Page 133 of Of Storm and Emerald
Auraelia tried to respond, but his lips sealed against hers once more, and then he was gone.
She fell backwards onto her bed and groaned.
Chapter Forty-Three
Auraelia
Itwaslatemorningby the time she rolled out of bed the following day–roused by the smell of fresh coffee.
“Morning, sunshine.” Piper sing-songed while holding the steaming mug beneath Auraelia’s nose.
“How are you always so chipper in the morning?” She groaned, but once she was in a sitting position, Piper handed her the cup of coffee then perched on the edge of her bed with one of her own.
She took a sip, letting the bitter liquid warm her from the inside out. Then, after another, she finally broke the silence that had descended.
“So, are you going to tell me about Aiden now?”
“I was kind of hoping that I would get a pass for today since it’s solstice.” A cheeky, yet hopeful, grin spread across Piper’s face.
“Not a chance. Especially after the way that you reacted to seeing him again after three months. What happened?”
Piper stood, set her mug on the table next to Auraelia’s bed, and began pacing the room.
Auraelia sat quietly and listened.
“When Aiden left Lyndaria after your coronation, I thought that was it. He never wrote, so I wrote him off. And when your mother sent us to Kalmeera, and he was an asshole on the way there. When he wasn’t acting like I didn’t exist, he talked down to me, and it just reaffirmed my decision. But–” Piper stopped pacing and began twisting her fingers–her nervous habit when she was about to say something that she thought Auraelia wouldn’t like.
“But?” Auraelia prompted, in what she hoped was a reassuring tone.
“But, when I started ignoringhim, he came crawling back like a lost little puppy, and you know how much I love puppies. Rae–he apologized. Said he didn’t know that I wanted anything else from him, and that he missed me and wanted another chance. So, I gave him one.
“We spent some time together the night of solstice, and then it happened again. I didn’t hear from him until the night before we left. He apologized–again–and said that he wanted to try writing letters like you and Daemon, and I stupidly agreed. I wrote to him when we got back, but I never heard from him.
“So, when I saw him last night, everything that happened–or didn’t happen–was shoved in my face and it made me angry. I hate him.Hatehim, Rae. But at the same time, Iwanthim. Which makes me hate him even more.”
Auraelia sat in silence for a moment, then looked at her friend. “What about Xander?”
“What about Xander?” Shock briefly crossed Piper’s features before morphing into confusion, but Auraelia caught the panic that crossed her friend’s eyes before it disappeared.
“Do you like him?”
“Xander? He’s–he’s like a brother to me, you know that.” Piper began to fiddle with the ends of her hair avoiding Auraelia’s gaze.
“Piper, if you’re worried about what I would think–”
Piper’s gaze snapped to hers and there was a fierce determination in her eyes. “Rae, I donotlike Xander like that. He’s–he’sXander!”
Auraelia shook her head, “Whatever you say, Piper.I’mjust sayingifyou want to go there, I’m not going to stop you. And I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t either.”
“Rae–”
Just as Piper started to speak, the door to Auraelia’s suite opened and a flood of lady’s maids entered the room. Some held trays of food and drinks, while others came holding dress boxes and sewing kits.
It was time to get ready for the solstice celebration, and every year there was a theme– this year was no different.
Last year, it had been metamorphosis, and both Auraelia and Piper had painted butterfly wings next to their eyes.
This year's theme was living gems, and she couldn’t wait to wear the gown that she’d designed.
