Page 65 of Gilded Crown

“What are you doing?” asked Jari.

“You can go to bed. I’m fine.”

Jari detected the strain in his voice and climbed up the ladder leaning against the side. “You’re not fine.”

“You don’t have to stay out here with me.”

“But I can, and you’d probably like it if I did,” Jari said in a low voice even though no one was too close. Aurelius hadn’t ordered him. It was a suggestion, and for the most part, he had no trouble ordering someone to do what he wanted. “If you want someone by your side, they can do it in other ways besides fighting. Is it the man from earlier?”

Once they’d had their argument, the dead man had hung heavy despite Aurelius freeing him.

Aurelius paused and spoke in a low voice. “I didn't know Zylem made anyone kill someone, or that he'd locked anybody in the attic. I went up there once to check for the crown beforeyou returned, but it was empty. Zylem must have done it shortly after. I never had any other reason to go in the attic again.”

“I didn’t guess either.” Jari stuck his legs through the railing and let his feet hang over the edge of the cart. “Nobody mentioned a missing servant. Two actually, since I guess his sister worked there too.”

It was also creepy to think that Zylem had somehow managed to deal with the body. Gullveig must have helped.

“If they had a habit of being late to work, the head maids might have assumed they quit without notice. It happens, and not always because the person is missing. If they had no friends among the others…”

“Yeah, people occasionally say ‘fuck it’ and stop showing up.”

“I looked all over for that crown, and Zylem snuck in to take it and use it whenever without a fucking care if he ruined someone’s life. It’s that…and everything else. I took Dust, and it’s...Dust doesn’t block every single thing.”

Great. He was high too, and other past shit likely didn't help. “You can tell me stuff if you want.”

“Why are you being nice? Are you still hoping I’ll spread my legs for you?”

Jari almost gaped at his dark form. “What the fuck? I can’t offer something-”

“Everyone wants something,” Aurelius muttered with a bitter edge.

“Maybe I don’t. I mean, I would like to go to bed with you, and I can’t pretend my dick’s gone to sleep for life, but I’m not hoping I get to dump a load in you like some whore. Is that what you were thinking that night? Even if you’d wanted to do nothing but sleep next to me-”

“I can’t.”

Jari took a deep breath. “If it’s because of what I did, I’m sorry-”

“You already apologized, and I've already forgiven you.”

Jari glanced out in the dark at the shapes of the tents. “I’m still sorry, and if you associate my touch with pain or something, I’m sorry for that too because I’m with you and a constant reminder, and sometimes, I am too forward. I’m sorry I pinned you.”

“It’s not that. I like your touch.”

The words were so low, Jari was almost sure he’d misheard as he side-eyed the Prince even though his hair hung down and it was too dark to make out his face. “What?”

“I like it.”

Just a minute ago, he’d acted like he thought Jari wanted to dump a load in his ass and treat him like a whore. How did he go from that to liking Jari’s touch?

“Is this some kind of defense thing where you insult me because you’re hoping I’ll say to go fuck yourself and never do another nice thing besides fight for you? And when I don’t, you need to lure me back in for another shot? Am I just another Palace snake that you think you have to defend against…or what? Once in a while, when you take the post out of your arse, you’re actually nice. Part of you even acts like you want me, but I really don’t know what to think when you give me clashing statements in the space of a minute.”

Aurelius paused and leaned an arm on the short railing. “You’ll want more.”

“What? More touch?”

“Yes, and then you’ll expect it to move onto other things. I know you don’t view me as a whore to use. You’re sweet and nice, and that’s exactly why we can’t.”

“If this is about your ability or the curse, I don’t think that makes you lesser. A lot of shit happened before you were born, so it’s not like you chose this.”

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