroom suddenly feels far too warm.
“You’re hurting,” I whisper.
His shoulders go still.
Slowly, he looks back at me. And I realize immediately I should not have said it aloud. Because now he knows I can feel it too. The silence between us thickens.
“I’m fine,” he says.
The tether instantly proves he is lying.
The force of it nearly steals my breath.
Frustration. Want. Restraint wound so tightly it feels painful now.
“You’re a terrible liar,” I murmur.
A dangerous look flashes across his face. Then he starts walking toward me. Every instinct inside me sharpens instantly. The tether burns hotter with every step he takes. One. Two. Three. My pulse begins hammering as he stops directly in front of me. I can feel the heat coming off his body.
“Avi,” he says quietly.
The warning in his voice only makes it worse. Because the tether carries everything else he refuses to say.
I tilt my head up slowly. “Caylix…”
His breathing roughens. Something changes in his expression then. Something desperate. My heart pounds harder.
His gaze drops to my mouth.
Every thought leaves my head instantly. Everything around me disappears except him. I feel it through the tether the exact moment his restraint finally starts breaking. His hand suddenly braces against the pillar beside my head. My breath catches sharply. He leans closer.
Gods.
I can feel how badly he wants to kiss me. And through the tether he realizes I want it too. The realization wrecks whatever control he has left. My pulse stumbles wildly.
“Caylix…” I whisper as I slowly lean into him.
His eyes close briefly like the sound of my voice physically hurts him. Then suddenly his hand catches my wrist. Before I can react, he spins me around hard enough that my back collides against his chest. A startled breath escapes me. His arm wraps tightly around my waist instantly, locking me against him. The entire world tilts. Heat floods every inch of my body as his chest rises heavily against my back.
His hands grips my waist hard enough to feel possessive. His mouth hovers beside my ear. And the tether becomes unbearable. Because there is nothing restrained left inside it now.
“If I kiss you right now,” he says hoarsely against my ear, “I won’t ever stop, Avi.”