Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,151

I’d look away, smiling and biting my lip to keep him from seeing my reaction to him, yet when I did, I would be drawn back to his hypnotic stare. Every time I looked across the gathering, Knox was there. Couples lounged about, groping or heavily petting their partner while I moved through the crowd. Turning, I looked at Knox, who was mirroring my movements from the other side of the fires that burned down the middle of the valley.

It was a game of cat and mouse, and I was pretty sure I was the mouse. I paused to step through the cleansing pool, bending over to rinse my feet, knowing he watched me. Standing, I found Knox in front of me, and my heart thundered in my chest.

Knox bent, grabbing my ankle, placing it back into the water as he washed my feet. Laughing at my response, he picked me up, splashing his own feet through the pool before stepping out of it, still holding me. He placed me on the ground, smiling as he bowed low at the waist, holding a hand out for me to place mine into his. He pulled me behind him, moving us toward the maypole. He stopped in front of a bed of coals, lifting me without warning, chuckling at my surprise as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He didn’t speak until he set me on my feet. He grabbed my cup, placing it aside with his own on a table, and turned to me. “Dance with me, wife.” He grinned seductively, and I nodded.

Couples cheered Knox on, drunk from the wine they consumed as others observed curiously. In the middle of the dark field was a tall pole with a large flower-covered circle above it. Hanging from the pole were several dozen colorful ribbons.

Witches and warriors prepared to dance and weave in and out of one another’s path, braiding the colorful ribbons to the pole. Knox released my hand, holding onto my fingers as I went to stand with the women and him with the men. The flutes and drums began, and we closed the distance between us. Knox extended his elbow, and I accepted it as we started to spin around to the beat, slipping apart to touch hands as we moved the red and white length of cloth in our hands. We parted to move through the people in the wide circle, our eyes never leaving the other.

When we reached one another again, I laughed as Knox wiggled his brows. We twirled through the ribbon and the other dancers as we swayed faster, and the crowd cheered when the music picked up. We moved toward the pole and bowed before we turned. The dancers began moving in the other direction together, and his other hand brushed against mine. We slid between people, crossing the braid as we danced, him moving to me, and me moving to him. Everything within me needed his touch.

The maypole dance was sacred. It signified fertility and was reserved for those who sought to become pregnant. We danced to bless Knox’s land, yet my stomach clenched for more than that tonight. We stopped in front of one another, and Knox turned to look behind him as the music stopped, grasping my length of ribbon to his, representing one.

I stared where the silky fabric had tied to our hands while dancing and smiled as Knox slowly untied the knot. Dropping it, the crowd exploded with cheers, and Knox and I bowed to each other. Dark eyes lifted, holding mine, and he held out his hand before someone moved into his path, whispering something against his ear.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Knox said as a warrior nodded toward him.

“As you wish,” I muttered, uncertain what was happening. I lifted another cup of whiskey to my lips, staring at it before I groaned at lowering my guard to him.

Slipping back into the crowd, I moved through it. I hadn’t made it more than a few feet from the maypole before Knox was back on the other side, silently stalking me with a roguish grin on his lips. We walked for a while; him watching me as we moved through the people celebrating, while I pretended not to notice him and failed horribly.

The man knew how to flirt, and he looked amazingly good tonight. I drifted through more people, sliding through them aimlessly, uncertain what to do with myself since no one here cared that it was my wedding