His feigned innocence did nothing but stoke her anger, and she decided right then and there that enough was enough. She was tired of pretending. Tired of letting him think that he was somehow getting away with all of the atrocities he was committing against the realm and her crown. Like sand running through her fingers, she let her mask slip away to reveal her burning hatred for the man before her.
“It is notIwho is abandoning our people. It is notIwho is betraying the kingdom.” His eyes grew wide, a flush coloring his cheeks as a muscle ticked in his jaw. “Is it, Lord Harland?”
“Aurae—”
“It’sYour Majesty.” Auraelia loosened the hold on her magic. Let heat radiate from her palm as she tightly clenched her fingers around his hand. “I may be young, Harland. But I am far from stupid, and you aren’t as clever as you think you are.” Her tone was cold as ice, and a malicious smile spread across her face as he groaned in pain. “I know everything that you’ve done. Everything that you’vetriedto do. Did you think thatyour Queenwouldn’t find out?”
A faint white glow emanated from between their palms, the air around them shifting as her power rolled off her. Lord Harland’s knees began to buckle, and Auraelia tsked her displeasure, holding him up as she ledhimin the dance.
“I think—” he groaned as pain began to contort his features, “you’ve proven your point,Your Majesty.”
“I don’t think that I have. You see,Lord Harland, I could end your miserable life right here and now, and no one would bat an eye. I wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep. Instead,” faint tendrils of lightning began to coil around their clasped hands, and he hissed through his teeth, “I think I’ll let you slink away like the coward you are. But don’t be fooled, Harland.Ifmy cousin doesn’t kill you, andifyou somehow manage to survive this war, I will end you. You will not see another day.” Auraelia brought them to a halt as the music ended, canting her head to the side. “Do we understand each other?”
Lord Harland tried to pull his hand away and step back, but Auraelia held firm, watching as his eyes widened, nostrils flaring as he blew out a short breath. “Perfectly,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
Pasting an unsuspecting smile on her face, Auraelia released his hand. “Good. Now, I suggest you take the grace I’ve given you and leave before I change my mind.”
The ground rumbled beneath his feet, causing him to stagger back a step before regaining his balance and bending at the waist into a low bow. “Your Majesty.”
Auraelia closed her eyes and released a shuddered breath when he was no longer in the ballroom.
“Keeping your enemies close, I see.” Caius’ silky tone wrapped around her, and she whipped around to see him standing no more than an arm’s length away.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered angrily.
“Dance with me.” Caius extended his hand and raised a brow as Auraelia turned to search the crowd for Daemon. Worry crept in when she didn’t find him, and she returned her gaze to Caius. “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. He’s just making sure that the rat left your home. One dance, that’s all. I’ll be gone before your precious prince returns.”
Caius slowly tilted his head to the side, the movement feline—like a cat tracking its prey before it pounced. “Well?” he asked, wiggling his fingers as a singular brow arched expectantly.
Auraelia took a deep breath, then blew it out as she shook her head in disbelief and slipped her hand into his. As he bowed, he pressed a kiss to the emerald ring on her hand, then pulled her into his hold as the musicians began the next tune.
“What are you doing here, Caius?” Auraelia asked, not willing to let the silence linger when there were questions she needed answered.
“Were youtryingto enrage her?”
His question caught her off guard, his tone a mix of wonder and anger, and it took a moment for her to process his words before she could respond. “I assume you’re talking about Kyra?”
The sardonic look on his face shouldn’t have brought a smile to her lips, and maybe it was partially due to the events that had just transpired with Lord Harland, but she couldn’t help it when her lips tilted upward.
“You’resmiling? You just knowingly,purposefully, pissed off the woman determined to obliterate you from this realm, and you’resmiling?” Disbelief filled every word, and the shocked look on his face sent her into a fit of laughter.
“I’m sorry, Caius. Truly, I am. Tonight has been…I don’t even have a word for it, honestly. As for pissing off Davina,” Auraelia sobered slightly, huffing out a breath through her nose, “I couldn’t care less. She brought this on herself, as did Kyra.”
A slow, easy smile began to spread across his face, and it made her stomach turn. “You have a darkness to you, Auraelia. One I didn’t see coming and one your cousin certainly didn’t anticipate.” She narrowed her eyes as she tongued a canine. “It’s a compliment, I assure you.”
“Are you here for a reason, Caius? Or just here to size up my cousin’s opponent?”
An amused chuckle rumbled in his throat, and he nodded slightly. “Davina will strike tomorrow before the sun sets. Be ready, Your Majesty. I fully expect you to be the one who walks away from this.”
“Purely for your own sake,” she scoffed.
Her comment seemed to sober him for a moment, his brow pinching slightly before he smoothed his features back into the mask he donned at every encounter—amusement and indifference jumbled together to create the perfect façade.
“For the sake of all of Ixora, Auraelia. Not just my own.” As the song came to an end, Caius bent her backward, dipping her low and bringing his face a breath away from her own. “Until tomorrow, my Queen.”
When he straightened her once more, he bowed quickly and backed away, but not before winking at someone behind her and disappearing into the crowd.
“What the fuck did he want?” Daemon asked as he wrapped a possessive arm around her waist.
