Page 32 of The Sorrow of Shadows

“I can explain later, but right now you need to trust me, Lord Aurelius. If you don’t, the princesswilldie. I can save her, but only if you let me act now.” Her face is serious and confident. I nod, putting my trust and Breyla’s life in her hands.

She steps up next to me and covers my hand with her own. “Keep pressure here. Lyla, I need you to pull the knife from Breyla’s stomach when I say. Be swift with it.”

Lyla steps up behind us and wraps her hands around the knife's pommel.

“On my count,” Ophelia starts. “Three, two, one...now!”

Lyla pulls the dagger straight out. I feel Ophelia’s hand press harder into my own as the blood starts flowing more freely. It only lasts a second before a white glow comes from Ophelia’s hand and rests on top of my own. It’s only a few moments more before the blood flow slows and I can see Breyla’s flesh knitting itself back together. I can hardly believe my eyes when after a few minutes it looks like there was never a wound there to begin with. It’s common knowledge that Ophelia possesses no magical Gifts, but apparently that was incorrect.How had she managed to keep her ability a secret?More importantly—whywould shekeep this ability a secret? It would make her one of the most powerful females at court.

I look Ophelia in the eyes as Breyla’s heart rate returns to normal. “Thank you,” I whisper desperately.

“There’s no need to thank me, Lord Aurelius. I care for her, too.”

“Of course, I care about her wellbeing. She is the future of this kingdom,” I stammer quickly in response.

“Of course.” She smiles at me. “She will be out for several hours while she recuperates, but she should fully recover by then. She’s very lucky to have you close by. She might not have made it if not for your quick action.” Ophelia’s shoulders sag, and she seems more exhausted than when she arrived. Her normally bright eyes are dull and glaze over as she looks at me.

“The crown is in your debt, Lady Ophelia. How can we ever repay you?” I question, not sure what she would want in payment.

“You don’t need to. Just do me a favor and keep this between us. I don’t need anyone else knowing about my Gift.” Her tone is serious. She must have a good reason for wanting this kept secret.

“You have my word. But what am I supposed to tell the princess when she wakes? She’s not stupid; she’ll know this is the work of a healer.”

“You can tell her I’m responsible, but if she wants the full story, she must come to me.” She looks around the room, noticing the blood and disarray. “Lyla, will you help me clean the princess and change her sheets? Lord Aurelius, we can manage from here.”

“No.” The word is harsh, but not meant to be mean. “I don’t know why none of my guards or hers were here to stop the threat tonight, but I will not be leaving her alone until we know why that is and who is behind the attack. You may clean her, but shewill stay with me—in my chambers—where I can watch her. She is obviously not safe alone for the time being.”

Once they have her clean, I carry her to my room. There are still no guards at our doors, something I will need to see Commander Nolan about later. For now, I just need to make sure Breyla is safe. I slide her into the unmade side of my bed, covering her with the silk sheets and comforter. The last thing I want is for her to feel threatened or startled when she awakes, so I lay on my side of the bed on top of the sheets, leaving ample room between us.

Lastly, I use my magic to lock the door and then levitate a heavy armoire in front of it, just to be safe. I watch her slow and steady breaths as the adrenaline from the night leaves my body at last. Exhausted, I fall into a deep slumber.

I’m greeted by Breyla’s gold-flecked emerald eyes when I wake the next morning. Before I can even open my mouth, she beats me to the first word. “Aurelius, you better have a damn good reason as to why I’m in your bed without memory of how I got here.” Her tone is serious, but she doesn’t quite seem mad.

“How is ‘you were stabbed last night and none of your guards could be found anywhere, so I saved your ass and then refused to let you out of my sight until we found the responsible party’ for a reason?” I quirk an eyebrow at her. “Is that good enough for you, Princess?”

She gulps. “There’s a lot to unpack there, but I suppose that will do.”

“There’s a lot we need to discuss, but first, how do you feel?”

“I feel fine. Great, actually.” She stretches her arms out above her head.

“Good. What do you remember?” I push a stray auburn lock out of her face and behind her ear.

She leans just slightly into my hand. “Not much, honestly. I remember talking with Ophelia for hours, before eventually falling asleep. I vaguely recall someone entering my room, but from there it gets hazy...Wait, you said I was stabbed?!” There’s alarm in her voice. She rips up her shirt to expose her stomach and runs her eyes over the unmarred flesh. She looks up to me, her eyes pleading for an answer.

“I found you with a dagger still embedded in your stomach. I was able to stop the flow at the wound, but I couldn’t do anything about the blood loss you had already sustained.”

“So who saved me? This goes beyond the court physician’s ability, Aurelius. At the very least I shouldn’t feel this good. Frankly, I should be dead.”

“That is not my story to tell. For that you’ll need to talk to Lady Ophelia. She is a very good friend to have.” I leave it at that. “There is one blank I can’t seem to fill, though. I have seen your reflexes, and I know you would never let anyone sneak up on you like that, even asleep. So how was your attacker able to get close enough to stab you?”

Her brow furrows as she ponders my words, “I think...I was drugged. I had requested more wine from the kitchen, and it was waiting outside my door when Ophelia arrived. Normally they hand the wine to me personally, but I didn’t think anything of it. The only thing I can come up with is that someone switched the wine with the poisoned jug. It obviously wasn’t intended to kill me, just knock me out enough to make me an easy target.”

“We need to talk, Princess.” My gaze pins her in place.

“About why I woke up in a male’s bed fully clothed for the first time in my life? I think you may be confused about the proper intricacies of the bedroom. Typically, you get the lady naked first, then throw her in your bed to fuc?—”

I cut her off by gripping her chin between my thumb andforefinger. She’s trying to deflect, but it won’t work. I lean in close to her ear. “That filthy mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble,” I whisper, and a line of goosebumps trail their way down her neck. “Now, stop trying to deflect, and have a big girl conversation with me.”

---