Page 72 of The Forsaken Heir
It was most likely whatwouldhappen, yet saying it out loud sent a pang of hurt through my chest. Disappointment and sadness for what could be, but most likelywouldn’tbe.
Delphine got to her feet. “I need a shower,” she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. “I’ll trust you and your judgment, but promise me one thing?”
“What’s that?”
“Be more careful next time?” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, and grimaced. “And however manytimesthere are after that. Okay?’
“Fair enough,” I chuckled.
The gala had begun at three that afternoon and was intended to last well into the night. It was intended to last well into the night, but that had quite obviously been thrown out the window. It was well past seven o’clock now, the light outside dying a slow death. Delphine sat on the bed, reading a book, while I was tucked into the window seat and scrolling on my phone. I was doing my best not to replay the mental movie of me and Aurelius rolling around onhis bed, wondering if he was still asleep under those same sheets where he’d taken me.
I flinched when a knock sounded on the door and sat up straight. Delphine jumped to her feet, crossing the room to the door
“Hello?”
“It’s Titus, ma’am,” a muffled voice called back.
“Open it,” I said, hurrying to join her.
Delphine unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door. Titus looked less prim and polished than usual. His suit was rumpled, and he held a garment bag draped over one arm. Still, he managed a slight bow and smiled at me.
“Lady Brielle, Prince Aurelius requests your presence for a meeting with the court in one hour. He’ll be here to escort you himself. He sent me with this.” He held out the garment bag.
I took it, finding it quite heavy.
Titus gave me an awkward glance, and it was only then that I realized I’d never changed out of the baggy University of Washington T-shirt and Seattle Seahawks sweatpants I’d taken from Aurelius’s closet.
“He said you might need those,” he added, nodding to the bag in my hands. “I’ll let the prince know you’ll be ready for his arrival.”
“Uh, yeah,” I mumbled, pressing the bag against my chest. “Thank you.”
When he was gone, I placed the bag on the couch and unzipped it. A selection of four brand new shirts, two pairs of pants, and in the bottom of the bag, making the whole thing bulky and unwieldy, was a box with new sneakers. All my size.
“My, my, my,” Delphine said, eyeing the items. “Gifts? Already?” She nudged my shoulder. “You must havereallymade his day.”
“Delphine!” I gasped. “Since when do you make lewd assumptions?”
“Assumptions?” she said, crossing her arms. “Really? So the princedidn’trail you into the next century a couple hours ago?”
Cheeks reddening, I dragged the clothes from the bag.
“Not the next century. No.Maybethe next decade, but that’s it.”
Delphine snorted a laugh and returned to her book.
“I’m taking a shower,” I said, rushing to the bathroom.
“Good idea. I can still smell him on you.”
My ears and chest burned, but I chose not to dignify that with a response. I had less than an hour to get ready, and I couldn’t waste time trading jokes back and forth with Delphine.
Aurelius arrived exactly when Titus had said he would, knocking on my door as I was lacing up the new pair of sneakers. When I opened the door, the sight of him made my knees weak. I couldn’t help but recall the way he’d looked when he’d stood above me, ready to devour me. I swallowed hard and tried to act as casual as I could.
“Hey. You, uh, were coming to get me.”
He grinned, looked up to see that Delphine was still reading on the bed, and lowered his voice.
“Oh, I alreadygotyou earlier. Now, I’m only here to escort you.”
