“Auraelia—”
“Don’t tell me to breathe, Daemon. Iambreathing.”
“My star,” his voice was level. Steady, like the soothing sound of water trickling downstream. “Your fingers are sparking. I need you to calm down.”
She hadn’t even noticed that her magic was seeping out at her fingertips. When she looked down at her hands, she saw tiny blips of light flickering in the deep green that colored the tips of her fingers—green that had progressed past her first knuckle after her altercation with Davina.
“I’m sorry, I hadn’t realized.” Curling her hands into fists, Auraelia forced air into her lungs, holding it until her anger began to subside. When she let it out, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end as an eerie feeling settled into her bones.
“Well, this certainly is a welcome party, I must say.” Caius’ voice filled the stillness in the air, and Auraelia whipped around to find him lounging on the couch near the fireplace.
“Where the hell have you been?” she yelled, thankful for the fact that no one was in the brothel to hear her.
“I may have given you the ability to call on me, Your Majesty. But I am not at your beck and call. I had…thingsI needed to take care of first.”
“What kind of‘things’?” As Auraelia crossed her arms over her chest, she felt Daemon’s presence at her back. A gentle reminder that he was there for her and a reminder for the emissary from Garnet that she was not alone.
“Glad to see the happy couple back together.” When no one moved, Caius let out a disgruntled sigh and sat up—wincing slightly as he did so. He gestured to the chairs across from him and said, “You might as well get comfortable; I have a feeling we might be here for a while.”
Once everyone was gathered around—Auraelia directly across from Caius with Daemon standing at her side, Piper in the chair next to hers, and Ser Aeron closing out the circle at the end—Caius began to spin his tale.
“How well do you know your history, Your Majesty?”
“As well as any other Ixorian, I would assume. Why?”
“And the history of the Goddesses? How well do you know that?”
“Would you get to whatever point you’re trying to make?” Daemon’s voice was cold and demanding, and she could feel his growing frustration as if it were her own.
“Very well. In the stories, long before Ixora came to be, the twin Goddesses—Morana and Esmeray—were cast out from Arcelia for creating blood magic. Esmeray worked with the lighter side of their magic. Always helping others and using her power to heal and mend. But Morana was drawn to the darker side, using it to seek revenge on those who she considered wrong, and eventually, she attempted to use it to overturn the peace in their realm. Though Esmeray denounced her use of blood magic because they were twins—and bound in ways more than by the blood coursing through their veins—the Goddess Rhayne, with the help of the others, cast them out of Arcelia and sent them to reign over the moon. Esmeray and her bright white light guide from the face of the moon, shining down on those who wish for her guidance. While her sister clings to the darkness, to the side of the moon that is only seen once every twenty-nine days.”
“Thanks for the lesson, but is there apointto your rambling?” Piper demanded, her irritation evident.
Sighing, Caius continued. “Though they are twins, they can be worshiped separately. And Davina worships Morana.”
“Why should I care who my cousin worships?”
“You should care, Your Majesty. Because Davina is her most devout subject. And when the moon is new, and darkness fills the sky,thatis when she is at her strongest.”
Auraelia tried to read between Caius' words, but endless questions filled those holes, leaving her more confused than when this all started.
“Goddess, I hate when people speak in riddles. Speakplainly, Caius. What does Davina worshiping Morana have to do with me? With this war between us?”
Caius leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees while his eyes bore into Auraelia’s. “How much do you know about blood magic, Your Majesty?”
“Again with the fucking questions,” Piper mumbled under her breath as she fidgeted in her chair, clearly over the way this conversation was going.
Caius shifted his gaze to Piper. Though his words were soft, they were spoken through clenched teeth. “There is areasonfor my questions, Lady. I need to know what your Queen knows so I don’t waste my breath explaining things that are already known. Now.” He turned back to Auraelia. “Answer the question, please.”
“I don’t know much if I’m honest. It’s not something that is spoken of here. Or if it is, it’s in hushed tones or behind closed doors. Why?”
“And blood binding?”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
Reaching for the collar of his tunic, Caius unlaced the ties before pulling it down to expose his chest. There, sitting rightover his heart, was a rune. It looked like a brand on his skin, and Auraelia couldn’t help her sharp intake of breath.
“What is that?” she asked, hesitantly reaching forward before pulling her hand away.
