Don't Say No

Don't Say No
Draven

I stepped away from the window, choosin to forget the fact that Kai had just carried my sister away to do who knows what. 

It was something I never though she would experience, at least not before me. 

It’s not jealousy that rushes through me right now, it’s hope.

My eyes slid over to where mom, dad, Valeria, Seb and Theron all spoke together, laughing. I smiled to myself, suddenly overwhelmed with the sensation that everything would be okay. 

Finally. 

My gaze shifted again, and I found her without trying. Maelis stood in the corner with her sister, sipping from glasses of wine as they animatedly talked to each other.

The deep plum fabric of her dress clung to her perfectly. She looked absolutely breathtaking, though I knew she was even when she wore a cloak to hide herself. 
Her dark curls had been pinned away from her face, exposing the sharp beauty of her features and the quiet confidence in her posture. She was looking healthier, more color to her skin now. 

She looked nothing like the tired woman I had first met in Varynth’s manor. She looked powerful now. As she was. 

“You’ll find your half one day.”

Layla’s words were an intrusion, and I wasn’t sure why they echoed in the darkest parts of my mind. My jaw tightened.

I should have turned and walked away. Instead, I stepped forward. My body demanding to be near her again. 

She noticed my approach almost immediately. Her head lifted slightly, her eyes locking onto mine long before I reached her. Nothing about her posture changed, but I saw the shift in her eyes. 

She was aware, nervous at my closeness. 

I smiled at her, wanting to bring some ease to her tense shoulders. I then bowed slightly, giving her sister a warm smile as well. “Did you enjoy the wedding?”

Maelis only nodded stiffly. 

It was Sera who spoke. “It was lovely.”

I nodded at her response, but I kept my eyes on Maelis. She wouldn’t look away from me, and I found that my tongue was tangled inside my mouth. I had no words to fill the silence. 

I cleared my throat. 

An amused lift of her lips was all she gave me. 

Sera watches us, her eyes bouncing between the two of us. “Uh, you know Layla offered to let us room and board here until we find a place.”

“She did?” I trn to Sera, a bit surprised, and a bit relieved. 

Maelis’ brow lifted slightly. “Is that a problem?”

“No,” I said before she finished. 

Sera kept watching us. “We don’t really have anywhere else to go.”

“You do now,” I answered easily. “You will always have a place here, as long as you need.”

Something softened slightly in Maelis’ expression at that, though she quickly looked away, taking another sip from her wine. “We don’t need charity.”

Sera scoffed. “I would like to not live out in the streets.”

“I won’t let that happen.” Maelis and I said the same thing at the same time. 

She looked up at me, pressing her lips together. 

“Well,” Sera said, drawing the word out as she handed her empty glass to Maelis. “I think Theron is calling me, something about playing some games. I don’t know—”

Maelis immediately frowned. “But—”

Sera was already up and walking away, not even turning around to say goodbye. 

Maelis closed her eyes briefly, mortified. “I’m going to kill her.”

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “You could try, but I’m sure the new magic will have something to say about that.”

Her gaze snapped back to mine, surprise flickering across her face as if she hadn’t expected me to laugh.

The silence that followed was a bit awkward. 

The music changed as the musicians played a different song. Couples moved toward the center of the hall. I watched Maelis glance toward them before immediately looking away again.

I held my hand out before I could overthink it. “Dance with me.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea—”

“It’s one dance.”

“And if I say no?”

My mouth lifted at the corner. “Please don’t say no.”

She twisted her lips together, thinking it over. Her eyes searched my face for a long moment, then, slowly, she placed her hand in mine.

Warmth spread through my chest instantly.

I guided her toward the center of the hall, my hand settling at her waist as hers rested lightly on my shoulder. She tensed at first, clearly aware of how close we were, but as we moved together through the music, some of that stiffness slowly began to fade.

I couldn’t look away from the curves of her face. She was breathtaking, in every sense of the word. Her eyes kept stealing glances at me, her gaze skittering away from me at every turn. 

“You’re staring,” she murmured quietly after a moment.

“I know.”

A blush crawled slowly across her cheeks and I had to physically stop myself from smiling too hard.

“You make me nervous,” she admitted softly.

That surprised me enough that my brows lifted. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” She glanced up at me briefly before looking away again. 

“Why?”

Her throat bobbed slightly. “I—I’ve never really been around powerful men, until Lord Varynth.”

The words hit me like a blade between the ribs.

My hand tightened instinctively at her waist before I forced myself to loosen it again. Rage flickered hot beneath my skin at the mere sound of his name beside hers, but I shoved it down immediately. This wasn’t about him. It wasn’t about my anger.

It was about the fear still lingering inside her.

I slowed our movements, giving her more space, even though every instinct in me wanted her closer.

“I’m not like him,” I said quietly. “I would never hurt you.”

She frowned. “I know.”

My chest tightened painfully.

“I know you’re nothing like him, you…you saved us. But sometimes my body just can’t tell the difference.”

Her gaze searched mine carefully, as if she were looking for signs of anger or disappointment. I would give her none. 

“Do you want to stop dancing?” I ask, already beginning to slide my hands away from her. 

But she shook her head, her fingers tightening against mine. The music continued around us, while I felt the heaviness of the fragility I held in my hands.

“I hope you stay,” I admitted quietly. “And really, for as long as you need.”

Maelis’ expression softened completely at that. “I think we will.”