Page 79 of A Pact of Blood

I did also find a biography of an emperor a couple of centuries back whose ruling mother died when he was only six, and whose father ruled as emperor until the boy came of age despite only being connected to the imperial family by marriage. Aurelia might find some benefit in the account of that consort who took over the throne.

I step back to contemplate the rows of books, nowhere near as familiar to me as the shelves in the capital imperial palace where I’ve spent most of my life. The smell of the old leather fills my nose with an invigorating tang.

So much information I haven’t had a chance to fully peruse. So many records that could guide us on the path to victory.

I wet my lips in thought, and my tongue flicks over the healing cut on my lip—the little break where Aurelia’s teeth caught on my flesh. The prick of lingering pain sends a deeper rush of pleasure through me.

I close my eyes for a second, reveling in the images from last night: her body under mine, her arms around me, her hips welcoming me into her pliant heat.

My cock twitches partway to attention as if it thinks we’re going to see that kind of action again so soon.

But the memory I keep returning to, the one that brings a brighter sort of warmth all through my chest, is of her gazing up at me while she told me all the things she most admired about me. Her soft, clear voice as it formed the words,I love you.

I know this situation is absurd from any logical standpoint. Shecan’tbe mine. She’s literally married toanother man, one who’d sooner gut her than see her in someone else’s arms for anything beyond a chaste dance.

Great God help me, I don’t care anymore. I don’t want any other woman.

If the rest of my existence is spent drifting on the sidelines, working toward the shining future our signal star has spoken of however I can and indulging in whatever secret moments we can steal, I can’t imagine being happier. I can’t imagine being happy at all leaving Aurelia behind, knowing she’s sacrificing so much of her own happiness and freedom for the rest of us while I pursue a life without her.

Lorenzo had the right idea. We made our biggest sacrifices years ago, and we may still be able to use the gifts we received to end Dariu’s tyranny. It’ll just be by protecting the woman who’s proven up to the challenge, ensuring she can carry out all of her plans.

I wish I could toss every lout and would-be assassin away with a blast of manipulated air. I wish I could summon a fearsome wind to hurl her prick of a husband into the Sunblown Sea to drown.

Since I can’t risk either act just yet, retrieving the books she asked me to seek out for her is the best way I can offer my support.

The bell to mark the third hour of the afternoon rings through the palace walls. I scan the shelves one last time, but there’s nothing more I can add to my work in the last few minutes.

The library door sighs open. I amble out of the aisle as if I was on my way out anyway.

Aurelia halts at the sight of me. She stiffens her voice as if she’s a little uncomfortable speaking to me, but her eyes stay warm. “Prince Bastien. I suppose it’s a good thing I ran into you. You seem to be a frequent visitor of the palace libraries.If you’re in a more obliging mood today, could you direct me to the shelves where I’d find books on the empire’s history?”

I match her tone, clenching my jaw when her guards slip into the room behind her. “Of course, Your Imperial Highness. Right this way.”

I spin on my heel and stalk off toward the aisle I just left without waiting for her. It’s best if the staff who follow her around think I’m annoyed by her presence.

They can’t have any idea that we arranged this meeting ahead of time.

Aurelia follows me with brisk footsteps. I slow once I’m out of view of the guards, and she catches up with me a few paces down the aisle.

For a brief moment, her hand slips around mine. Our fingers twine together. Warmth blooms between our palms.

I lift her hand to press a swift kiss to her knuckles, holding her sparkling blue gaze. Absorbing the brilliance of her smile.

Gods above, I had no idea it was possible to love a woman the way I love her. Like a vast cavern inside me has been filled with an unshakeable glow.

At the creak of footsteps behind her, I reluctantly release her hand. Stepping farther away, I motion to the shelves around us. “This aisle and the one just next to it hold most of the historical accounts. I trust you can find what you need from here.”

I march back out just as the guards position themselves like shadows at the end of the aisle.

All the way down the hall outside, my pulse beats at a lighter but faster rhythm. How can I feel so elated when there’s so much to fear still ahead of us?

Worry still pinches at my gut, but I have enough hope in me to smooth down its sharpest edges.

Most of the court headed out to the gardens after lunch. I make my way there, willing all of my joy off my face. It wouldn’t do for anyone to question what I’m looking pleased about.

With my first steps into the harsh sunlight, the last voice I’d want to hear calls over to me. “Prince Bastien, I wondered where you’d gotten to.”

Marclinus’s words, cool and even in tone today, bring back a twinge of an ache in the back of my skull. Raul didn’t hit me as hard as he’d have needed to in order to truly knock me unconscious, and one of the medics soothed the bruising, but the effects of that fight can’t completely vanish in the course of one day.

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