Chapter 41
THALRIC
Ifollow silently behind Aurora as we walk through the moonlit gardens. When she turns to face me, my chest tightens at the vulnerability in her eyes and the desperate longing etched in her beautiful face.
She rushes toward me, but I hold up a hand, stopping her gently but firmly.
My claws flex, desperate to touch her, to hold her close. “We shouldn’t be out here.”
“I just wanted a moment,” she whispers. “I needed to… see you. To talk to you away from everyone else.” A tear slips down her cheek. “I feel like I’m losing you, Thalric.”
Everything inside me aches to pull her into my arms, but I cannot.
Clenching my jaw, I force myself to remain still.
“I’m here,” I rasp, my heart aching with the weight of everything I feel but cannot allow myself to have.
“And I’ll always be here.” Even if you cannot be mine. “I will never leave you.”
“Thalric, please.” Her gaze holds mine, full of such hurt and longing that it nearly breaks my resolve as duty and honor anchor me cruelly in place. “I just want you to hold me. I—”
“Aurora,” Fiora’s voice cuts through the darkness. She walks toward us, her emerald gaze sharp with concern. “You shouldn’t be out here. It’s dangerous.”
I’m not sure if she’s referring to the danger of being caught by the Fae prince or the threat of the witch—Malvara. Either way, I cannot deny that she is right. We should not be out here like this.
Fiora gives me a pointed look. “Both of you should be inside.”
I nod.
“I know,” Aurora sulks. “We were just enjoying the night air.”
Auri’s gaze flicks back to mine briefly, and I recognize the look in her eyes. It’s the same one I’ve seen countless times. My lips twitch despite myself. She is headstrong to a fault, and I’m sure she’s already thinking of a plan to get her way.
I follow silently behind them as Fiora walks with her back to her chambers.
Once Aurora is safely behind her chamber doors, Fiora turns to me. “I understand this is hard on you, and I cannot imagine your pain and frustration. But I must stress again that—”
“I understand.” I give her a solemn look. “I cherish her, and I would never do anything to put her in danger… no matter what it costs me.”
Fiora’s eyes shimmer with unshed tears as she rests a hand lightly on my shoulder.
“My sisters and I may have raised Aurora, but sometimes it feels as though we raised you as well, Thalric. If there were a way around this curse, we would—” Her voice catches, and a tear slips down her cheek. “I’m sorry for all that has happened.”
Her words touch me. At first, I was upset at her and the others, including my parents. But now, I understand. They love Aurora and everything they did—all the secrets and lies—it was all done to protect her.
“You did what you had to in order to keep Aurora safe.” I could never be angry at them for that. “And I swear to you that I will do the same.”
I’m surprised when Fiora steps forward and wraps her arms around me in a gentle hug.
She is right. She and the others feel like family to me, and I embrace her in return.
When she steps back, it’s easy to see the sadness etched in her features. “Goodnight, Thalric.”
A maelstrom of emotions swirls deep within as I retreat to my cave beneath Aurora’s balcony. I walk over to my nest in the far corner and grab the pillow I took from Auri’s chambers. Her fragrance clings to the soft fabric—warm honeysuckle and lavender, the scent both calming and intoxicating.
Gods, I shouldn’t have taken it. Inside, I know it’s wrong, yet I cannot deny the deep, primal instinct that drove me to claim something of hers. Something to keep her close even when we must remain apart.
Beside the pillow lies her nightshift, a delicate silk garment. Lying down on my nest, I lift it to my face, drawing her delicious scent deep into my lungs. Desire burns hot and urgent within, mingled with the sharp pain of loss and restraint.
I clench my jaw. I know I should return these items; taking them in secret is not worthy of her.
Aurora should be here in my arms. Everything inside me insists that she is mine. My fangs extend. I long to mark her and claim her as my mate so that every male, including the Fae prince, knows that she belongs to me. Just as I belong to her.
My stav throbs painfully, demanding attention. A low growl escapes my throat as I yield to the primal need coursing through my veins and reach down to grip my hard, aching length, Aurora’s scent filling my senses as I stroke myself firmly.
Closing my eyes, I recall that night in the forest when we were alone in our tent. The feel of her lush curves beneath my hands, her lips parted in surrender. Fierce possessiveness surges within as I stroke faster, imagining the heat of her beneath me, around me.
My knot swells thickly at the base of my shaft, pulsing with need and desperate for release.
Her name escapes my lips as pleasure surges, cresting sharply. My climax boils out of me, my hot release erupting in thick ropes onto my abdomen and chest.
Panting heavily, I stare up at the rock ceiling. Guilt twists in my gut. I shouldn’t have allowed myself this indulgence, this fantasy. It’s wrong. It’s a betrayal of the boundaries I’ve sworn to uphold to protect her.
Clenching my jaw, I quickly clean myself up.
I’ve just finished when a faint rustling sound outside the cave draws my attention.
I move swiftly to the cave entrance, and my heart stops as my gaze snaps upward and I see Aurora dangling recklessly from her balcony by a rope. Her silk gown ripples in the wind as she rappels precariously down from the balcony.
Gods above.
I launch myself upward into the night air, desperate to reach her before she falls. Wrapping my arms solidly around her form, I pull her close to my chest.
She’s going to be the death of me someday.