Page 70 of Crown of Slumber

I cleared my throat. “What you and I shared is over now, Callan. It has been for three years. I’m sorry I did not say goodbye or explain things to you. But it was too complicated between you and me… and Tyrone. I couldn’t do it any longer. And now, with the Midnight Prince…” I paused, unable to form a sentence that wasn’t a lie. My brain wasn’t working properly. Not around Callan. I struggled to come up with the right words to say that would assure him there was no chance of us being together.

Callan’s face hardened, his eyes closing off. “Yes. You and that bastard. I can’t believe it, Aurelia. Are you truly going to marry him?”

Shit.I can’t lie. I can’t lie. I can’t lie.“I… Callan…”

He stepped closer to me. I was achingly aware of the tiny space between his chest and mine. Once, years ago, I might have yearned to close that gap, to wrap my arms around him and remind myself of what his lips tasted like.

But I did not feel that desperation anymore. Whatever feelings I had for him were long gone. I did not love Callan. I never did. He was a means to escape. The release we found was temporary, and I had known that from the beginning.

I had thought he’d known it, too. But apparently, he didn’t.

“Things may be different soon,” Callan went on, interpreting my silence as hesitation. “Tyrone is—Well, he’s not been himself. He’s acting rashly, making bold decisions that are angering the court. He’s made a lot of enemies.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “I have heard rumors that the court will try to have him deposed. If that happens, I will be king, and you and I?—”

No. This line of thinking had to stop. I lifted my chin, finding my resolve and meeting his gaze directly. “There is no future for us, Callan. There never was. I thought you understood that. I have an arrangement with the Midnight Prince that I intend to see through. And while I treasured our time together, it is over, and we cannot go back. Please let this go. For both our sakes.”

He swallowed, his throat bobbing, and extended his hand, grasping my arm just above my elbow. I froze at his touch, the warmth of his fingers against my flesh.

And, inexplicably, Fenn’s face appeared in my mind. That coysmile, the way his eyes darkened with amusement and heady lust when he looked at my body…

Reality jolted through me. I shook my head. Before I could speak, someone cleared their throat behind us.

I stiffened, knowing instantly who it was. Becauseof coursehe would find us. Of course he would notice we were both missing from the ballroom.

Dread pooled in my chest as I turned to find Tyrone standing at the open balcony doors, fury brewing in his eyes. I stepped away from Callan, cursing myself for allowing this to happen. It wasn’t until I put distance between us that I realized how close we’d been standing.

The scene was quite damning. And Tyrone intended to punish me for it. I could see it in the darkness brimming in his gaze.

“Aurelia.” The king strode closer, his eyes flicking between us. “I see you and my brother have become… reacquainted.”

“Nothing happened, Tyrone,” Callan said in a bored voice. “We were just talking.”

“Of course you were.” Tyrone offered a cold smile, then extended his hand to me. “That dance you promised?”

I bit back a nasty retort. I hadn’t promised himanysuch thing. But what I’d said to Fenn was the truth; I could not refuse a dance from the Autumn King at the Equinox Ball he had invited us to. With a deep breath, I nodded, then accepted his hand. He crushed my fingers so tightly I thought my bones might break.

I didn’t look at Callan as Tyrone steered me into the ballroom and toward the dance floor. I felt the eyes of the crowd on us as we stepped into formation, my arm against his and his hand at my waist. Revulsion swept over me, and nausea churned in my gut. That was just what I needed, to vomit all over the Autumn King. I took a shaky breath, trying to steel myself. I was not a coward. In this moment, with my fears and memories swirling around me, it was easy to forget who I was.

Firebird,I thought.I am a firebird. Fierce and relentless.

My hands and arms were in the same position as when I had danced with Fenn in the forest. When I looked up into Tyrone’s face, it wasn’t the scowling king I saw, but the playful smirk of a prince. In my mind, I was dancing with Fenn while the dragonswatched us, the blue sky overhead and the lush green forestry surrounding us.

A small smile lit my face as Tyrone guided me into the waltz.

“There now,” he said, his expression smug. “I knew it would all come back to you.”

“What would?”

“How it is to be here with me. To dance with me.”

I chuckled. “Forgive me, Your Highness, but my mind is elsewhere.”

“On my brother, no doubt.” His voice was clipped.

“No, actually. What passed between me and Callan is over. Quite like my arrangement with you.”

Tyrone’s eyes narrowed, and his grip on my waist tightened. “Don’t think that I don’t still own you, Aurelia. I’ve claimed you more than once. Don’t forget that.”

“I am not your property,” I spat. “And you have no hold over me. My father ensured?—”

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