Page 22 of Consort of the Crime Queen

I don't like the way this conversation is going, so I put an end to it. "It doesn't matter anymore, anyway. I don't have to do anything, because you are back with me, and no one ever need know."

"Your father knows."

"My father could hardly expect me to honor that promise now that he has lost his only bargaining chip." But what she says is true. Papa knows. Which means I need to make extra certain that Aurora is never in a position to be taken by him again. I tell her as much, but her frown only deepens. "I only mean that you will need guards with you if you leave the safe zone of Elysium," I add quickly. "I don't mean to restrict you. You'll go where you want, when you want—but until this is over, I want someone with you to protect you. Me, preferably—but when I can, then Lyssa, and if she can't, I'll find my most trusted people."

"Alright," she agrees at last. "I have absolutely no desire to go back there. But Hadria, I want you to understand, I'm staying here because it's my choice," she tells me seriously. "I wanted to come to you that morning, to meet you in the cafe. I wanted to tell you…" She hesitates, a pink blush coloring her cheeks, and I swallow hard against the tightness in my throat. Is she going to say…

No. I can't handle that, not right now. If she says what I think she wants to say, it will break me completely, and I can't afford that. The very idea sends me into a panic.

So I cut her off, sealing my mouth over hers again. She responds eagerly, and when we finally separate, her eyes are glazed and lips kiss-swollen. "You're back now," I tell her. "That's all that matters."

Crisis averted. For now.

Aurora's expression turns serious again. "There are still some things that will have to change, though. I can't keep living in darkness, Hadria. I mean—literally living in darkness."

I raise an eyebrow. "And what do you propose?"

"Maybe you could adjust your sleep schedule a little? Go to bed earlier. Get up earlier—after lunch, say, rather than after dinner? Experience more daylight, get outdoors more often." She levels me with an insistent look. "When's the last time you saw the sun? I'm sure you must have a vitamin D deficiency."

I have to laugh at that. Only my little ray of sunshine would be concerned about my vitamin D levels right now.

"Alright," I concede. "You make a fair point. There's no reason for you to be confined to the dark. And I will do my best to get up a little earlier in the day."

Aurora beams, clearly pleased. "What time is it now?" she asks. "I'd love to go and surprise Mrs. Graves."

My mouth goes dry. I'd been hoping to avoid this conversation a little longer. But Aurora notices my hesitation immediately.

"Hadria? What is it?" Worry creases her brow.

I sigh, taking her hand in mine. "Mrs. Graves has left Elysium. Permanently."

Aurora's mouth falls open in shock. "Is she—is she alright?"

"Yes, she's fine. She just…" I give an irritated shrug. "She was angry that you were taken. Angry at me."

I was angry at myself, too. Which is why I'm still so pissed at Mrs. Graves. I already knew how much I'd fucked up. I didn't need my nose rubbed in it.

"I don't understand," Aurora says, still frowning. "Where did she go?"

"She went back to her house. She still has the old place she used to live in." The old place where she took in Lyssa and me, gave us a home off the streets.

"I'd like to visit her," Aurora says. She's watching me closely, to see my reaction.

"That can be arranged, of course. But listen to me, Aurora," I go on, leaning up on my elbow and looking down at her. "You are free, but you can't just go running around Chicago whenever you please. Not until I've put down Nero, and dealt with my father. You understand? Even with guards, we need to be careful."

"I understand." Then her eyes narrow, a calculating glint entering them that I'm not used to seeing. "But Hadria, if you really want to defeat Nero and your father, you might need more allies. Your father kept asking and asking about how many men you had. Not women," she adds with an eye roll. "I don't think it even occurred to him to ask."

I give a cynical smile, though I'm habitually irritated at being told what to do. I'm not used to being questioned or given direction. But Aurora doesn't back down, holding my gaze unflinchingly as she waits for my reply.

Very few would dare speak to me this way. And I can't deny the wisdom in her words.

"You're right," I concede after a pause. "I do need to recruit more allies. Shore up our resources and intelligence gathering. It's why I've been considering Johnny de Luca's offer of an introduction to Juno Bianchi." And I need to see if that's still on the table, now that Aurora is safe.

I lean in and kiss her forehead, then gather her back into my arms once more. A comfortable silence settles between us. My earlier panic has faded. Having her here in my bed feels right in a way nothing else does. And I know one thing for certain—I will move heaven and earth to keep her safe.

"What happens now?" she asks sleepily.

"Now?" I run a casual hand over those soft, warm breasts again as I bury my nose in her hair and let sleep start to drift over me. "Now I make my father and my brother regret every decision they've made up to this point."

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