In the fall, things continue to change. As Daemon and Alix’s mission to improve the kingdom keeps on growing, so too has the army. We have to build a second barracks to house all the new soldiers and Fox is forced to appoint several of the original soldiers as commanders because the work of training is too much for one person to do anymore.
Jett is back home more often now, and he’s found himself responsible for caring for the kingdom’s first official prisoner—a human pirate named Connell.
Most different of all, Kastian and Odessa are gone. Having finally realized they are meant for each other, they now live six months out of the year on their ship traveling around the continent. They’ll be back in the winter, just in time for Daemon and Alix’s wedding.
“You need to come get your rabbit,” Fox says one morning over breakfast.
I lower my glass of juice back to the table, licking my lips. “What about Celestina?”
He narrows his eyes. “The rabbit can’t stay in the barracks anymore. You need to do something with it.”
“HernameisCelestina, not ‘your rabbit,’ and I think she’s happy in the barracks. All the soldiers like her.”
“Soldiers don’t need pets,” he snaps. “Come get her, or I’m going to put her back in the garden where she belongs.”
I scoff. “I doubt that.”
“Try me.”
I ignore him and go back to eating my breakfast, only to feel eyes on the side of my head. I look up, and find that the entire table is staring at us. I put my fork down. “What?”
Daemon and Alix just blink in confusion, while a grin spreads across Jett’s face, his black eyes flicking rapidly back and forth between Fox and I. Finally, I realize the issue: I’m getting fairly used to Fox initiating conversation with me, but to everyone else, he still hardly ever talks. This conversation is odd, to say the least.
“Right. Well I have a lot of work to do,” I say briskly, standing up from the table. “I’ll go check on Celestina later. Have a nice rest of your breakfast, everyone.”
That evening, I walk down to the barracks to negotiate Celestina’s housing agreement, but Fox and I never get around to talking about it.
He doesn’t put her back in the garden.
Only a week later, everything starts to fall apart.
In the morning, I join the soldiers for training. It’s the first time I’ve participated in several weeks, so my muscles are sore as I swing my sword. Despite my neglecting practice, I still manage to take down three soldiers all on my own—each of whom outweighs me by at least 100lbs.
Fox barely acknowledges it except to tell his soldiers to pull their heads out of their asses, but I feel his eyes on me. I know his mannerisms well enough by now that a single look is all it takes, and I’m practically giddy to go down to the barracks later. I want to hear what a good job I did, and get rewarded with one of the earth-shattering orgasms I’ve come to expect.
Except when I let myself into Fox’s room around midnight, I find it empty.
I glance at the clock on the wall just to double-check the time and frown.
It’s definitely past the time when he’d usually be here, and I thought he’d be expecting me after the heated look he gave me earlier. Then again, Jett just got back from a visit to Solistine, and sometimes he and Fox go down to the tavern in the village. That’s probably where he is. I suppose I could wait for him to come back.
Crossing the room to Fox’s bed, I pick at the hem of my long t-shirt.
I’ve grown really fond of t-shirts instead of nightgowns. One of the shirts that Alix gave me last year says HELLO KITTY next to a picture of a cat. I liked it so much that I made more, and tonight I’m wearing one of my favorites. It says: GOODDAY EUGENE above an embroidered squirrel.
Figuring that will make things faster when he does eventually get back, I strip off my Eugene shirt and leave it folded on the nightstand, then I climb into Fox’s bed to wait.
The room is dark except for the light of the full moon shining through the window onto the floor, and I’m surprised when I yawn, feeling unusually sleepy.
I pull his blankets up to my chin, breathing in the scent of pine and leather and something musky that makes my stomach flutter. My eyelids grow heavy, the weight of the day’s training settling into my muscles, and the room blurs at the edges as I sink deeper into his mattress.
“Aurelia?” Fox’s voice comes from very far away. “Aurelia!”
I open my eyes and immediately know something isn’t right. It’s bright in here.
I blink away sleep and confusion, and glance out the window, only to reel back. Suddenly, I’m wide awake. It’s daylight—late morning by the look of the sky—and what the hell am I still doing here?
“Aurelia?” Fox asks again.
