Auraelia
My star.
It’d been so long since she’d heard him call her that it was as if all cognitive abilities had flown out the window. Her brain? Empty.
No thoughts, let alone words, circulated through her mind.
While she stared at him, trying to findsomethingto say, a cocky smile tilted up his lips. That one little uptick of his mouth had her thoughts whirling once more.
“I’ve missed that,” she admitted shyly, heat rushing to her face as she broke eye contact.
Daemon gently brushed his fingers across her cheek and down to her chin, tilting it back up so that she would look at him. “So have I.”
Her heart pounded in her chest at his words, and butterflies took flight in her stomach as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
Never in all her life would Auraelia believe that two little words would be able to set her world spinning in the right direction. To push it back on its axis from where it had been rotating on its side. And yet, there they were. Nestling into her heart and soul, filling the cracks in one fell swoop.
My star.
When Daemon pulled away, she could feel the heat coloring her cheeks. But when she realized that she was, in fact, still naked, she could only imagine that she looked like a freshly picked strawberry in spring.
Hastily pulling the sheets over her head, Auraelia groaned.
“What?” he asked with a chuckle that gently shook the bed.
“I’mnaked.”
Daemon attempted to lift the sheets from her face, but Auraelia tightened her grip, causing him to laugh as he spoke. “Trust me, I’mquiteaware.”
Peaking one eye out from under the covers, Auraelia gave him a skeptical look as he continued. “You fell asleep shortly after your head touched the pillow, and I didn’t want to wake you just to put on a nightdress. But I promise, I have been the perfect gentleman.”
Letting her gaze roam down his frame, she noticed that he was clothed and lyingon topof her covers. The sight was both comforting and not, all at the same time. She knew he would never do anything without her consent—and goddess knows she was exhausted to the point of delirium, so she wouldn’t have been able to give it even if she wanted to—but she also loved the way his body felt curled around her own. It made her feel safe. Comforted…and not so alone.
It was all so confusing, these emotions spinning around in her head. She wanted nothing more than to pull him close and never let him go, but in the same breath, she felt the need to push him away.
To protect not only her heart but his as well.
Slipping the sheets away from her face and tucking them under her arms, Auraelia sat up. “What time is it?” she asked, glancing toward the windows.
The sky was painted in a wash of colors that an artist could only dream of capturing on canvas. Rich oranges and soft purples melded together, creating a beautiful ending to an otherwise horrendous day.
“It’s nearly time for dinner,” Daemon replied, his voice laden with exhaustion.
Had he not slept while she did?
With her eyes still trained on the window, she felt him stir beside her. His warmth and scent wrapped around her as he moved to sit at her back, followed by his fingers gently running the length of her spine, leaving pebbled flesh in their wake. “I can ask someone to bring you something from the kitchen if you’d like?”
His soft and soothing voice matched his languid movements along her back.
Taking a deep breath, she turned toward him. “No, that’s alright. I need to check on my people. Make sure that they have everything that they need for the night.”
A singular brow rose on Daemon’s gorgeous face. “You want to go back into the city?Tonight?”
Shaking her head, Auraelia explained further. “We offered the castle as a safe haven for those in need. Not many accepted, but there were some—most of them mothers with small children.”
Daemon’s gaze softened as he gently stroked her cheek and nodded. “Then let’s get you dressed, and then we’ll head down together.”
“You…you want to come with me?”
