Page 63 of Consort of the Crime Queen

"I was afraid, too," I whisper. "I was…terrified."

To my horror, Mrs. Graves' eyes fill with tears. "And I should have been here to help you."

I swallow hard. Any more of this and I'll be crying myself, and then my reputation will never recover. "I should've told you—you and Lyssa, both, what I was planning. You would have stopped me. Could have prevented…all of this." I wave a hand around.

Mrs. Graves is already dabbing away the tears as she squeezes my other hand. "I don't think anyone could have prevented this. Nero was determined. And as for what you did to—and for—Aurora, we will talk more about it and clear the air. But not today, dear. You've had just about enough, I'd say, from the looks of you."

"I have," I admit, "but I've got more to do before I can even think about resting."

"Best get on with it, then," Mrs. Graves says in that no-nonsense tone of hers that makes me know, for real, that she has forgiven me.

Just like I have forgiven her. The whole fight seems so pointless now, when lives have been lost.

I leave Lyssa to terrorize her caretakers, confident of her swift recuperation now that Mrs. Graves is here and looking after her, and I move on to check on Ricky. The medics have given him a transfusion and he seems much better, laughing and talking with Mario.

And then I check on everyone else, personally, and thank them for their service here at Elysium, for the blood they have shed for the Styx Syndicate. And each and every one of them tells me the same thing.

That it was an honor.

After a brief stop to tighten security protocols around Elysium, I seek out Aurora again. Mrs. Graves tells me she's out on the back patio, and that's where I find her, though she's fallen asleep curled up in her chair in the sun. Mario is with her, which I'm pleased to see, because Nero might have been vanquished, but there are always enemies out there. I nod my thanks as he wordlessly leaves me to wake her alone.

I slide a gentle hand up her arm, but she still startles awake before the familiar, bright smile comes over her face again. I sit down beside her with a contented sigh.

"It's quite pleasant out here in the daytime," I say.

"Who would ever have thought?" she replies, deadpan, then gives me a fond smile.

"You have a magic touch. The whole estate thrives under your care—and not just the flowers. The people, too." I reach over to take her hand.

She smiles quizzically at me. "And what about you, my fearsome Hades? Do you thrive too, these days?"

The question might have taken me aback only a few weeks ago. I was so accustomed to constant wariness, suspicion, intrigue. But being with Aurora has awakened a different side of me. Different desires.

Simpler, yet somehow more frightening in their vulnerability.

I tighten my hold on her hand. "I am...content, whenever I am at your side." I hesitate, then continue quietly. "You make me feel at peace."

Aurora turns to me, and the sight of that beautiful face in the full sun is breathtaking. She studies me with those clear blue eyes that seem to see through to my core.

"I want that for you, always," she tells me earnestly. "I know the burdens you carry are heavy, Hadria. And I want to help share their weight. Because I finally figured it out, my role here in Elysium."

She explains eagerly, happily, how she plans to make sure she cares for and supports me and my people, and the more she talks, the more I fall in love with her. This gorgeous girl, once my captive, is offering her help, her support…her love.

Perhaps she sees the naked need in my face. Aurora leans toward me and silences my over-worked mind with a kiss. I melt into it, sweeter than any I could have dreamed before I met her. I cling to her as though she is life itself.

And in a way…she is.

She has brought me to life. And Elysium, too.

Right now, in the gardens she has sanctified with love and care, the world beyond falls away as she scrambles into my arms. There is only Aurora, her body pressed to mine, her quickening breaths echoing my own. This passion she ignites within me is at once terrifying and transcendent. I am utterly consumed, yet somehow…set free.

With a herculean effort, I still the urgency of our movements, cradling her head tenderly against my chest so our racing hearts can calm. She makes a sound of frustration, but does not protest otherwise. Her arms loop around my waist, holding me close.

"Tell me you're mine," I sigh.

"I'm yours." She nuzzles closer. "Tell me that you are mine."

"Oh, I am completely and utterly yours," I assure her. I take another breath, a question hovering on my mind, but I let the moment pass and kiss her again, instead.

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