Straightening in her seat, Auraelia gave Daemon a look of confusion and then called for whomever it was to enter. When Ser Aeron stepped into the room, all of the air rushed out of her lungs as dread set in, and every horrible thought she could imagine played on a loop in her mind.
Xander is dead.
Davina is back.
We lost more people.
Seeming to sense where her mind had gone, Daemon gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. When she still hadn’t found her voice, he asked, “What can we do for you, Commander?”
The relationship between Ser Aeron and Daemon had always been a tense one. Her commander didn’t seem to trust him—or at least, he didn’t seem to trust him withher.But there was now an understanding in his eyes as he met Daemon’s before averting his gaze back to Auraelia.
“Your Majesty, your brother is awake. And he’s asking for you.”
Auraelia had never gotten out of a chair faster in her life, reaching for Daemon with a pleading look in her eyes. She didn’t want to waste time sprinting through the halls. She wanted to see her brother, and she wanted to see himnow.
Her heart was pounding in her chest as Daemon pulled her into his arms.
Xander was awake.
As his shadows swirled around them, he placed a kiss on the crown of her head and whispered, “Breathe, my star.”
Chapter Twenty
Auraelia
The hall outside of Xander’s suite was bright and warm, but the dark wood of his door seemed larger than usual. It felt ominous, and she couldn’t bring herself to open it. Not as her anxiety took hold, and thoughts like ‘what if he’s not actually okay?’took root.
She stared at the handle as the sound of her pulse thrummed in her ears, her breath turning into quick and shallow pants.
Daemon’s hand was warm as it slid around her waist, pulling her back against him. “Deep breaths, Auraelia. He’s awake. You only need to open the door to see for yourself.”
Auraelia shook her head, her vision blurring as tears lined her eyes. “I—I can’t. I can’t lose him, Daemon.”
“You haven’t lost him, my star. Yousavedhim.”
When she still didn’t move, Daemon pressed a kiss to her temple and tightened his hold. “Do you want me to open it?”
Nodding faintly, Daemon reached out and turned the knob, pushing the door open slowly.
The sound of Xander’s voice filtered out into the hallway, and Auraelia’s heart leaped into her throat. Then she heard him laugh, and tears began to stream down her face.
He’s okay.
“You ready?” Daemon asked softly.
Wiping her tears, she nodded, hating the way her hands trembled as he slipped his arms from around her. Daemon laced his fingers with hers and brought her hand to his lips, a deep-seated understanding in his eyes as he looked at her.
Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly stepped through the doorway.
Xander’s suite was a similar size and layout to her old bedroom. Same floor-to-ceiling windows and bookshelves. Only instead of varying shades of blue, there were browns and ambers. And where she had plush, velvet seating, he had worn, buttery soft leather.
Gently, she pushed the door to his bedchamber open, and what she saw made her heart want to burst out of her chest.
Piper was leaning on the bed, her hands wrapped around one of Xander’s, and the look in her brother’s eyes was one she knew all too well. It was one she saw in Daemon’s every time he looked at her. Even when they argued, behind the annoyance or the anger was a longing that even the blind could see—and she had tried to be blind to it for too long.
Deciding that seeing her brother alive and well was enough, Auraelia attempted to back out the door. But when the floor creaked beneath her foot, Xander’s attention turned her way.
“It must be bad if the Queen is coming to my sick bed,” he joked. His voice was low and scratchy, but it was strong and calmed the tumult of her mind.
