Auraelia walked over to the cushioned bench along the windows when the door clicked shut behind them. The sun’s light—not yet extinguished by night’s darkness—gave her enough to see by as she peeled open the letter.
The stone floor was cold beneath her feet, biting through the thin soles of her satin slippers, her nightgown trailing behind her as she made her way down the hall to her bedroom.
What am I doing in the hall?
“Hello, my star.”
Her heart pounded in her chest. The voice so familiar, but also…different. Deeper. Rougher. As she turned toward the sound, her face passed a mirror, and she halted.
What the?
It was her face, only…not. Aquamarine eyes shone back at her while a plait of chestnut brown draped over her shoulder and fell to her waist. She raised a hand to caress her cheek, feeling warmth seep through the touch. Real. This was…real?
A chuckle came from her left, from the man who spoke only moments ago. Only now, he had moved to stand behind her. His warm hands slid along her waist, his calluses rough againstthe smooth silk of her nightgown, as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “I’d look at myself every time I passed a mirror, too, if I looked as stunning as you.”
Auraelia’s eyes…no, not her eyes, someone else’s…turned toward the man in the mirror. He looked like Daemon. Goddess, he was almost a spitting image. Piercing green eyes locked onto the blues in the mirror, and that same damned smirk pulled on his lips. But despite the similarities, he was different. He had no beard, and his hair was lighter and longer, brushing his shoulders as he leaned into her. It was like she was living through a memory or a dream, only one that wasn’t wholly hers. And one she had no control over.
The woman in the mirror’s mouth quirked up into a small smile, and she melted into the man’s touch. “What are you doing here, Killian?”
Killian? That name…was so familiar. Brushing against her mind like a lover’s caress or a long-forgotten memory.
Killian smiled as he trailed his nose up the woman’s neck. “It’s a…diplomatic visit.”
The woman hummed in response, her head lolling to the side to give him better access.
His breath was hot against her ear, sending chills down her spine. “I need you, Astraea.”
A sharp rap at the door ripped her from the dream, and she sat up abruptly. The movement sloshed water over the edge of her tub to pool on the floor. Her bath had long since chilled, and her skin pebbled as her subconscious faded into her consciousness.
A dream…it was just a dream. Wasn’t it?
Auraelia took a series of deep breaths to still her racing heart.
“Rae? You okay in there?” Piper’s honeyed voice filtered through the door.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just…I guess I fell asleep.”
“Okay, your dinner is here if you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Piper. I’ll be out in a minute.”
When Auraelia entered the sitting room, she found Piper lounging on one of the settees, holding a book above her face. “You know there are easier ways to read, right?” she asked with a laugh.
Piper closed her book around a finger and sat up. “Yeah, and it started off that way. I just kind ofsunkdown the cushions.” She shrugged, then gestured toward the table. “Food’s over there. It’s tomato soup with basil and toasted bread with garlic, butter, and cheese. Liza has been trying new recipes again.”
They both laughed, but as Auraelia removed the cloche and the room filled with the warm fragrance of roasted garlic and herbs, her laugh quickly turned into a moan.
“Just wait until you try it.” Piper quipped before returning to her book.
They fell into a contented silence as Auraelia ate. But as the silence drug on, her thoughts drifted back to her dream.
“Hey, Piper?” Her friend tilted her head back over the arm of the settee, looking at her expectantly from upside-down. “Want to hear something weird?”
Piper’s eyes widened as she practically flung herself from the cushions and leaped across the space. “Is that rhetorical? Because you know that the answer will always be ‘yes’.”
With an amused shake of her head, Auraelia began to weave together the story from her dream. When she finished, her friend’s face turned contemplative.
“You said their names were ‘Killian’ and ‘Astraea’?”
