Page 109 of Of Storm and Emerald
When his attention was directed back to Daemon, his gaze was full of ire, but Piper pulled that gaze back to her when she spoke.
“I’m fine, Xan. Just a little dizzy from the trip.”
Xan?Daemon smoothed the furrow that formed in his brow at the informal nickname. Not even Auraelia used one, at least not in the presence of other people.
“Piper, if you’re alright, I’m going to go grab Auraelia.”
“Yea, I’m fine. Go get your girl.” She waved him off and stuck her head further between her knees.
Not wasting anymore time, Daemon funneled his magic into another shadow-walk.
When he materialized in the suite once more, Auraelia was standing at the bookshelf perusing the volumes that lined the shelves.
“See anything you like?” His voice was a low rumble in his throat, and it sent a visible chill down her spine.
When she turned toward him, there was a mischievous gleam in her eye that promised a world of trouble.
“Auraelia.We don’t have time for whatever idea is spiraling in that beautiful head of yours.”
She smirked as she pulled away from the shelves and sauntered over to where he stood.
“Pity.” The slight tilt to her head and the way she pulled her lip between her teeth, had a surge of heat pooling in his groin.It’s going to be a long day.
When she got close enough, he pulled her into his arms and briefly pressed his lips to hers. “Shall we?”
The smile she gave him put all the stars in the sky to shame. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Auraelia
Kalmeerawasbreathtakinglybeautiful.
Birds in a variety of colors flew over their heads as they rode down the main thoroughfare, their calls filling the air as they flitted from tree to tree. The flora around the island was just as colorful as its birds, and their fragrance permeated the air.
There were plumeria trees with delicate white and yellow flowers that were smaller than her palm, and hibiscus bushes with flowers as large as her hand that came in an assortment of colors. Palm trees towered over the streets and houses, their fronds providing shade to the creatures and people of the island, while freestanding plants littered the ground. The yellow, orange and blue flowered plant that looked like the birds in the trees–aptly named bird-of-paradise according to Daemon–had quickly become her favorite, but the amount of greenery that engulfed the isles was absolutely stunning and so very different from what she was used to.
The houses were mostly made of beams and stucco instead of solid stone, with beautiful flower boxes under the windows. Windows of colored glass covered the city, reminding her of the windows in the ballroom back home.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” His question pulled her out of the enchantment the scenery put her in.
“I am. Daemon, it’s beautiful here. I wish that Piper and Xander would have been able to come with us.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly skeptical, and it made her laugh.
“Obviously, I’m glad to have some alone time with you,outside of a bedroom. But she would have loved this.”
After her first experience with shadow-walking, Piper didn’t feel up to an adventure through the city. Auraelia remembered how she felt after her first trip from the garden to Daemon’s chambers back in Lyndaria. She’d been dizzy, but Piper seemed to have taken it harder, claiming a headache and nausea, and the need to lay down.
Xander, goddess love him, had agreed to stay with her to make sure that she was alright. And when he’d offered, Auraelia didn’t miss the small squeeze of Piper’s hand in his or the faint blush that colored her friend's cheeks. She’d always thought that something might be between them, but every time they were around her, Xander treated Piper like a sister, and Piper picked at him in the same familial way.
She looked around once more, taking in the myriad of colors and the people as they walked to and from the shops. Each one stopping to wave at their prince as he rode down the lane.
She loved discovering this new side of him, completely at ease and smiling freely at anyone who looked his way. She loved the closeness that he had with his people.
Kalmeera was completely open to its citizens. The castle kept their grounds accessible so people could benefit from their gardens, and everyone seemed genuinely happy here.
Though it was probably easier to be accessible with the city right next to the castle, unlike in Lyndaria where it was a good hour ride away. But she wondered if it was the same on the other islands as well.
