Chapter 214 SNEAKING

Chapter 214 SNEAKING
Hours later, the chandeliers had begun to blur, each crystal dripping golden light like overripe fruit. Applause, toasts, yet another parade of dignitaries with stiff smiles and perfumed hands, the noise pressed against my skull until I could barely taste my own breath. Sargis caught my eye across the ballroom, that subtle tilt of his mouth the only warning before his fingers slid into mine beneath the tablecloth.
"Enough?" he murmured.
"Far too much," I breathed back, already fighting a laugh.
We slipped out while the orchestra still spun its silvery waltz, ghosting along the side corridor like guilty children. The marble echoed under our hurried steps. Somewhere behind us, a herald called for yet another round of congratulations, but we were already disappearing into the hush of the palace's sleeping wing.
The farther we went, the lighter I felt. The air tasted of night-blooming jasmine drifting in from an open colonnade. I couldn't stop the nervous giggle bubbling up my throat, and soon Sargis was laughing too, a low, breathless rumble that made me want to drag him the last hallway myself.
"Queen of an entire kingdom," he teased, tugging me into a shadowed alcove, "and you still run like a thief."
"Freedom tastes sweeter when you steal it," I shot back, half-gasping, half-laughing.
By the time we reached our chambers, I was doubled over with quiet, shaking laughter, clutching my bouquet against my ribs as though it might burst. The door shut behind us with a soft click, sealing out the muffled hum of celebration. Moonlight slanted across the room, silvering the edge of Sargis's jaw.
Something inside me broke loose, a flood of relief, joy, and longing. I didn't think, I just crossed the space and caught his face in my hands, kissing him with a hunger I'd been swallowing all night.
He stumbled back a half-step, breath catching, then his arms circled my waist, crushing me closer until the world narrowed to the heat of his mouth, the taste of wine and salt and memory.
"God, I love you."
The room fell into a silence so complete I could hear the pulse drumming in my ears. Sargis was still holding me, his fingers splayed across my spine. Slowly, he leaned back to study my face.
"What... what did you just say?" he asked, voice rough, almost disbelieving.
Heat surged up my throat. Gods. Had I really said it? Out loud? The words replayed in my head like bells I couldn't unring, I love you. My heart lurched, a thousand things wanted to tumble from my mouth, explanations, apologies, every wall I'd built to keep from drowning in this man. Instead, I forced myself to breathe, meeting his eyes.
My chest tightened, but I smiled anyway, because it was the only thing that kept the tears back.
"I love you," I said again, steadier this time. "I love you so much, Sargis Arekvis Sargsyan. I'm sorry it took me this long to say it."
For a breath, he only stared, and then that slow, wicked grin spread across his face, tugging at the corner of his mouth until it was a full, unabashed smile. "Shit," he rasped, tilting his head, "I love you more, im sireli."
A shaky laugh caught in my throat. "No," I countered, brushing my fingers across his jaw, "I love you more."
"I love you more more," he fired back, low and teasing, his thumb tracing lazy circles at my waist.
"I-" I tried, ready to argue, but he closed the last inch between us, his mouth capturing mine mid-word. The kiss stole every thought, every breath, until there was nothing but heat and the pounding of our hearts.
"We both love each other, im sireli," Sargis murmured against my lips. "I'm glad... and grateful to see you so free now, embodying everything you were meant to be."
My chest tightened, the words threading through every scar I'd carried. I smiled, my fingers tracing the strong line of his jaw. "Thank you, my love, for standing by me every step of the way." My voice cracked on the last word, but before the ache could bloom, his lips brushed mine.
The kiss deepened until the world melted to breath and heartbeat, his hands braced at my waist, my palms sliding up his chest.
He pulled back just enough to search my eyes. "Tell me you want this. I need to know."
I groaned, half-laughing, half-desperate. "Shut up and take me already."
"Are you sure?" he whispered, still holding my gaze.
I grinned, a thrill running through me, and in one motion ripped his shirt open at the seams. The look on his face, wide-eyed shock tumbling into laughter, almost made me laugh aloud.
"What?" I teased, my voice husky. "Maelis has been teaching me a thing or two."
Sargis's grin was wicked now, his canines just peeking through. "Gods, I adore you," he murmured, and in the same breath scooped me into his arms. My legs wrapped around his waist instinctively as his mouth found mine again, the kiss dizzy and consuming.
He carried me toward the bed, trailing kisses across my jaw and collarbone, each step slow but charged, the rhythm of his breathing mingling with my own.
"Careful," I teased, nibbling at his jaw. "Drop me and I'll haunt you."
"You already haunt me," he murmured. "Every thought and breath."
Heat flared in my cheeks, my fingers curling tighter at the nape of his neck. His gaze flicked down to mine as he set me on my feet beside the bed.
For a moment, neither of us moved. The room seemed to hush around the thrum of our hearts, moonlight from the balcony spilling silver ribbons across his bare chest where my hands had torn his shirt.
"You're staring," I whispered, smiling though my pulse skittered.
He brushed a strand of hair from my cheek. "Trying to remember every inch of you," he said softly, "in case this is all a dream."
I pressed a hand flat to his chest, feeling the steady hammer beneath my palm. "It isn't," I breathed.
His forehead rested against mine, our lips almost brushing but not quite. "Then promise me," he murmured, "whatever comes next, we stay like this together for better or for worse."
"I promise," I whispered.
His grin returned, slow and wolfish. "Good," he groaned, easing me backward until my calves met the edge of the mattress. "Because I'm not done kissing you."
I giggled, half breathless, half undone, and tugged him down with me. His mouth met mine again.
Moonlight pooled like silver water across the bedchamber, catching the faint shimmer of dust motes stirred by our hurried steps. Sargis's breath was already rough against my ear, the weight of his stare pinning me as though the world beyond these walls had simply ceased to exist. I could feel the promise of everything we had survived vibrating in the quiet room, the laughter, the scars, and the miracle of finally belonging to each other without fear.
His palm traced the curve of my cheek, thumb brushing the corner of my mouth. "Last chance to stop me," he murmured.
I grinned, letting my fingers slip beneath the collar of his shirt. "If you ask again, I'll have to pin you to the bed myself."
The sound he made was half-growl, half-laugh, as if my words had set something feral loose in him. Cloth tore, the whisper of linen giving way under my impatient tug. The faint scent of cedar and smoke, always clinging to him, flared warm as his chest pressed to mine.
We toppled together into the waiting sheets, breathless. The mattress creaked softly, a counterpoint to the staccato rhythm of our hearts. His mouth found my jaw, then lower, tracing the rapid beat beneath my skin. Every kiss left a molten imprint that spread like spilled ink, threading want through my veins.
I slid my hands across the planes of his back, memorizing every ripple of muscle, every tremor that rolled through him as he lingered over me. His hair brushed my cheek when he leaned in, strands tickling, sending shivers darting across my shoulders. "Tell me if it's too much," he rasped, barely audible.
"Stop talking," I whispered, winding my legs around his hips, pulling him closer until there was no room left for air or doubt.