Belle grinned.
Hervé relaxed and smiled along with her. He held her face and gave her a deep, passionate kiss until she felt as if the heels of her shoes had melted. A surge of dizzying vertigo seized her when he finally broke the kiss. She gasped, filling her lungs with much-needed air. God. Hervé was one hell of a kisser. Well, Armand was too. She wondered if all male fae were wired with insatiable sex drives and if it was infectious.
They stood only a hairsbreadth away from each other, holding hands, amidst the grow
ing crowds of the Shaman Court, and yet at that very moment, she felt nothing else mattered and the world had been forged for just the two of them. Hervé’s gaze had drowned her in a sea of lust. Her panties dampened. Nipples hardened. Face flushed.
A faint smile hovered on the corner of his lips. “You want me,” he whispered, telling her the obvious.
She couldn’t deny it. Her body had become wanton from the time she’d betrayed her own promise to never give herself to any man after Trent. That night in Maison Plaisir had changed everything, the night Armand taught her new forbidden delights. She’d been addicted to it ever since.
Belle tore her gaze from him, trying to calm her raging hormones, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. She’d turned from an ice queen to a nympho. Couldn’t say no to Armand. Couldn’t say no to Hervé either. Was it their fae nature that made her like this? All they needed to do was to take a good look at her and she went horny in a blink of an eye.
Hervé looked as if he wanted to kiss her again, but a new commotion distracted them. Belle turned to the source of the noise. The parade was entering the court.
Belle tiptoed on her feet, trying to get a better look above the crowds. About a half a block before them, hundreds of people in festive costumes entered the gates of the courtyard. They carried colourful lanterns while chanting a melodic song. Belle focused her sight on the procession. Those spirits, the Nightmarchers, weren’t entirely in human form. Some spirits looked like ordinary humans, but most had taken shapes of animals, vegetation, and even household items. If she didn’t know the otherworld beings really existed, she would’ve freaked out if she encountered them casually. She thought of those ghost-busters reality shows on TV. They would have a ball if they ever saw something as extraordinary as this.
Hervé wrapped her in his arms as the Nightmarchers arrived at their final destination. Music and people chattering became rapturously loud as the last of the marchers walked past the gate. From the way it looked, the party had begun.
The crowd moved into the Shaman Court. Hervé tugged her hand and they went to join the festivities. Belle craned her neck upwards as they strolled past the gigantic red gates. Inside, the colour red exploded everywhere like fireworks on Fourth of July. Each vendor in the Shaman Court had festooned their stalls and their merchandise with red banners, flags and decorations. The air was filled with the delicious smells of something baked, fried, steamed and grilled. Belle felt hungry all of a sudden.
Hervé showed her around the court, explained the customs of the people in Seventh Realm, and had her sample many sweets and indigenous snacks from many food stalls, before they settled at one restaurant that was his favourite. The place looked like a tree house. They had to climb long winding stairs before the hostess seated them in a small private dining area. They had to take off their shoes before they settled in. This restaurant didn’t provide chairs. The guests were seated on floor cushions while their meals were served on a short table. The nook had a balcony that overlooked the festivities below.
Hervé ordered drinks for them while Belle perused the menu. The hostess bowed and vanished.
Belle did a double take. “Where did she go?”
“Getting our orders.”
Apparently in Seventh Realm, people could vanish and reappear at will, and the use of doors was highly optional. Unlike the human world. She returned her attention to the menu and gave up. “I don’t know what to order. Everything looks strange to me.”
“Allow me, then.” When the hostess reappeared with their drinks, Hervé ordered for both of them. “What do you think of Seventh Realm so far, love?” he asked after the hostess left.
“Amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“So, you think you’ll like it here?”
Belle paused when she caught Hervé’s insinuation. He was gauging her reaction to move to the Seventh Realm. “I…”
“Of course, you don’t have to live here if you don’t want to. Both Armand and I have homes in your world.”
“What makes you think I would choose either of you?”
Hervé gave her a solemn look. “Because we won’t stop chasing you until you do. And trust me, Armand and I are very persistent.”
No kidding about that. Hervé and Armand were relentless. The word ‘no’ didn’t exist in their dictionary. Belle averted Hervé’s gaze and looked over the festivities below, ruminating. The prospect of marrying one of them and living in Seventh Realm sounded wonderful. The only problem was that she liked them both to the point she couldn’t choose. Both of them were everything a woman could possibly want in men. Armand made her feel protected and secure, besides having a knack of driving her horny just by the slightest touch.
And Hervé—well, she didn’t think anybody wouldn’t like him. He was one of those people who would shine the room on the dullest day with his cheery disposition. She felt comfortable around him and just able to be herself. She couldn’t even stay mad at him because he’d drugged Armand and lied to her in order to take his cousin’s place.
And besides, she wasn’t sure if she was ready give up her safe, semi-hermetic life to take a leap of faith with one of them into the new unknown. What would happen if the marriage didn’t work? Could she get a divorce from a fae?
Her reverie was interrupted by the loud chime of bell. Suddenly, she noticed a small bell on their table. She hadn’t seen it before.
“Food’s coming,” Hervé noted, taking his elbows off the table.
Belle instinctively followed suit. Moments later, a delicious feast appeared before their eyes. Plate upon plate of steaming food filled the table. From savoury-looking meats dishes to fish, noodles, soup and rice, to mouth-watering desserts waiting to be sampled. “Are you trying to feed an army here?” she asked with a laugh.
Hervé smiled. “I just want you to try everything. We do have great food in Seventh Realm. Wait—”