Page 49 of Of Storm and Emerald
“Auraelia, try not to worry about it. Your magic will manifest in full when it’s supposed to.”
He could see that the uncertainty pertaining to her abilities was causing her to deflate and didn’t want their last night together to be spent analyzing the details of the unknown. Magic was fickle and would only progress with practice.
“I believe I still have one more request to fulfill,” he said to lighten the mood
Auraelia looked at him in confusion before the implication dawned on her.
“Food?” she asked hopefully, her eyes alight with delight.
Alright, food makes my woman happy. Note taken.
“Yes, my star.” Daemon pulled her flush against his chest. “Food. As much as you want.”
When she smiled, his heart leapt in his chest. “Just one question. Your room or mine?”
The smile on her face said everything that he needed to know. Pulling her as close as he could, he wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to cup her cheek, lifting her face to his. “Close your eyes and think of where you want to go, then take me with you.” Then he lowered his mouth to hers.
The stars around them winked out, turning back into swirls of ink and smoke as Daemon manipulated the shadows, transporting them to wherever Auraelia had chosen.
Chapter Sixteen
Auraelia
“Justonequestion.Yourroom or mine?” Goddess, save me, this man is going to be my ruin.
Auraelia knew exactly where she was taking him as soon as the question left his lips.
When the swirls of shadow finally rippled away, they were standing in the common area of her suite. Thankfully, Piper was nowhere to be seen, and she sent a quick prayer to the Goddess Rhayne to keep it that way. The last thing she wanted–or needed–was her best friend barging in.
She watched as Daemon took in the space around them, his arms still tightly wound around her waist. A cool evening breeze filtered through the open doors on the balcony, causing her skin to pebble and a shiver to run through her body.
“Are you cold?” Daemon asked as he pulled her further into his embrace.
Heat radiated off him as she wrapped her arms more firmly around his torso and smiled up at him. “No, just a chill.”
He placed a chaste kiss on her lips before releasing his hold and making his way around the room.
Stopping at the bookcases, he traced the spines on various volumes that sat on their shelves. “I didn’t know that you liked to read.” His tone was wistful, and the sound made her stomach flutter.
“You never asked.” She let her amusement shine through her tone and produced a smug grin when he turned around to face her.
Daemon continued his perusal of her suite, running his hands along the back of the settee and chairs. But when he picked up the romance novel that sat on the small table in her sitting area, heat flooded her cheeks.
Please don’t open it.She silently begged from across the room, and when he merely flipped through the pages and set it back down, she sighed in relief.
A gentle smile pulled at his lips as he made his way back to where she stood, and every step he took toward her was a pull on her soul. When he finally reached her, he reverently stroked her cheek, and she leaned into the touch.
“Auraelia, I’m assuming your bed chambers are around here somewhere, correct?” Eyes full of hunger burned into her own.
“They are.” She spoke the words in a low, breathy, tone.
His pupils expanded until there was only a sliver of green and gold left; the sight sent a wave of heat straight to her core. When Daemon leaned down to capture her lips, she reached up and placed a finger on his. Confusion flashed across his features, but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. “You promised me food,Prince Daemon.” She enunciated every letter and syllable in his name.
Relief washed over his face, and he shook his head slightly, “How remiss of me,Princess Auraelia. Please allow me to rectify the situation.” Then with a smirk and a wink, he was gone.
In Daemon’s absence, Auraelia walked out onto her balcony and began to undo the braids that pulled at her scalp. It was one of her favorite places. She could look out over her mother’s garden, and on a bright, clear night like tonight, she could see beyond the wall where a field of wild lavender grew in abundance.
Closing her eyes, she envisioned the air around her and the way that it blew through the field. She thought of the way that the tall green stems, with their delicate purple blooms, would bend and bow beneath a breath of wind. Saw the way they would dance to soundless music and pulled that breeze to her. The scent of lavender washed over her, its calming essence soothing the rough seas of her soul.
