Page 53 of The Forbidden Dragon King
Aurelius’ eyes flash, as he glances over his shoulder at me. His pheromones become so dominant that I shrink back, using a cushion as a barrier.
Instinctively, I increase my own pheromones to calm him.
“It’s called a command from your King,pet.You will follow it because the only fae who will survive Bael will be those who are seen to be no longer a threat to my power. The only two people in this world who could topple my throne are Kit and Lanlin. So, you’ll remember thatKitmust appear to have been declawed.”
I swallow.
Is he actually helping Daire?
I nod.
Aurelius turns back to the shrine, placing his handgently on top of the crown, stroking it. “Also, I have made a deal with him. He has agreed to serve me.”
My eyes widen. “Fuck off.”
I slam my hand over my mouth.
Maybe I’m no longer so keen on wine.
Slowly, Aurelius turns around to face me, arching his eyebrow. “By the time that we return to the capital in a week, pet, I will also need to have taught you how to talk to me in public. Amusing as I personally find it to have you tell me tofuck off,the Council will find it less so.”
I drag my hand away from my face. “You want to pull out my fangs.”
“Never, my Wild Wolf. I want to teach you how to hide those fangs.”
I consider him.
He appears to mean it.
I have enough practice at hiding my fangs, after growing up in the Moon Court. Yet I don’t want to live like that again.
A thought strikes me that makes me scan Aurelius’ cool expression.
Is that what he’s doing right now?Has been doing from the start?
What is he hiding behind his mask?
An unexpected, quiet intimacy falls between us, as he continues to rest his hand on the silver crown.
My chest is tight. I’m almost too frightened to ask questions and spoil this quiet bubble that’s been created.
Yet I can’t wait a moment longer.
“What happened?” My breathing becomes ragged. “On your campaign against the Shadow Fae?”
Aurelius’ expression becomes troubled, as if he’s weighed down and desperate to talk to someone. “Why not? You’re hardly likely to remember this when you wake up. Will you remember anything that we’ve spoken about? I hope you remember that you called mepretty.” I blush. “Uncle Max came up with a sacrilegious plan to ambush the fae on the night of one of their most sacred rites. We ambushed them in a grove, into which we should never have trespassed. The Council approved the plan. If I had stood against any part of it, then I would now be the one in a cage.”
“I don’t understand.”
Aurelius’ gaze is distant. “After all, does it matter, which one of us ended up bound? This isn’t either of our war. Our parents started it, and my brother valiantly fought it for years. What matters is that the Second Fae War is finally over. I can start working on creating stability and peace, rather than wreaking nothing but death. As soon as I have also crushed the vampires, then the next generation won’t need to lose their childhoods to a military academy like I did.”
“Were you close to your brother? The one whose shrine that is?”
I never had siblings.
Sometimes, I would look at sisters in the Moon Court, and I would try to imagine what it would feel like to have a bond like that. It didn’t matter whether they were poorOmegas or wealthy Alphas. They always seemed just as devoted to each other.
“Tarq was my hero.” Aurelius bows his head. “He was good in a way that I can never be.”
