Delyse sighed deeply and gathered her courage to get out of the bathtub. She had been soaking in the hot water for a little over an hour, which was a record even for her. She had already figured out the whole palace had an incredible heating system, but she hadn’t expected it to be hooked up to the bathtub in such a way that it kept the water at a constant temperature. Goodbye frustrating baths during which she had to let some of the water drain so she could add more hot water! This was heaven!
“Right,” she said out loud while slapping her rosy cheeks lightly. “I have to get out before I fall asleep.”
With great effort, she stood up and let the water run down her body before she stepped out of the tub and reached for the fluffy towel. She looked at herself in the mirror and took her time to study her body like she had never done it before. Small, perky breasts, rather narrow hips, delicate waist, and long legs. She hoped Eric would like what she had to offer, then wondered briefly what Viggo’s type was. She bit down on her lower lip, nearly drawing blood.
“Bad thoughts, Lily,” she whispered to herself. “These are very bad thoughts.”
Still, she couldn’t help but run a hand from her swan neck, down to the roundness of her breasts, brushing over a hard nipple, then lower, down her tout abdomen and smooth, creamy mound. She closed her eyes and imagined it was Viggo’s hand. She felt a bit guilty for thinking about him instead of her future husband, but the truth was it was impossible to fantasize about a man she had never met. She didn’t even know what Eric Drekinn looked like. She slipped a finger between her folds and teased her clit. Tomorrow, if Eric liked her enough to decide to stay awake and claim her as his bride, she would finally become a woman. A shiver ran up her spine and she snapped her eyes open. In the mirror, she could see there was more fear in them than excitement.
Delyse dried herself as best as she could, brushed her hair, and slipped in a white, satin nightgown. She went back to her bedroom, intent on trying to read for another hour or so until she fell asleep. She didn’t particularly feel like reading, but it was better than simply lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and letting her young, horny mind wander. She didn’t want to think about the next day, either. The total solar eclipse would start at noon, and she would have exactly 11 minutes to convince him not to fall into hibernation again. Somewhere, deep down, she wanted to fail, but most of the time, she didn’t allow herself to think about it. If she did, there was the serious danger of convincing herself it was better to fail, and that would’ve been selfish and wrong. She had to think about Clan Drekinn, about her father and the peace treaty. And she had to think about her future. If she failed, then Astrid, Finn, and Viggo would probably return her to Alma Venus. Why not? They wouldn’t need her anymore. They would probably try to buy another bride for Eric, and hope she would have more luck on the next total solar eclipse.
Delyse shook her head, trying to chase away some of the thoughts. Whether she thought about Eric, Viggo, her father, or her future, the only thing she managed to do was to increase her levels of stress. She had even lost a few pounds in the last months due to the constant stress and worries. It had to end. One way or another, it had to end tomorrow, and she would do everything in her power to make it end well for everyone. Delyse wasn’t Avelyn. She knew how important it was to keep her cool and do exactly what she had been prepared to do. She had accepted her fate a long time ago. She had always known she wouldn’t be allowed to love whomever she wanted, that she’d have to make the best of her destiny and try to love the Alpha who would buy her.
She slipped under the thick duvet and grabbed the book she had placed on the nightstand. While she had been having dinner with the others, a maid had unpacked her things and arranged them neatly where she thought they belonged. The girl had stacked the few books Delyse had brought with her on the desk, next to her laptop, so all Delyse had had to do was choose the one she wanted to read first. As she leaned against the pillows and opened the book, a soft knock made her sigh and close it back again. She was so comfortable that she really didn’t feel like getting out of bed to answer the door. Another soft knock.
“Just a minute!”
Barefoot, she padded across the wide floor covered in a thick, fluffy carpet, and made sure her nightgown didn’t reveal anything. It was probably Astrid, anyway, wanting to make sure she had everything she needed. It couldn’t have been the maid, since the servants only came when someone rung the bell. She opened the door widely, and her heart jumped when she saw Viggo standing in front of her.
“Oh! It’s you… I… I’m sorry.” She stepped aside to let him enter the room if he so wanted, then wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she had had the inspiration of throwing the bathrobe over her bare shoulders.
“No, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have turned up unannounced.” He wanted to enter the room, he really did, but he hesitated. She was so beautiful. He couldn’t take his eyes off her creamy skin and soft, freshly washed hair. She smelled like pure spring. “I didn’t mean to bother you.” Now that he was here, in front of her open door, he had no idea why he had come in the first place. He was pretty sure he had gone over what he wanted to say to her some minutes ago, but his mind was embarrassingly blank.
“Not at all.” Delyse managed a smile. She took another step back, hoping Viggo would eventually decide to come inside. “I was reading, getting ready for bed.” Why was he looking at her like that? Maybe it was rude of the Fyrstur’s future bride to chat with the Annarr over the threshold of her bedroom door while wearing only a satin nightgown? Then, why had he come? “Oh! I love the bathtub! I just had to tell you. I’m more of a bath person than a shower person…” Now she was babbling.
Viggo smiled and finally decided it wouldn’t hurt to go inside just for a minute. No one would know, and even if they did, they would never think badly of him or Delyse. He closed the door behind him.
“I’m glad you like it.” He looked around the room. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach when he saw some of her things lying around, showing the place belonged to her now. Then, the pleasant feeling turned to pain when he remembered that Eric would be the one who would enjoy her presence, who would get to taste her skin and run his fingers through her long hair. Eric would be the one to take her innocence in the four-poster bed in the middle of the bedroom.
“Oh, I love it! Really! Not only this room, but this whole place is amazing.”
They were silent for a while.
“Err… was there something you wanted to tell me?” she eventually asked.
Viggo struggled to snap out of his reverie. His feelings were so erratic that they almost made him ill.
“Yes… I mean, no.” He rubbed his right temple, then smiled and looked her in the eyes. “I just wanted to make sure you’re comfortable and have everything you need. You probably figured out that if you need anything, you just have to ring the bell and a maid will be here in no time, but I wanted to… you know, make sure.”
“Oh. Yes, I’m more than comfortable. Thank you.”
Viggo nodded. “Good. Good.”
Delyse bit the inside of her cheek. Even though he had gotten what he had come for, he was still standing awkwardly in front of her, giving no clue that he was ready to turn around and leave.
“So… tomorrow at noon,” he said.
“Yes. Exciting, isn’t it?” She forced another smile, but she was painfully aware that it didn’t look genuine.
“Yes. It’s going to change everything,” he agreed.
“Change. Change is good.”
“Mhm…”
Another minute passed, and the tension had grown so thick between them that they could probably cut it with a knife. She tried not to stare at his strong chest and muscled arms, but it was almost impossible. The black T-shirt he had on hugged his body in all the right places. It was so tight on his abs, that Delyse could see the perfect, tout squares. Oh, and his black jeans! So deliciously tight on his round, inviting ass. Black went so well with his dark blond hair, trademark dragon golden eyes, and fair skin. How could she possibly look away?
Viggo exhaled slowly. Delyse still had her arms wrapped around herself, and now he was pretty sure she was trying to cover her breasts. After all, it was never a good idea to go bra-less in the presence of a horny dragon-shifter. Of course, she couldn’t tell he was horny. She didn’t have the sharp senses he had. But he had smelled her arousal the moment she had opened the door. He wondered if she was wearin