Chapter Fifteen
Auraelia
Daemon was barely gone for thirty seconds before reappearing, swathed in shadows with a grumbling Aiden.
“Fuck, D. I had a winning hand! You know how hard it is to beat Neese at poker?”
“Quit your griping. You can finish the game later,” Daemon said with a chuckle.
Aiden scoffed and pushed away, mumbling, “You know she’s going to look at my cards.”
“You sound like a child who got their toy taken away, Aiden.” Piper quipped from where she was perched on the couch, sipping her drink with an amused smile.
Aiden groaned as he looked around the room. “Oh, look. The gang’s all here…whyis the gang all here?”
“You’ll see,” Auraelia sing-songed.
“Is that your favorite phrase today, Princess?”
Auraelia glowered at Daemon. “Xander, please escort the prince and emissary into the council chambers. I need to talk to Piper for a minute.”
Xander’s eyes widened slightly as he glanced between the two women, nervousness etched in every line on his face. Piper’s was a mirror of Xander’s as they held each other’s gaze.
When her friend gave a slight shrug, he peeled himself from the chair and headed toward the door that opened into the hall leading to the council room. “Gentlemen.”
Daemon cast her a confused look but followed Xander with Aiden close at his heels.
“Would someonepleaseexplain what’s going on?” Aiden pleaded.
“Come on, Aiden,” Daemon clapped him on the back. “I’ll fill you in on the way.”
With the sound of the latch clicking into place, Auraelia turned toward her friend. “Who was in your room this morning?” she asked as nonchalantly as possible.
“What are you talking about?” Piper asked, her gaze averted as a flush slowly crept across her cheeks.
“Piper.”
After a few moments of silence, her friend sighed. “Xander,” she mumbled, almost too low for Auraelia to hear.
“You slept with my brother?” Auraelia exclaimed, gaping at her best friend.
“What? No!” Piper’s gaze shot to her friend, eyes wide as she frantically waved her hand from side to side.
“When I came to your room this morning, you definitely had sex hair.Andyou just admitted that it was Xander in your rooms.” Excitement bled out of every word. Her brother had finally done it. Had finally gotten the nerve to go after the onegirl who had managed to hold his attention for longer than one night.
“I didnotsleep with Xander.”
“Uh-huh. Explain then.” Auraelia sat sideways on the couch facing her friend, her arm draped casually over the back, head resting on her fist, as she waited for the answer.
Piper blew out an exasperated breath. “We were just talking. I asked him to come to my suite to hang out, and Imayhave convinced him to drop the wards for a minute…apreciseminute, to be exact.” Her lips tilted up into a cheeky grin.
“You’re the reason Daemon was in my room? But how did you even know he was here? Did Xander know that’s why you were asking him to drop the wards?”
“I saw it.” Piper casually shrugged one shoulder, then continued. “And Rae, before you get mad at me, youneededto see him. And if the wayyou lookedcoming to my room this morning says anything, it’s that you didn’t mind the surprise. And, no. He didn’t.”
“That’s beside the point, Piper. And it still doesn’t explain why my brother was in your room thismorning.”
“Well, we started drinking. Then drinking turned to talking and more drinking, and eventually, we both fell asleep. Hemayhave kissed me at some point, but he ran out so fast after you left this morning that I’m starting to think it was a fever dream.”
