A Strange Hymn
Page 33

I touch the lapels of his suit. “Sometimes, I forget that you’re a fairy,” I admit.
It’s ridiculous to think this happens to me; there’s nothing about Des that’s particularly humanlike, but he has a disarming nature about him that makes me forget. It’s only now, when I see him dressed in his fae attire that I remember.
“I know,” he says softly.
There’s so much in those two words that he leaves unspoken. Not for the first time, I wish he’d spill more of his secrets.
I pull away from him. “Will you help me put the dress on?” Now that I have wings, clothes are a struggle.
His hands slide down my back. In response, the clothes I currently wear slide off my body, leaving me in just a skimpy pair of panties. Of all Des’s magic tricks, I’m beginning to think this one is a favorite of his.
My dress lifts from the box, drifting above me. All at once it slips downward, the material cascading over my body like water. I don’t even need to lift my arms; it settles seamlessly onto me.
Des’s hands smooth over the lacey material that covers my arms.
“Tell me a secret,” I say softly.
I can hear the smile in Des’s voice when he says, “Greedy thing. I can see you won’t be pleased until you know all of my secrets.”
I grin a little, mostly because what he says is true. I want to share every secret of his, simply because they are a part of him.
His hands slip down my arms. “Fine, here’s one for my demanding mate: Normally, you’d have a retinue of ladies to dress and bathe you.”
“How is that a secret?” I ask, turning to face him.
“I eliminated that tradition the moment you came to my kingdom so that I could tend to you myself.”
Wicked man. Not that I’m complaining.
But, now that I think about it …
I raise my eyebrows and look over my shoulder. “You would bathe me?”
Des’s silver eyes deepen. The answer is written all over his face. “Would you like a bath?”
Jesus, I swear this room just got five degrees hotter.
I clear my throat. “Raincheck.”
“It’s a deal.”
A shiver runs down my back. I forget that this man will make binding agreements out of common language.
Not long after Des helps me into my dress, the two of us leave his chambers.
I stare down at my outfit as I follow Des through his palace, Malaki and more guards joining us. The tight, lacey bodice flows into a wispy, floor-length skirt that trails behind me as we walk.
Those flowering, luminescent vines that came with the dress now wrap up my wrists and forearms, some strange cross between gloves and jewelry. The flowers blooming from them are the same ones I’ve seen all across Somnia. I run a finger over the delicate petals. They feel real. More impossible, fae magic at work.
We head out of the castle and across the palace’s extensive gardens, each one lit up by floating fairy lights and those glass encased sparklers.
“Callie, there’s something I need of you,” Des says next to me.
“It’s going to cost you,” I respond without missing a beat.
He walked himself right into that one.
His eyes brighten. “You saucy thing. You’ve clearly learned my tricks.” He doesn’t look at all upset by this. “A bargain it is.”
“What do you want me to do?” I ask.
Des looks ahead of us, and I follow his gaze. Waiting in a neat, orderly line that winds through the palace grounds are rows of foot soldiers and mounted horses. The soldiers all wear black uniforms embroidered with the same luminous thread that my entire dress is made from.
Behind them, sitting astride the horses, are all sorts of fairies, from royal guards, to political aides, to what must be some of the kingdom’s nobility. Some of them hold instruments, while others carry lanterns from tall polls, and still others prop up banners with an image of a crescent moon, which I suspect is the royal crest.
“I want you to let your siren out and keep her out until after you’re introduced to Mara, the Queen of Flora,” Des says, drawing my attention away from the sight in front of us.
His request immediately puts me on edge. “I can’t control her.”
“You don’t need to control her, cherub. You are the Night King’s mate. We represent all deeds better done in the dark.”
The way he says that has my stomach tightening.
Alright, so the dude’s giving me free reign to let my siren out. I stare at all the fae men and women ahead of us, thankful for once that my glamour can’t control other fairies. Because if it could, my siren would consider it open season.
“I’ll agree to it on one condition,” I say.
Des smirks, seeming to thoroughly enjoy the bargain I’m striking. “What do you want? You already have my balls—”
“Lift my sobriety.”
That wipes the amusement clean off his face. “No.”
“Then forget about the siren,” I say with false bravado.
Des stops to pull me in close. “Careful, little mate, how you play your hand.” He strokes my spine. “Tempting as your bargain is, you’re forgetting one simple truth.”
“And what’s that?”
“I could simply coax your siren out,” he says, his voice dipping low.
If the King of the Night decides to seduce me, there’s not a whole lot that can stop my body from giving into him. Being a siren, I’m not hardwired to resist sexual overtures, especially not when they come from my mate.
“You’d regret it,” I say, my voice equally low.
He eyes me, weighing my words. “Fine,” he finally says, a fair bit of amusement returning to his eyes. “I agree to your terms. You can drink alcohol—for now.” He gives me a quick kiss on the lips, and as he does so, I feel a thread of his magic lift from me.
I can drink again. Yasss.
He pulls away from my lips, his eyelids heavy as he gazes at my mouth. “Your turn, cherub,” he says.
It doesn’t take much for me to draw on my own magic. My skin begins to glow as I feel her take over. I roll my shoulders a bit, my gaze moving from Des to the fairies ahead of us.
Those who catch sight of me appear captivated. It’s a different look than the ones humans wear, whose eyes always appear a little glazed, their minds willing to be bended. These fae don’t look as though they’re about to be dragged under by my glamour; they just seem fascinated by my appearance.
I relax further, letting the siren loose in a way I rarely do on earth. I begin walking again, an extra sway to my hips, my entire body now glowing. A sinful smile tugs at the corners of my mouth.
Tonight is going to be fun.
So many people wait for us—far more than I assumed were coming. I feel their mounting gazes on me as our group joins theirs. I feel my claws sharpen and my wings perk up a little.
Des’s hand falls to my back, and now my attention goes to him, my eyelids lowering. If there is one person who, even now, has power over me, it’s him.
His white hair is swept away from his face, the color of it nearly matching his outfit. It looks as though someone plucked the moon from the sky, made it into a man, and then gave him to me. All I want to do is fill myself with him. I will fill myself with him.
He takes notice of my interest. “Give me just this evening, Callie. Then everything you want, I will give you,” he promises.
“Everything I want?” My eyes move to his mouth, and I click my tongue. “You know better than to make such a blind deal.”