In the Shadow of the Crown

Eliza’s pulse still pounded as Raen’s grip on her waist tightened, his warmth seeping through the layers of her gown. The weight of his gaze was suffocating, branding her with a silent promise, one that sent a slow, dangerous shiver through her spine.

The court still whispered, their hushed voices a symphony of intrigue. But they were nothing more than background noise now.

The moment belonged to him.      

To them.

Eliza exhaled shakily, her body tense beneath Raen’s touch. His fingers ghosted over her wrist before finally releasing her, though the imprint of his possession lingered.

"You let him touch you," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, but weighted with something dark.

Eliza knew she should step back. Knew she should find some empty excuse, some carefully woven lie that would keep this night from turning into something else.

But she didn’t.

Because part of her - a reckless, foolish part of her - wanted to see just how far he would go.

“I thought you enjoyed watching,” she countered, tilting her chin just slightly, enough to challenge.

The flicker of something primal in his eyes was immediate.

A warning. A promise.

Before Raen could answer, a servant appeared at her side, a silver tray balanced expertly in his hands.

“My lady,” the young man murmured, bowing his head, “a refreshment.”

Eliza blinked, her lips parting slightly. She hadn’t noticed how dry her throat had become, how the tension of the night had coiled in her stomach like a vice.

Without thinking, she reached for the delicate crystal goblet, the deep crimson liquid within catching the candlelight.

Wine.

She barely drank, but right now, she needed something anything to dull the sharp edges of the evening.

She lifted the glass to her lips and took a single sip.

Warmth spread through her instantly.

The taste was rich, dark berries laced with a whisper of spice, and yet there was something deceptively light about it. Eliza sighed softly, the tension in her shoulders easing ever so slightly.

She barely noticed how quickly the heat crept into her limbs.

How the edges of the ballroom blurred at the corners.

How her pulse slowed.

A delicate chuckle escaped her lips, and she was dimly aware of Raen’s gaze darkening further, his jaw tensing.

“Eliza.” His voice was sharper now. Closer.

She blinked up at him, her vision just slightly hazy, her balance just slightly…off.

“Mm?” She swayed slightly, and before she could register the movement, Raen was there.

His hands closed around her waist, firm, steadying—possessive.

Eliza tilted her head up at him, the world swaying just a little. “I think…” she paused, letting out the softest breath of laughter, “I think I may have had too much.”

Raen’s expression darkened further. His fingers dug into the fabric at her waist.

“One sip,” he murmured, his voice a low growl. “That’s all it took.”

Eliza didn’t answer.

Because Gods, he was close.

The scent of him—steel and embers and something distinctly Raen wrapped around her like a noose.

His hands, large and impossibly warm, remained at her waist, holding her there, as if the thought of letting her go was unthinkable.

And then, his fingers traced the side of her throat, barely grazing her skin.

“Eliza,” he murmured again, but this time, there was no anger.

Only hunger.

Heat pooled low in her stomach.

She should stop this. Should step back. Should say something.

But the wine had made her limbs heavy, her breath slow.

And Raen?                         @@novelbin@@

Raen was patient, even in his madness.

His thumb brushed the corner of her lips.

“You don’t even realize,” he murmured, his voice softer now, silk laced with steel. “How dangerous this is.”

Eliza swallowed, her pulse skittering beneath his touch.

“And yet,” he continued, fingers sliding lower, trailing the delicate column of her throat, “you still tempt me.”

She shivered.

He chuckled darkly, a sound that sent heat curling deep inside her.

“Drunk on a single sip,” he mused, tilting her chin up with infuriating gentleness. “So fragile. So careless.”

His gaze flickered to her lips.

And for a single, breathless moment, she thought he might kiss her.

But he didn’t.

Because Raen did not take. He made her give.

And tonight…

She would.