Verita - The Guardian of Darkness

43 - Diplomatic Visits

There was no time to let his meaning sink in since the footsteps were nearing the door. Elanthin couldn't even look over Aetrian's shoulder, before his face blocked out anything happening behind him. Leaning over her, Aetrian grabbed her chin and turned it upwards, towards him.
The feeling of his mouth pressing down on hers wasn't welcome to her – or at least it shouldn't have been. Elanthin gave her best to ignore the pleasant shiver which went down her spine as their lips touched.

You can't be serious, she told herself, especially not in this situation.

She tried to draw back. "Wait, Aetri–"

Instead of a reply, he tightened his grip and her hands flew to the hilts of her swords. How dare he –?

Elanthin had nearly drawn her blades, when it dawned on her what Aetrian was trying to accomplish. The anger she'd felt vanished, making place for something akin to amusement.

It was a shabby plan but better than nothing.

I'll play along for a bit, she decided on the spot. If it failed, she could still knock out the guard and make a run for it.

Since Aetrian's grip didn't allow for much movement on her part, she raked her arms around his neck. Burying herself against him let her fully hide in the shadows. Even Aetrian's hair had lost its usual shine in the darkness, turning a matte grey similar to that of their cheap cloaks. With only his back in the stranger's field of vision, there was no way they'd be recognized.

She felt his lips move against her own as he spoke in a low voice. "You look too distracted."

Elanthin wanted to shoot back that the stranger wouldn't be able to see her face, when she felt one of his hands wander down from her waist to where the soft corset ended and further, along her thigh. The thin fabric of the commoner's dress she was wearing barely kept his warmth from seeping through.

Telling herself to be patient for the plan, Elanthin slid around on the dresser. Aetrian's touch left behind a prickling sensation and an impatience spread in her stomach which she couldn't quite categorize.

When his fingers slid underneath her dresses' hem, she broke from the kiss with a gasp but Aetrian used his free hand to cup her head and draw her in again. His kiss was harder than the first, more urgent, and with a sudden bout of panic amidst the unfamiliar sensations washing over her, Elanthin gripped his arm.

This is dangerous, she thought – but it had little to do with the member of the Grace, who was opening the meeting room's door to check on the intruders.

She barely noticed him stepping into the hallway. His glare was deflected by Aetrian's back, who didn't react to it any more than she did. He was busy nibbling on Elanthin's lips, trying to get her to open up for him.

With a sound somewhere between annoyance and relief, she relented. Aetrian tasted like he smelled – of wildflowers. Feeling her heart pound against her ribcage and Aetrian pressed against her body, she had no thoughts to spare for the intruder.

Aetrian's hand had stopped moving up, locked in place by her increasingly firm hold on his arm. He seemed to have remembered where they were – at least he didn't fight against her grip but limited himself to drawing small circles on her thigh.

"Hey! Hey, you two!"

Neither one of them reacted, even though she could feel Aetrian grin into their kiss.

„Damn it, get a room or get out of here", hurled the member of the Grace towards them, before waddling off. While the door was closing behind him, he was murmuring something along the lines of Some people ought to get a clue about manners and How many times has that shit happened now.