The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 77

Chapter 77 His Sweetness Possession

They lay there together, her curled against his side, his arms around her. It should have felt wrong, too. intimate, too much for what was supposed to be a business arrangement. But it felt right. It felt like the only real thing in a world full of masks and lies.

Elera finally drifted off sometime around five, her dreams full of spotlights and falling masks and Drakonius’s voice calling her name, trying to find her in a crowd.

***

She woke to sunlight streaming through the windows and the smell of coffee. Drakonius was already up. sitting in his chair by the window, dressed in comfortable clothes and working on his tablet. He looked better than he had last night, the rest helping more than any medication could.

“Morning,” she said, her voice rough with sleep.

“It’s actually afternoon,” he said, glancing at the clock. “I let you sleep cause you needed it.”

Elera sat up, pushing her hair out of her face. “Did Frost find anything else?”

“He traced the email to Lyra, like you thought. She hasn’t responded to your message, but she also hasn’t sent any more threats. So maybe she’s reconsidering.” He set his tablet aside. “Or maybe she’s planning something bigger.”

“Comforting thought,” Elera muttered.

“Simon came by while you were asleep. Drew blood, ran the morning tests. The cells are still integrating well. He said, and I quote, ‘Whatever you’re doing is working, so keep doing it.” Drakonius smiled slightly. “I think he meant you keeping me from working myself to death and not the medical protocol. Though probably both.”

“Both is good,” Elera said. She stretched, feeling the tension of the last few days in every muscle. “What time do we need to leave for the gala?”

The offer was tempting. So tempting. She could hide here in their fortress, safe and secret. Raven Shadowmere could remain a mystery. She could keep this part of herself locked away.

It was midnight blue, so dark it was almost black, with a fitted bodice and a flowing skirt that moved like water. The neckline was a high collar that fastened at the throat with a single teardrop sapphire, and the sleeves were long and fitted, ending in points over her hands. The back was open, a deep V that went almost to her waist, but the front was modest, elegant, powerful.

It was the dress of a woman who had secrets but wasn’t afraid of them anymore.

She left her hair down again, just a slight wave to it. Makeup was more dramatic tonight. Darker eyes and red lips, a war paint.

The cuff bracelet went on, the one Drakonius had given her. And then, after a moment’s hesitation, she opened her jewelry box and pulled out a pair of earrings she’d never worn in public. They were ravens. small and delicate, carved from black onyx. Clara had sent them to her years ago as a joke, a nod to her pen name. Tonight felt like the right time to wear them.

When she walked downstairs, Drakonius was waiting again, this time in a different tuxedo, this one with a midnight blue pocket square that matched her dress exactly. He’d coordinated with her without even seeing what she was wearing. Like they were two parts of the same picture.

He looked up as she descended the stairs, and this time his reaction was even stronger. He actually stood up, his hand gripping his cane, his eyes going wide.