Page 52 of The Sorrow of Shadows

“That sounds more likean interrogation,” he snorts.

“No, this version is much more fun.”

“How so?”

“In this version, if you answer the question, you must answer it truthfully. You can choose not to answer it, but in that case, you take a shot instead. The first person to ten answered questions chooses a challenge for the other to complete.”

“Sounds simple enough. Let’s play.”

I’m surprised by how easy it is for him to agree. I expected more of a fight.

“Ladies first,” he offers.

“Why do you distrust Ayden so greatly?” I start. I’ve been wondering about this since he first warned me away from Ayden.

“He wears a mask, different masks for every situation and every person. Though I’ve spent plenty of time in his court, I never know what to trust when it comes to him because he thrives in creating chaos. He was also in talks with your father about something important shortly before his death. The timing is suspicious. Satisfied?”

I had noticed some of this myself, so it wasn’t entirely a surprise to get the full explanation. Though I wasn’t convinced that was all there was to it, I let it go. I nod my acceptance of his answer.

“Has there ever been anything physical between you andElijah?” He starts with an easy one. Not easy for him, I’m sure, but easy for me.

“Not in the way you’re referring to. We’ve always been tactile with one another, but never sexual andneverromantic. If you believe in soulmates, know that he is mine. He has and will always understand me on a level that most never will. When I say he is my eyes and ears, I mean it quite literally. That requires a level of trust I would not extend to just anyone.”

“I think I understand. You love him, but it’s brotherly. Soulmates don’t have to be romantic; I understand that. He isn’t your fated, your twin flame, so to speak.”

“Now you’re getting it,” I say with a smile.

“I still don’t like it when he touches you,” he grumbles.

“Get over it.” I wink at him. “What is your favorite memory of your childhood?”

“Have you been in the forest behind your grandparent’s manor?” he asks, and I shake my head.

“You should sometime. There is a massive, ancient oak tree about a quarter mile from the estate. The woods are dense enough that you probably can’t see it from the outside, but it’s wide enough to carve out and create a living space inside.”

I listen intently as he describes the magnificent tree, wondering how I had never seen it before.

“My powers started manifesting very young, making it hard to make friends. Most of the children feared me because I would accidentally use my abilities on them, and it made them uncomfortable. I would go to that tree and spend hours trying to climb its branches. It’s where I went to forget. After a particularly rough day, your father found me there scaling the ancient trunk.”

Something inside me softens towards Aurelius as the recounting of his lonely adolescence.

“I don’t know if he just didn’t want me to hurt myself trying to climb the monster or if he just took pity on me, but he used hisearth Gift to carve out steps in the trunk. They wound up the back like a spiraling staircase and ended at the lowest level of branches. I never had to struggle to climb anymore, and I would sit among the branches for hours.”

He pauses, seemingly lost in memory, but continues, “Eventually, he even added a little alcove among the branches for me to sit or lay down comfortably. Your father’s Gift was truly magnificent, Breyla.”

I tear up at the memory of my father. I had never heard this story, and it reminds me how much I miss him.

Aurelius gently wipes the tear from my cheek and continues, “It became my own little world away from reality that I would go to whenever I needed space. He would join me sometimes and let me practice my power on him so I could have a safe space to learn control. Or he’d read with me, teach me how to fight, or just sit with me.”

“Is it still there?”

“The last time I checked it was exactly as I left it,” he says. “My turn. Do you think I had something to do with your father’s death?”

“I did at first, but now I don’t know.” The look of pain that crosses his face almost hurts me, too. “What’s the reason you agreed to marry my mother? The real reason, please.”

He reaches for the glass in front of him and tosses the drink back.Interesting.

He leans in close to ask the next question. “Tell me your dirtiest fantasy, Princess.” His hand trails up my thigh under the table.

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