Chapter 14; The craving beneath the crown

Annabelle sat on the marble dais, the silk of her gown spilling around her like shadows made tangible. Her fingers curled lightly over the armrest of the throne, but her mind was far from steady. The hall was lit with flickering torches, casting golden light on ancient stone. She was no longer the girl buried in silence. No longer just prey. She was something more now—and they all saw it.

Zarek stood off to her left, leaning casually against a carved column, his eyes dark with amusement and fire. That same twisted, sensual energy wrapped around him like a second skin. He hadn't spoken much during the gathering, but his eyes never left her. Not for a second.

Noctis stood further back, near the great stained-glass window, unmoving as a statue, yet somehow the most commanding presence in the room. He radiated ancient calm and power, a tidal force barely restrained. His gaze flicked to her only once during the meeting, but when it did, it felt like he'd seen straight through to the hunger beneath her skin.

And then there was Knight.

He stood at her right, closer than the others, the loyal shadow by her side. Tall, graceful, eyes warm and deep like the night sky. He wasn't as loud in presence as the others, but the calm in him pulled at something inside her. He was her first encounter in this strange new world. The way he'd spoken to her—gentle, reverent—had left a mark on her soul.

The meeting had been about rebuilding the court. Vampires from the old covens had emerged from hiding now that she'd awakened. Whispers spread of the Queen of Blood returning. Some feared her. Others worshipped her. A few wanted her dead. But tonight wasn't about politics.

It was about something else.

Desire.

Even as they talked about alliances and threats, every gaze in the room that touched her skin seemed to linger too long. Every silence hummed with something unspoken. And she… she felt it too. The way her pulse throbbed when Zarek smirked, when Knight looked at her with longing, when Noctis's stillness pressed in on her senses like velvet wrapped around steel.

She dismissed the court before midnight, rising from her throne with deliberate grace. Her dress clung to her in all the right places. She could feel their eyes devour every movement.

Outside the hall, as the heavy doors closed, silence wrapped around her. She was not alone. Not really.

Zarek moved first, appearing beside her like a wraith of temptation. "You were born to rule, Goddess," he murmured, voice like sin wrapped in silk.

She turned to face him, chin lifted. "Don't call me that," she whispered, though a shiver betrayed her. "Not yet."

He stepped closer, hand brushing her waist, just barely—like a question left unanswered. "But you crave it. Just like you crave the rest."

Before she could reply, another presence came—calm but seething. Knight. He moved between them with quiet fire, positioning himself at her side again, protective, possessive.

"Give her space, Zarek."

Zarek only laughed, low and knowing. "Why? Afraid of what she might want if she's left alone with me?"

"I'm not afraid," Knight said evenly. "But I know what you are."

"And what are you?" Zarek whispered.

"A guard. A shield. Her knight."

Something crackled between them then—something primal. But Annabelle stepped forward, her hand on Knight's chest, her other grazing Zarek's jaw as she passed between them.

"Enough," she breathed. "Both of you."

The touch silenced them. Dominated them. She could feel it in their stillness, in the tightness of their jaws, in the storm beneath their skin. They wanted her. All of them. She could feel it pressing into the air around her like a drug.

And gods, she wanted something too.

Knight followed her to her chambers. He didn't speak, just walked behind her like her shadow. When they entered, the door closed behind them with a quiet thud.

She turned slowly.

"Why did you follow me?"

"Because you looked like you needed someone."

She exhaled.

He stepped forward, slowly, hesitantly. "You're carrying too much again. I can feel it."

"You don't know what I feel."

He didn't answer with words. Instead, he reached out, fingers brushing hers. Warm. Steady. So different from Zarek's fire or Noctis's chill. He was the calm between storms.

Her fingers curled around his.

And then—lightning.

Not from above, but inside her. Her body sang at his touch. Every inch of skin he touched felt alive. Her breath hitched. His other hand rose, brushing her jaw, his thumb ghosting over her lower lip.

"I shouldn't," he whispered.

"But I want you to," she replied, voice cracking softly, honestly.

He pressed his forehead against hers. "This... it's not just need. I've felt something since the first time I saw you."

She leaned in, her lips brushing the corner of his mouth. "Show me."

He kissed her.

Soft at first. Searching. His lips brushed over hers like a question, and when she answered—when she deepened the kiss—he responded with all the yearning he had kept hidden. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close, closer. His hands explored her back, her waist, not daring to go further yet. She moaned into his mouth, not from lust alone, but from need.

It was heat. It was tension. It was desperation disguised as control.

Their kiss broke, and for a breathless second, their eyes locked.

"I want more," she whispered.

Knight's hands shook. "Don't tempt me, Anna. I... I'll fall too hard."

"Then fall," she said, lips brushing his again.

But that's where it stopped.

Just lips. Just breath. Just the edge.

And gods—it wasn't enough.

Not yet.

POV

....The Knight's name is Cassian....