Chapter 35 Des
Des
As Des lay on the floor—how had they ended up on the floor?—with Aurelie’s head resting on his bare chest, he could only shake his head in disbelief. To think, he’d once doubted that
she was good with her hands.
He hadn’t come here today with this intention. The plan had been to bring Aurelie a Yule tree, to make her day a little less
lonely—his too, if he was being fully honest—and put the first part of his plan into action. The fact that she was now lying
next to him naked, her eyelashes fanned against her cheeks and her hair a mass of soft waves against his skin, was beyond
anything he would have allowed himself to dream. In fact, he wasn’t entirely sure this was real.
Her brow furrowed in her sleep, her lips curling in a small frown, and it took all his willpower not to pull her closer to
him. She was so beautiful it was a physical pain in his chest, so sweet he could hardly breathe. And the way she had taken
control, showed him exactly how to touch her . . . Demons take him, it was a fucking revelation. She was a revelation. And he knew, if only someone would grant him the chance, they could discover so much more together.
Her eyelashes fluttered as she began to wake, her hands instinctively reaching for him.
“Hey,” he said, brushing her hair from her cheek. “How are you feeling?”
She made a small noise in her throat. “Sore.” She turned her head to smile at him. “In a good way.”
She was officially perfect. “It’s nearly five,” he said. “I was thinking we should get dressed, make some dinner?”
“That sounds lovely.” She sat up and stretched, unselfconscious in a way he found unbearably attractive. His little buttoned-up
schoolmarm was anything but.
After what they’d just shared, he almost couldn’t bring himself to put his plan into action. But he was doing this for Aurelie,
he reminded himself. “But first, maybe you could show me around campus?”
“I didn’t know you had such an interest in the university,” she said as she slipped into her shift and stockings. Watching
her dress was almost as delightful as watching her undress.
“I didn’t, before,” he said as he reluctantly stopped admiring her to pull on his own tunic. “But it’s where you’ve spent
most of your life. I want to see your world, Aurelie.”
She turned to smile at him over her shoulder. “That’s maybe the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
He bowed and held his hand out to her. “Then lead the way, my lady.”
As they finished dressing, Des was unable to resist helping himself to a few kisses in the process, and then Aurelie wrapped
her hand around one of his fingers and led him outside into the lavender twilight. They walked past Easton Hall, through a
small arboretum, and down a hill to an old cemetery, where the gravestones slanted in the soft earth like crooked teeth.
“Why is there a cemetery at a university?” Des asked, inching away from an aboveground tomb.
“There was a church here, around two hundred years ago. The clock tower is one of the only remaining parts. But no one was willing to build over the cemetery, so it remains.” Aurelie ran her hands over a tombstone, apparently feeling none of Des’s unease.
“When I was little, I asked if my parents could be buried here, but Uncle Leopold explained that there was no room left. They were buried in our old village, or so I was told. I’ve never been back to see their graves. ”
“And what’s this?” Des asked, pointing to the grotto.
“It used to be a fountain. It’s mostly dried up now.”
She opened the iron gate in front of it. “It’s never locked anymore, but it would have been at some point, to keep out lusty
students, I assume.” She waggled her eyebrows and took a seat on the small stone bench, patting the seat next to her. “Join
me?”
Des hesitated. “Here? It’s somewhat . . . damp.”
“Afraid of getting your trousers wet, are you?”
Des laughed. “Hardly.” He took a seat next to her and she immediately snuggled in against him. He kissed the top of her head.
“Do you want to tell me about the ceremony?” she asked.
“It was dull. Military protocol, a lot of big words with very little said. But it did feel nice to be recognized for all the
work I’ve put in over the years.”
“Nice? I imagine you must be immensely proud, Des.” She twined her fingers through his. “I know I am.”
To hear her say she was proud of him was so bittersweet he had to clear his throat. “A few weeks ago, I was assigned to a
new, elite unit, the Iron Swords.”
She sat up to beam at him. “That’s amazing, Des! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought you’d be upset.”
“Upset?” She twisted her lips in a wry smile. “Des, I know what you do for a living, believe it or not.”
“It’s our mission to kill verita and capture their creators.”
At that, Aurelie stiffened, and he wished he could take the words back. “Have you?”
“Last week was the first time.” He angled his body so he could look her in the eyes. “I would never do that to you, though.”
She furrowed her brow, looking entirely unconvinced. “Why? What’s different about me?”
Aside from the fact that I’m utterly obsessed with you? “I know you’re not trying to hurt anyone, for starters.”
“Now. But you didn’t know that before. If you’d arrested me the first time you met me, you’d think I was just as bad.”
He wanted to protest, but he knew she wasn’t wrong.
She forced a smile. “Well, when we finish the portal, there won’t be any more verita for you to hunt, and inventing won’t be illegal. So that should solve all our problems. Right?”
There was so much hope in her eyes, but he knew her well enough by now to know that there was doubt there, too. Just for tonight,
he would hold on to her hope instead.
He nodded and gave in to the temptation to touch her, sliding one hand up her neck to cradle her cheek. “Can I kiss you?”
he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “I would think the answer is rather ob—”
He kissed her before she could finish, but she didn’t seem to mind. Before he knew it, she’d made her way onto his lap, and
it was so simple to release her hair from its braid and drop the ribbon. He might have done it anyway, just to have his fingers
tangled in her soft waves.
“You know,” she said breathlessly, “we could go somewhere a little more comfortable.”
“Gods, yes.” He rose, still holding her.
“Des, I can walk!” She batted at his arm, but he only held her tighter.
“And risk soiling your dainty feet? I think not.”
“My, Lieutenant Commander Whitlow, you certainly are a gentleman.”
He started toward the cottage, but as they passed Easton Hall, she stilled him with a hand on his chest. “There,” she said,
and pointed to her laboratory.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I was thinking a bed might be nice.”
“You said you wanted to experience my world, Des. My lab is the very heart of it.”
How could he deny her now? “Your wish is my command.”
He proceeded up the steps, not even winded, and set her down at the top. When she pulled out her key, he touched it lightly.
“Does that mean this is the key to your heart?” he asked, unable to keep a straight face.
She puffed a small laugh and moved the key aside so that his hand was resting on her chest. “You are, silly.”
She dodged his next kiss, pulling him inside and practically skipping down the stairs to the long hallway. When they were
in her laboratory and she was settled on the sofa, Des knelt in front of her and began to unlace her boots.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Helping you.”
“I think I can manage that . . .” She reached up to her braid and frowned. “My ribbon. I must have left it behind.”
He hadn’t expected her to notice so quickly, wouldn’t have minded a few more minutes together, but this was always the plan.
“That’s my fault,” Des said, rising. “Do you want me to go and get it?”
She hesitated. “Would you mind? Normally I wouldn’t care, but it was from my mother.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be back in two minutes,” he said, kissing her forehead. “In the meantime, you can get a head start on those
boots. And whatever else you might want to remove.”
She grinned. “Presumptuous, aren’t you?”
“What can I say? You’ve turned me into something of an optimist.”
Des hated lying to Aurelie, and if he’d believed there were any other way to ensure they all came out of this alive, he would
have moved mountains to see it done. But trapping Everard’s thrall was the only option.
He’d never meant to rope Gareth into it, either. The boy had caught him sneaking out of the armory yesterday with three iron
spears, a length of chain, and a bundle of fake foliage.
For a moment, Des’s life had flashed before his eyes. He had no good excuse for what he was doing, no ready explanation. But
Gareth had only asked how he could help, and wouldn’t be dissuaded. He was the one who discovered the grotto on a campus map.
It was always going to be a risk—but if they were successful, this could solve all of their problems. So far, so good, Des thought as he headed for the front gate.
All except for the lying to Aurelie part.
He could see Gareth’s silhouette, shifting from one foot to the other. He jumped when Des hissed at him.
“Blood and bones, sir. You startled me.”
“Any sign of the thrall?”
“Not yet,” Gareth said. “But it’s likely keeping to the shadows.”
“All right.” He opened the gate with a clang, hoping to alert the demon to their presence. “Come on, let’s get to the grotto.”
Leaving the gate open felt wrong, luring a demon onto campus even worse, but the thrall wasn’t going to harm Aurelie. Des
should be worrying about himself, or at the very least Gareth. They had such a short window to make this work. If he was gone for
too long, Aurelie would undoubtedly grow suspicious. Worse, she might even come looking for him. He thought of her back in
her laboratory, her hair unbound, her lips still swollen from earlier.
“Did you get her scent into the grotto?” Gareth asked.
“Yes,” Des growled, not wanting to share any more details. “I left one of her ribbons there, too, and carried her back to
her laboratory.”
Gareth grinned, clearly about to say something suggestive, but thought better of it when he saw the look on Des’s face.
The grotto was as they’d left it: the gate was still ajar, Aurelie’s ribbon a dark tangle on the stone bench. They crouched
in the shadows on either side of the grotto and waited.
Miraculously, it didn’t take long before they heard the thrall’s howl, sending shivers down Des’s spine. This creature had
been following Aurelie for weeks, possibly months, tracking her every move. Everard had been tracking her every move. This had to work, not least because he wanted to see that man rot in prison for what he’d
put Aurelie through.
If Gareth’s research on thralls was correct, Everard would be greatly weakened with the demon imprisoned behind iron bars.
Tomorrow, Commander Yew would post a guard to Everard’s house and arrest him the moment he stepped outside, if he could move at all.
Des, Gareth, Daisy, and Jasper would come to the university to explain everything to Aurelie, and hopefully reveal the good news that her uncle was safe and sound.
Of all the difficult things Des had done in his life, telling Commander Yew the myriad ways he’d betrayed his trust was perhaps
the hardest. He did it before his promotion ceremony, in case Yew changed his mind. But he’d heard Des out, which felt like
a miracle in itself.
By the time he’d left Yew’s office, Des knew he had utterly betrayed Aurelie. But Aurelie going to prison was better than
her dying, even if the thought of her behind bars was unbearable. She should be free to learn, to love. To marry, though he
knew it would never be him. Not once she knew what he’d done.
“I think I hear something,” Gareth whispered.
Des had been so lost in his thoughts, he had missed the crunching of large paws in snow, but a moment later, the thrall’s
red eyes appeared in the dark. Its nose was low to the ground, tracking their scent. Des tensed in anticipation. They had
only one chance to get this right. The chain was still coiled where he’d left it by the iron gate. He held his breath and
said a silent prayer. This would work. This had to work.
“Now!” he shouted the moment the thrall entered the grotto.
Gareth leapt on the gate, slamming it shut just seconds before the thrall’s pointed snout was thrust through the bars.
It yelped and leapt back at the close contact with the iron, giving Des enough time to wrap the chain around the gate and snap the padlock closed before its teeth snapped dangerously close to his fingers.
“We did it,” Gareth breathed as they stood back, swords drawn, waiting for the creature to somehow break free of its cage.
Twice, it came close to the iron, growling as it sparked against its fur, tingeing the air with the smell of brimstone. It
clawed at the stone at the back of the grotto but quickly gave up. It sat back on its haunches and released the most mournful
howl Des had ever heard. It would be a miracle if Aurelie hadn’t heard it. There was a strong temptation to kill it now, but
he’d vowed to capture a verita alive. Besides, if they were wrong and killing it didn’t injure Everard, then Aurelie’s uncle could pay the ultimate price
for his impatience.
“I have to get back,” Des said to Gareth. “Come on.”
Still astonished the plan had worked, they ran back to the university gate. Gareth was about to slip through when Des shocked
them both by pulling the boy into a firm embrace.
“You did good, kid,” he said, ruffling Gareth’s hair.
And Gareth, bless him, smiled wider than Des had ever seen before.
“What will you tell Aurelie about the ribbon?” Gareth asked as Des closed the gate behind him.
“The ribbon is the least of my concerns right now. Tell Commander Yew we succeeded. I’ll be back at the fort shortly.”
Gareth started to go, then paused. “You’re doing the right thing, you know.”
Des had no idea if that was true, but it was too late to turn back. He could only hope that, someday, Aurelie would forgive
him.