“He said that he wanted tohelpme.”
“You’re the one person standing in Davina’s way of the throne. And if he’s her lover like he claims, why would he want to help you?” Daemon grabbed her hand in an attempt to pull her focus from the shapes in the sand and back to him and the conversation at hand. Her gaze merely shifted to the sky above.
“I asked something similar. He didn’t really give much of an answer; he just said that he wanted you out of the way and that he was the only one who could help me. I guess he’s not overly fond of her conquest to dominate and take over Ixora. And before you ask, he didn’t tell me what he would get out of this. He was very tight-lipped about everything.”
Daemon furrowed his brows. Nothing about this made sense. Why would the emissary from the Court of Garnet want to help Auraelia? Surely, it’s not as simple as not wanting him to marry Davina. It couldn’t be. There had to be something else behind it, and they needed to figure out what that was before Auraelia even considered making a deal with him.
“How do you propose getting in touch with Caius without Davina knowing?” he asked, laying back on the bank with his hands clasped behind his head.
Auraelia followed suit, laying down on her side with her head propped up on her hand, her elbow digging into the sand while she looked down at him. “He gave me a crystal. You know how much Ilovemagical stones,” she jested, poking him in the ribs as she finished.
He knew she meant it as a joke, but his chuckle died as quickly as it had come as he thought back to the sapphire necklace that she’d returned. He carried it with him since that day—a continuous weight and reminder in his pocket.
Seeming to sense the shift in his mood, Auraelia leaned over and cupped his cheek in her hand, turning his face toward her. “I’m sorry. That…that wasn’t very kind. I loved that necklace, Daemon. I just—”
Her gaze fell to the sand as she pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Shifting slightly, Daemon slipped his finger beneath her chin and gently directed her gaze back toward his.
Her eyes softened. “I just couldn’t handle the reminder of everything I’d lost.”
“You didn’t lose me, Auraelia. You sent me away; there’s a difference. But I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Tears rimmed her eyes as she searched his face, her mouth falling open slightly as the words she clearly wanted to say remained unspoken between them.
Daemon rolled fully onto his side to face her. “I mean it, Auraelia. I’myourswhether you can admit that you want me or not. I’m not going anywhere, and it doesn’t matter how often you try to send me away, I willalwayscome back for you. We belong together, and sooner or later, when you’re ready to accept that, I will be right here waiting.”
Auraelia squeezed her eyes closed, forcing a tear to escape from her lashes and roll down her cheek. As he wiped it away, her eyes fluttered open, and he watched as her softened gaze turned into one of fierce determination, and the walls rose around her heart. Though not as thick as they had been over the last few months, the fact that she was so sure that she needed them around him was a slap to the face. But he took a deep breath and let it go…for now. He couldn’t force her to face what was between them; it would only push her further away, and that was the opposite of what he wanted. And if the Goddess Narissa was to be believed, it was the opposite of what Ixora needed.
“Caius said that he would give us all of the inside information on Davina. What she’s like. What makes her tick. The ins and outs of her abilities.”
“Well, isn’t that convenient.” It came out harsher than he intended, and the slight recoil from Auraelia had him reaching for her hand. “I’m sorry. I just meant that it’s awfully convenient that the emissary from the court currently trying to overthrow you and demolish my own court would want to give youexactlywhat you need to bring down the threat. It doesn’t sit right.”
When she sighed, it seemed to be weighed down with every worry on her mind. “You think I haven’t thought about that? You think I haven’t asked myself a hundred timeswhyhe would be willing to help me? I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s the only real lead I have to work with right now. And I… I’d like your support in pursuing that avenue.”
“Auraelia, you’re a queen. You don’t need the support of a prince.”
“I’m not asking you as a prince, Daemon. I’m asking you as someone I lo—trust. This affects you and your people just as much as mine.”
Daemon couldn’t help the way his lips pulled up at the corners. She almost slipped.
Almost.
That little hint of the word she refused to say before she switched to ‘trust’ gave him more hope than it probably should have, but he couldn’t help it.
Progress.
“You want my support, Princess? You have it.”
A smile took over her lips, lighting up her face despite the fact that dusk had turned into nightfall. The stars shone like diamonds overhead, but even their light was diminished compared to the stardust dancing in Auraelia’s eyes.
Daemon fell back onto his back, staring up at the dark sky as the sounds of crickets and the trickling of water over rocks as it flowed into the lake filled in the silence that was settling between them. Then, for the second time that day, Auraelia surprised him by laying her head on his chest and gazing up at the stars with him.
His heart slammed against his ribs like a blacksmith hammering out the steel of a sword.
As time passed, the once slightly awkward silence became comfortable. It was just…easy. Lying there together, just staring up at the sky. He hadn’t even realized that he’d started running his hands through the loose strands of her hair that were fanned across his chest. Auraelia was quiet, her breathing so even that Daemon thought she’d fallen asleep. But when a star shot across the sky with a tail of pink-hued light trailing behind it, she gasped and sat up abruptly, eyes wide as she kept them pointed toward the sky.
“Did you see that?” she asked, awe lacing every word.
Daemon chuckled, then pushed up onto his elbows. “I did. It was quite pretty.”
