Daemon was gone.
The warmth of his kiss still lingered on her lips, his shadows nothing but wisps in the air where he had been standing mere moments ago. The sound of the door creaking open echoed through the silence that had settled in her sitting area.
“Rae?” Piper hedged, her face the only thing visible through the crack in the door.
“You can come in, Piper. I’m fine.”
“Rae—” she breathed, remorse filling her eyes as she leaned against the door until the latch clicked into place.
“Really, I’m fine.”
“You’re allowed tofeel, Auraelia.”
Auraelia whirled on her friend, her face taut where the streams of tears had dried on her skin. “Enough, Piper. I know you mean well, but I can’t allow myself to dwell on the things…thathurtright now. Too much is at stake. And if I let—” She blew out a ragged exhale, her gaze shifting toward the ceiling in an attempt to quell the tears that were beginning to fill her eyes once more. “If I let myselfreallyfeel it. Really take in the way my heart is cleaved in two…I won’t be the one who walks away today.”
Piper crossed the room and grasped Auraelia’s hands, strength and determination shining in her hardened, hazel gaze. “Auraelia Rose,” she admonished, her grip tightening slightly, “Iknow you. Better than anyone else. That pain you feel, that heartache? It won’t break you. If anything, it will fuel you. Let it feed the rage that I know burns inside. Let it build and fester until the only outcome you can see is the one where you walk away from this battle. Davina is fighting for herself. You, my dear sweet friend, myQueen,are fighting for so much more. And that alone gives you the upper hand.”
“How?” she asked meekly, her throat constricting as she tried to stifle the sob working its way free.
“Because you would gladly give your life for the people you love, Auraelia. You choose to stand between her revenge and the people of your kingdom and this realm. You arechoosingthem over yourself. You will walk away from this, Fate be damned.”
“I don’t think Goddess Dalia would appreciate that sentiment,” she said with a choked laugh.
Piper’s brows winged upward, sass bleeding into every word as she countered, “If Dalia sides with thatbitch, she’s not a goddess I want on my side anyway.”
With a light laugh, Auraelia pulled her friend into a tight embrace. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, Rae.”
As Auraelia breathed deeply for what seemed like the first time that morning, a floral scent wrapped around her senses.Is that…honeysuckle?In all of the time she’d known Piper, she’d always opted for something soft and refreshing, like eucalyptus and mint. But this was different.
Auraelia pulled back slightly, her head quirking to the side. “Did you get a new perfume or soap bar?”
“Oh…” a flush began to creep into Piper’s cheeks, her gaze suddenly anywhere but on Auraelia’s face. “Um…it was a…gift.”
A brow winged up, a slight smirk playing at Auraelia’s lips as she anxiously waited for her friend to elaborate. When she didn’t, Auraelia pushed her shoulder gently. “A gift fromwho?”
“Xander,” she said his name like a whispered prayer, her shoulders rising toward her ears, nose scrunching like she was anticipating a bad reaction to the news.
Instead, Auraelia squealed—bouncing up and down as she clasped Piper’s hands tightly. “Oh my goddess! Are you two…” She left the question open-ended, hoping her friend would fill in the blanks and confirm what she’d assumed for a while now.
“We’re not…officially together.But there have been…steps…in that direction.”
“Oh, Piper.” Auraelia pulled her back into her arms as a lone tear trailed down her cheek.
That singular drop of water held more emotions than it should have. She was beyond happy for her brother and best friend. Ecstatic that they’d finally decided it was worth the chance. But as time ticked by, drawing dusk closer and closer with everymovement of the hands on the clock, a weight settled in her chest.
How long would they all have? And what would their endings be?
Taking a ragged breath, Auraelia quickly swiped the treasonous tear away and released her friend. “Would you help me get ready today?”
“It would be my honor.”
The ride across Lyndaria was nearly silent as Auraelia and her party rode toward Emerald’s campsite, the only sound coming from their horses' hooves as they galloped across the hardened ground. As they approached, she saw Ser Aeron and Captain Soren standing just beyond the last line of tents, each dropping to a knee with heads bowed. They came to a stop, and Auraelia dismounted Jasira.
“Commander General Koa. Captain Soren. You may rise.” Auraelia ran her hand along Jasira’s nose, then handed the reins to the waiting stable hand. As the horses were led away, she asked, “Do you have a report?”
“We do. If you’d follow me this way, Your Majesty.”
