Celestial Fragments

The Full Moons ball

"You will be watched closely...." Kephry murmured under her breath, watching Angelique fix her hair once again, into her intricate braided bun.

"I know I will be watched. That's the whole point of it." The woman muttered, fixing one of the crystal pins into the bun, to make sure it would sit comfortably and not risk losing it.

Kephry sighed and sank into the armchair, eyes pinned on the woman who took her sweet time fixing the last details of her look.

Aellioah had picked a whole outfit for tonight, but Angelique refused to wear it as soon as she found out he had planned it for her. So the ball gown matching the colors of his name had been discarded on the bed, crumpled up in a ball, as if taking it all out on the dress would make it all better. Instead, Angelique chose to wear a very different kind of dress. A terrifyingly pitch black hue, with red iridescent shin on it, with a bare back and off the shoulders sleeves, two long and deep cuts right in front of the dress and an armor-like bodice that resembled scales, a very strange crimson color.

"You're gonna be cold..." Kephry insisted, her eyes running down her half-exposed back and arms, sighing softly.

"I'm sure I'll be fine." Angelique muttered, finishing up her makeup.

Her hair had been washed carefully and braided with so much attention that Kephry was not very happy thinking it would have to be messed up after a few hours. Her face was framed beautifully by two short loose curls on each side of her face, her deep blue eyes were lined with attention with black liner and her round lips were stained a similar shade of crimson as her bodice.

"You look like a witch!" Kephry whined, running two of her hands in her hair in exasperation. "The other dress looked so much better on you!" she complained, despite thinking differently.

This one, highlited every inch of her curves and added so much more height to her already small frame. But she was terrified of thinking Aellioah would be displeased to see her not wearing the gown he had picked for her.

"And that mark is showing-" Kephry continued, but Angelique turned swiftly to her, pointing the mascara brush at her menacingly.

"You are here to cheer me up not make me feel like I took my mother-in-law at a dress fitting!"

"Mother in Law?" Kephry murmured, insecure.

"That's the groom's mother...." Angelique explained plainly, unsure of what to say.

"Groom?!" Kephry seemed even more confused.

"The husband! Aellioah! My mate?!" Angelique seemed to grow frustrated.

"So you accepted him as your-"

"Nevermind!"

***

The whole throne room was swarming with people. When she finally took the first glimpse of the sea of people gathered downstairs, Angelique could feel a wave of anxiety washing all over her, messing up all her mood of slaying this.

At her side, very stern and just as always, looking like he could throw up, Azrael stood stiff, his usual military attire changed for something more appropriate for a celebration.

"Remind me-" Angelique breathed in deeply, smoothing out her dress. " -why are you here?" she turned to him, skeptic. "You seem in actual pain to be here, standing next to me and I'm actually afraid to even touch you. Maybe your flesh will sizzle and i don't know, maybe I'll get some disease-"

" Your mocking is unwanted." Azrael spoke, his voice low, clearly displeased with having to talk with her. "We're doing this, because, apparently, your stench is maddening anyone else that tries to get close to you, and since we don't want any raping to happen tonight, it has been decided I'll be the one to keep an eye out for you."

There were so many things she wanted to address to him right now, that she was actually unsure which one to pick to start with.

She squinted her eyes at him and opened her mouth to say something, but Azrael sighed and rolled his eyes, offering her his hand.

"The sooner we do this, the sooner I'm out of your sight." He commented, not giving her the time to continue babbling.

Angelique closed her mouth and bit her inner cheek, staring at his hand, before resting hers in his and following at his side, down the flight of stairs.

Despite the massive height difference, she did not feel threatened by Azrael. He seemed like the best person around to f**k with. Well, not f**k-f**k, but tease and enjoy making him suffer. She should keep that in mind in case life becomes too boring again.

Not too many people refused to watch her join the party, and plenty of those who turned to watch her seemed to be displeased the moment she showed her face. But Angelique didn't seem bothered. She held her had high and her back straight. Across the room, on his terribly uncomfortable looking throne, Aellioah sat, stiff as a board, his expression cold and distant, a glass in one of his hand, while the other supported his face. Bored? Maybe he was bored.

When their eyes connected, Angelique felt a cold shiver run down her spine, settling at the base of it, spreading as a warm sensation further. Even from afar, she swore she could see a smirk drawn on his lips, before he would sip from his cup.

"Who are all these people?" Angelique asked Azrael as they walked between the people that now scurried away from their path.

"Kunvanus' allies, lords and ladies of all races, that simply came across to celebrate." the grumpy man answered.

"I doubt it's a simple celebration for most of them-" she whispered under her breath as she tried to ignore the silent whispers she started to hear surrounding them.

One would say that them speaking in another language was better than knowing what they were saying, but it was not the case for Angelique. She suddenly started to feel small and unwanted. Azrael came to a stop in front of the giant throne of Aellioah, who sat up and walked down the few stairs that separated the throne from the room itself. Azrael bowed his head in a very simple and polite gesture, before dropping Angelique's hand and walking away immediately. Angelique remained there, small, insignificant, and completely frozen, like a deer in the headlights, while Aellioah came to a stop in front of her.

Once again, the height difference made Angelique want to scurry away like a stray cat.

Aellioah was wearing white and purple, colors that seemed to match him so perfectly. For the first time, she had to admit to herself he did look like a God in all these white lights. His face was chiseled and the way his hair was so perfectly in place all the time, the way his clothes seemed tailored especially for him-

When Aellioah's hand touched her bare shoulder, Angelique realized she had stopped breathing.

"You're nervous." Aellioah muttered, in a low voice as soon as the msuci started again, so only she could hear him.

"There's a lot of people here...." Angelique's eyes lowered and she looked to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of the crowd behind her, averting her eyes from his.

But Aellioah didn't have it. His fingers cupped her chin and he turned her face back towards him. His skin was warm against her face, his fingers just as soft and gentle as she remembered them.

"And yet, why do I feel like that's not the reason your heart decides to be frenetic?" his thumb brushed under her lower lips, careful not to smudge the perfect tint on her lips.

"Because you think with your d**k-" Angelique replied with a devious smirk, slowly pulling her chin away from between his fingers.

As if satisfied with her answer, Aellioah smirked again, the mischievous smile reaching all the way up to his eyes.

"Would you like to dance?" Aellioah offered his hand in a very gentlemanish way.

"Dance?" she repeated, looking down at his hand, noticing the multiple rings he wore. "I don't dance." she answered, narrowing her eyes on the strange symbol she noticed on the button of his shirt.

"You don't? I thought you were a pole dancer before-"

"Don't -" she hissed at him, her eyes immediately going up to stare into his.

Aellioah chuckled, a dark seductive tune to it.

"Don't worry. I don't want you to do it for me. It's a simple, innocent dance."

Angelique eyed him skeptically, before sighing and putting her hand in his.

With a very satisfied smirk, Aellioah guided her on the dance floor, as the tune changed to a slower one.

"Why do I feel you orchestrated this?" Angeliuque murmured as she followed him.

"Weren't you the one complaining I am not putting enough effort in this?" he countered with a devious smile.

"Fair enough." she nodded shortly, admiring his cheeky smile.

There was something odd about him tonight. Was it the wine? His breath did have a hint of alcohol in it, but not enough to say he was already tipsy. Whatever it was, it was charming. Despite the uneasy feeling of warmth around her lower abdomen, she could say she enjoyed seeing him like this.

"What are we celebrating tonight?" she asked as Aellioah guided her into a small pirouete.

"Every once a year, the moons synchronize and are both fully visible in the sky. It's similar to new year's eve on earth. In a way, at least. It's the way they keep track of time here on Kunvanus." Aellioah explained as soon as she was back in his arms.

"And did you come back from the battlefield just so you could celebrate New years eve?!" Angelique seemed mortified and dumb struck at the same time.

"Not really." he smirked, one of his hands traveling down the curve of her back, settling just above her ass. "I came back because I could not bear seeing you touch yourself every night -"

"hold on!" she interrupted him hastily, feeling her cheeks tint almost as red as her lips. "See me?" she repeated in disbelief.

A dark laughter shook his shoulders.

"There's plenty of things you know nothing about me, little dragon." he growled.

"There's plenty of things I don't know about a shitload of things..." she whispered, averting her eyes from him again.

"One of the reasons I hurried back is because we have found the seventh fragment and we can't delay getting it." his dark voice turned to a whisper, as he spoke just for her.

"Seventh?" she felt a jab of worry in her stomach. "Weren't you-"

"You really think that while I spent time arguing with you, I didn't have others working for me?" he mocked her.

Silence set between the two as Angelique's worry grew. She still didn't know much about the fragments. The little writings in a language she could read didn't speak much about their power, but their origins. The fragments had been created by primordial beings, strong primordial beings known as Gods. Or at least, Gods on Earth. There were several fragments of power spread throughout the entire known and unknown creation, and to gather them all was a terrible task. There were no writings on how many there were out there, but some speculated there were no more than seven. If there were seven, and Aellioah was about to seize the seventh of them- a dreadful feeling washed over her and she stopped moving for a moment.

Aellioah stopped as well, his brows drawing together in confusion.

"Angel?" he questioned, pulling her away from her thoughts.

"Is this the last you're missing?" she asked plainly, looking up at him.

"Why do you look at me like I'm about to murder your entire family?" Aellioah's grip on her lower body tightened slowly.

"You never told me why you need the fragments..."

"Because you never asked!" his worry seemed to wash away. "If I tell you, will you stop staring at me like that?"

"Will you be honest?" she seemed to tense.

"What's up with you today?" he huffed, half amused, half pissed by now. "The reason I want this for, does not concern you-" his voice grew more aggravated as his body grew tense against hers.

"What role do I have in this?" the realization seemed to come crashing on top of her shoulders.

"What are you talking about?" Aellioah's voice grew a little louder.

"You brought me here for a rea-"

But Aellioah cut her short. He had had enough of her nonsense. his lips crashed against her, claiming them in a deep, hungry and passionate kiss. For a moment, Angelique wanted to push him away, to fight him, but the taste of his lips and the sudden scent that completely intoxicated and took over every sane thought in her mind, washed it all away as if it was never there to begin with.

The kiss was fiery and passionate. Angelique could feel his tongue asking for permission, but eagerly pushed between her lips before she could grant him access. With one hand on her lower back, and the other on her cheek, Aellioah held her in place and supported her, when her knees grew weak under the lust that overtook them both. The kiss broke a little too soon, as the music stopped, and the two had to part before Angelique would faint from the lack of air. A soft shiver rushed down her body, prickling her skin as he pulled away from her, leaving her lips a little swollen and cold. He tasted good, sweet, in a strange way.

"You're here because I wanted you and because I'm terribly selfish." he spoke, his voice low and dark, his eyes half closed, hooded with need and longing. "Stop overthinking, stop feeding your nightmares and let me do this right for you." he growled, a low tune, a reverberating sound.

Angelique could feel her panties already soaking, as her skin prickled again to the sound of his voice, her n*****s hardening and pressing mercilessly against the harsh bodice she chose for her dress. she nodded gently and when Aellioah pulled away from her, to walk her to the chair sat right next to his, she could feel every single insecurity washing down all over her like an ice bucket.

He saved her a seat beside his throne?! She was about to be seen by the entire crowd and-

Aellioah's hand rested on her hip as he pulled her against him.

"You're alright. Nobody will dare say a thing against you, for they will be saying it directly to me. And they all know better-"

Aellioah seemed very confident about that, but it still did not push all her worries asside.

She stopped, hesitant, in front of the cushioned armchair...