If there was one thing she disliked, it was being deprecated.
Leya stepped out of Aerén’s hold, and with irritation propelling her, she sent out her senses again while staring at the male, who continued smiling as if indulging her.
There, she felt it…
A strain of the jerk’s power prickled through her. It surged to the forefront of the councilman and seeped out. She drew on his ability, flicked out her fingers, and a ball of flame flared in her hand.
She squealed, but Aerén moved right behind her, stopping her from stepping back and saving her dignity. Gasps filled the arena, some with shock, others with laughter.
Her heart pounding, Leya let go of the male’s power.
The councilman stumbled back, eyes like a deer in headlights, gaping at her.
Dark laughter flooded her mind.Well done, my love, and I haven’t even begun to teach you how to use your ability.
Biting back a smile because she didn’t want to offend the councilman, she lightly stroked the sigil tattooed on her wrist linking her to her personal protector—
A slithering hiss filled the arena. The Auras shimmered at her side, growing larger and larger, towering over everyone.
The crowd surged back, shocked gasps echoing.
Oh, crap.She hadn’t meant to summon the creature. Maybe it had sensed her momentary fear and appeared.
“Don’t be afraid,” she called out, hastily facing the Auras. “He’s a friend.”
“But that’s…that’s the Auras,” someone called out. “It’s been extinct for eons.”
“Blood magic gives her the ability to connect with our long-dead animals,” Aerén said from behind her.
“All our animals?” another asked.
“No, just him.” Leya stroked the serpent’s diamond-shaped head. He’d shrunk down to her height, and its head hovered near hers, as if asking for pets. “Thank you,” she said softly, stroking its long neck. “I’m safe.”
In a shimmer, the Auras vanished.
The sheer silence from the court had Leya eyeing everyone warily.
“Hope returns,”the words rippled through the crowd.
Then, the men bowed. The women curtsied.
Aerén stroked her back, calming her jittery nerves, and she smiled.
“What does all this mean for us, Your Highness?” a female with yards of platinum hair asked.
“It means with the Chosen appearing, magic will return to our world and give life to our lands again,” he said smoothly. “More matings will be blessed by the Stone of Light’s magic once all of it is returned, or by adestinedmating. Because my mate and I?” He drew Leya close. “We are soul-joined in the ways of old, those long forgotten, the ones we all thought were myth.” Gasps and smiles appeared. “So, be patient a little longer. It’s happening.”
“How is King Dandre?” another woman asked.
His sire finally took form at his side. More deep curtsies followed, and cheers exploded.
“People of Empyrea, I’m grateful to be back home,” King Dandre addressed them. “And it’s all due to Princess Leya.” He cast her a quiet smile, then shifted his attention to the audience. “But our war with the sorcerer isn’t over. I will find my mate. And while I work with our mages to find out where she’s being held, Prince Anedaén will continue as Elyon of Empyrea in the interim.”
Leya could feel his strain, his exhaustion, but he remained erect as he inclined his head, then dematerialized.
“We will visit the towns,” Aerén said to the crowd. “A schedule will go up for that, and you can all meet Princess Leya and her sister, Hana. If that is all, we will adjourn.” Aerén ended the assembly and faced her. “Ready to go back?”
Leya nodded, overwhelmed. But meeting his stare and the immense love there…she gave him a wobbly smile.
