Page 66 of Crown of Slumber

As much as I loathed to admit it, he was my ally right now. The only person I could rely on.

I exhaled, long and slow. I would need to face this truth eventually. The time for running was over. I was here, and the past had finally caught up to me.

“Tyrone wanted more than I could give him,” I whispered. “At first, he respected the boundaries I put in place. But as our courtship continued, he grew more impatient. He began to pressure me, and I feared our arrangement would dissolve if I could not satisfy him, so…” I paused and swallowed, trying not to dwell on that night. “So I obliged.”

Fenn’s nostrils flared, his eyes burning with rage, but he said nothing, allowing me to continue.

“It was… Well, it was fine. Nothing spectacular, but it wasn’t terrible. I thought it would satisfy him, but he only wanted more. I gave as much as I could, often making up excuses as to why I could not stay in his chambers or why I had to return to my court before sunset.” I took a shuddering breath. “And then his brother Callan returned from the war.”

Fenn blinked, confusion creeping into his expression. I felt only a sliver of satisfaction at catching him off guard. Clearly, he hadn’t anticipated everything.

“Callan was charming and patient and sweet. Everything Tyrone was not. I found myself drawn to him. Yearning for him.” My eyes closed, and a tear tracked down my cheek. “It was wrong. But I wanted tofeelsomething. I felt nothing for Tyrone. And I longed for just one ounce of passion. Just once.

“We told ourselves it would stop. But it didn’t. And when Tyrone caught us, he—he?—”

“You don’t have to continue,” Fenn said quietly.

“I do,” I insisted. “This needs to be spoken, or it will fester inside of me until it eats away at my soul. Tyrone took me to his bed. I let him. I did not fight him. He was brutal and violent. He broke me. He destroyed me. I gave myself to him willingly, but he still butchered my soul, carving it from me with such force that I was nothing but an empty shell when he was finished with me. Andstill… I did not fight him.” More tears streamed down my face, and I choked on my next words. “I… did not… fight him.”

“Aurelia.” There was a plea in Fenn’s voice. I had never heard him sound so strained, so devastated. “You did not ask for this to happen to you. Just because you did not physically fight him doesn’t make the act any more vile. You were violated. He took from you what you were unwilling to give.”

I shook my head, unable to say more. Instead, I succumbed to the tears, allowing them to flow freely.

Fenn shifted, his hand rising and pausing an inch away from my face, as if he intended to touch my cheek but stopped halfway. Even in this moment, he still knew I didn’t want to be touched.

The thought only brought more tears. I could not stop them. A dam had burst, and I had no strength left to repair it, to put these memories and emotions back into place.

“We will leave,” Fenn murmured. “I will put a healthy portion of iron-laced poison in his tea and we will sneak out into the night before anyone notices we are gone.”

I snorted in spite of the situation, then wiped my nose. Gods, my face was a sopping mess. “I don’t want to leave.” When Fenn frowned at me, I said, “I want to put myself back together, one jagged piece at a time. I want to leave this place with my dignity restored and my soul rebuilt. If I have to depart from here a broken mess once more, I won’t be able to survive it.” I looked Fenn in the eye, finding my resolve. “I want to put this behind me, Fenn. I want to emerge stronger than I was before. And the only way to do that is to get through this ball, to show him that I amnotsome weak thing he disposed of, but a powerful creature to be feared.”

Fenn’s mouth curled into a satisfied half-smile. “There’s my firebird.” His eyes warmed as he leaned into me, still not touching, but close enough that if I shifted, my nose would brush his. “I am at your complete disposal tonight, my lady. Just say the word and I will obey.”

I found myself smiling in return. “All I need from you is to continue playing your part. Be the handsome rogue who fears nothing and no one.”

His grin turned feral. “It would be my pleasure.”

I stood dutifullyoutside Aurelia’s chambers, hands clasped in front of me, looking more like a stoic guardsman than a prince. I would have barged into her rooms and insisted on staying right by her side, but she threatened to run me through with her dagger if I didn’t give her privacy, and since I’d seen just how artfully she could wield a blade, I thought it best to remain in the hall.

I would strangle that bastard Autumn King. Ever since Aurelia had confessed her history with him, I’d done nothing but envision all the painful ways I could end his pitiful existence.

Gods, no wonder.No wonderAurelia refused to let anyone into her life. No wonder she closed herself off, isolating herself and her court and turning away any potential allies who came her way. I wasn’t sure if she was even aware that she was doing it. But the Autumn King had broken her, and now she was incapable of letting anyone in. No suitors. No friends. No one but her dragons. The only creatures she knew would never betray her.

I blinked several times before adjusting the silk crimson ascot around my neck. I wasn’t sure why I was so sympathetic toward her. I owed her nothing. She made her hatred of me abundantly clear.

Even so. No one deserved that. Not even someone as insufferable as the Summer Princess.

After what felt like an eternity, her chamber doors opened, and a maid scurried out, curtsying hurriedly at me before bustling down the hallway. I peered through the open door, catching a glimpseof a wide, sweeping scarlet skirt before Aurelia stepped into view.

My first impression was that her body had been completely swallowed by the dress. I could barely make our her features amongst the scooping skirt that swished with every movement. It was so wide she could barely fit through the doorway. I had to take her hand and all but pull her through.

Laughing, I looked her over. The dress hugged her waist, and delicate ruffles lined the bodice, giving her the appearance of rose petals. The neckline dipped low enough to reveal the curve of her breasts. A smattering of freckles lined her bosom, and the sight of them in such an intimate spot made my mouth go dry. Her capped sleeves hung low on her shoulders, and I found myself following the line of freckles on her collarbone, desperate to run my fingers along it.

“A bit much, don’t you think?” Aurelia said with a breathless chuckle.

My eyes snapped to hers, and I cleared my throat. “I—Ah. N-No, I think it’s quite—quite?—”

Her eyebrows lifted, her eyes sparking with mirth. Her crimson-painted lips curled into a satisfied smile. “Why, dearest fiancé of mine, has my appearance left you speechless?”

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