Page 112 of Of Storm and Emerald
A world where no matter how much they may wish it were different, they had responsibilities and kingdoms that relied on them.
So, despite every fiber of his being begging to stay in the peaceful moment that this day brought, he knew they couldn’t put it off any longer.
The way to Azure Falls was quiet.
Auraelia seemed to be lost in thought. No longer was her head on a swivel, taking in everything around her with wonder in her eyes. Instead, she focused solely on the trail in front of them, her knuckles white as they gripped Luna’s reins, and her shoulders tense.
Daemon’s thoughts ran rampant. Going through every possible scenario he could come up with, praying that it led to a solution.
None of the options in front of them were easy choices to make. Nor were they what he wanted. He wanted an easy way out. One that gave him Auraelia without forcing one of them to give up their kingdoms.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t how the world worked, and it was a fact that they would have to face sooner rather than later.
But at least they could face it together.
“We’re here.” His voice was barely louder than a whisper, but after traveling in silence, it still made her jump.
After dismounting, he walked over to where she was still seated in the saddle and held his arms out to help her down. Her body slid down his and he inhaled the faint scent of lavender that was inherentlyher.
When her feet were on solid ground, she held his gaze for a moment before turning away to take in the scene around them. “Where ishere, exactly?”
Daemon smiled. “Come on, let me show you.”
He’d stopped them far enough away from the falls that they were barely background noise. Tying the horses off to one of the nearby banyan trees, he grabbed her hand and led her the rest of the way to the falls.
The walk was short, but it required them to climb over a few boulders. And by the time they reached their destination, the sun had begun its descent.
As soon as they crested the final rock, and the sparkling pool of crystal-clear water at the base of falls came into view, Auraelia gasped. Her hands flew to cover her mouth, like the tiniest of sounds would disrupt the calm that radiated through the area. Her shock and awe were palpable, and he wished that he could just hold her and enjoy the moment.
“Daemon. It’s–wow. I don’t even have words.”
When she finally turned to him, her eyes were misted over, but too many emotions swirled in their depths for him to get a good read on how she was feeling. She turned back to where the water was running down the mountain side in delicate vertical rivers before spilling into the pool below–their streams carving deep crevices into the mountainside.
“Thank you for sharing this with me. I will treasure it always.”
He reached over to grab her hand and pulled her to him. Her face tilted up to his and he locked her into his embrace. “We need to talk, Auraelia. I don’t want to have the conversation either, but we both know that it needs to happen. We can’t put it off any longer.”
He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before she dropped it to his chest and sighed.
“I know.” When she looked back up into his eyes, resolve and determination shone back at him.
“Come on.” Walking to a small, flat rock that jutted out over the pool, Daemon sat and gestured for her to do the same. It was large enough for them to sit side by side without being on top of each other and low enough that they could put their feet in the water.
He helped her out of her boots and rolled the bottoms of her pants up to her knees. While she situated herself at the edge, her feet dangling in the water below, he did the same with his own. Sliding across the stone, he sat close, but left space between them.
They sat in silence for a while. Watching as the sun slowly crossed the sky and sank toward the horizon.
“Rae–”
She chuckled and hung her head back as she closed her eyes. “That’s the first time you’ve ever called me that. I guess that’s one surefire way to know that this conversation is going to suck.”
Daemon shook his head, a small snicker escaping as he did. “Well, it’s definitely not going to be fun, that’s for sure.”
Silence descended once more, before Auraelia pulled her feet from the water and turned towards him. “Okay, I’m ready. Where do we start?”
He blew out a breath, then turned his head to look her in the eyes. “I guess we start with what we bothwant.”
Hope shone in her eyes as she stared back at him. “And what is it you want, Daemon?”
