39. Thirty-Nine
This is the third time I”ve woken up next to Atlas and even though we didn”t get much sleep last night, the jolt of excitement that shoots through me has me wide awake. I listen to his soft breathing and the rhythmic beating of his heart and feel peace wash over me. This is exactly where we should be, in each other”s arms.
Although I would love to stay in bed with him for the rest of the day, I made plans to meet my mother for a morning flight. Reluctantly, I roll away from him only to remember I”m still naked and need to hurry up and get my dragon leathers on. As quietly as possible, because I don”t want to disturb him, I get ready to leave. Before slipping out, I scribble a quick note letting him know where I”ll be and asking him to join me when he wakes up.
Once the door latches behind me, I make my way down the corridor. When I turn the corner, I notice Nyx outside his bedroom door fumbling with the doorknob. Though slightly disheveled, he”s still wearing the clothes he wore to the ball last night.
”I thought you were trying to quit.” I point at the lit reefer hanging from his lips and he jumps.
”Shit, Kitarni!” He shakes his head, placing his hand against his temple. ”Stop yelling. What are you doing up this late anyways?”
”Late?” I giggle. Whoever he spent the night with must have zapped him of the basic concept of time. ”It”s morning.”
”Early.” He amends. ”I meant, what are you doing up this early?”
I lean against the wall beside his door and say, ”I”m meeting my mother for a morning flight. I could use your company.”
He groans and my suspicions he”s nursing a splitting headache is confirmed. ”Right this second? I haven”t even slept yet – ”
”Oh, you look great.” I loop my arm in his and drag him down the hallway with me, not giving him the opportunity to argue. ”You”ll get to meet Seraxes.”
”Can we at least stop and grab breakfast?”
”You can bring whatever you can carry.”
”Deal.”
When I agreed to grab breakfast, I didn”t realize Nyx was willing to steal a silver platter filled with a one-man breakfast feast, but technically I did say, he could bring whatever he could carry. He”s not fazed when I inform him we”ll be flying the Aviatas to Fendruil. He”s more concerned he”ll lose one of his precious pastries instead of falling to his death. When we make it through the gates of Fendruil, Nyx”s food isn”t of the utmost importance anymore. His mouth drops watching the dragons zip and zag through the mountain course. For the first time since I”ve known Nyx, he”s truly speechless.
”They”re incredible,” he mumbles, and I nod.
”Yes, they are.” I swipe one of the baked goods from his tray and munch beside him in awed silence.
I finally catch sight of my mother waiting for us by the stables. She smirks the moment she sees Nyx. ”So, is this another one of your bodyguards?” she teases, an eyebrow quirked.
”Amma, this is Nyx, my actual bodyguard.”
Nyx quits gawking like a child when he hears his name and courtly manners take over. He bows before my mother. ”It is an honor to officially meet you, Your Highness. And might I say, I now see who Shaye gets her good looks from.”
”Oh,” my mother coos. ”I like this one.”
I roll my eyes. Of course, Nyx can”t help but ooze charisma.
”Where”s the other one?”
”Atlas is…” I clear my throat, feeling my cheeks heat. ”He”s still sleeping. I left him a note to join us when he wakes up.”
Nyx damn near snaps his neck to look at me and even though it”s clear he has a thousand questions brewing behind those blood-shot hazel eyes, he thankfully keeps his mouth shut.
”Well.” My mother motions us to come forward. ”Let”s show your actual bodyguard around before we take off.”
My mother gives Nyx the same tour she gave me and Atlas, ending it at Seraxes” pen. I expect my dragon to give Nyx the same judgmental glare she gave me, but to my irritated surprise, she tilts her head in curiosity before making her way over to sniff him. He stands as still as a statue allowing her snout to peruse his chest. Sylvane and I watch wide-eyed as Seraxes gently nudges his arm.
”What does that mean?” Nyx whispers, his eyes fixed on my dragon.
”I believe she wants you to pet her,” my mother says in wild amusement.
Nyx slowly lifts his hand and extends it toward Seraxes who tucks her nose under his palm.
”I suppose your charm with the ladies truly knows no bounds,” I quip, rolling my eyes when Nyx flashes me a smile.
”Jealous, Kitarni?”
I point at Seraxes and shake my head. ”Traitor.”
She puffs an icy breath in response.
”There”s a landing area where you can watch us fly,” Sylvane motions for Nyx to find his way through the front doors.
Nyx nods, patting Seraxes one more time on the snout and turns on his heel to head for the spectating area. Once he”s out of earshot, my mother squares her shoulders to mine and lifts her eyebrows playfully.
”What?” I sigh. ”What”s that face for?”
”Are you sleeping with both of them?”
I cough, nearly choking on a quickly sucked in breath. ”No,” I shake my head, patting my chest. ”No, I”m not sleeping with both of them.”
”So, you”re sleeping with one of them. The first one?”
”Why so curious?”
”That will complicate matters, if you follow through with your grandfather”s demands of marrying a Frost Elf.”
Suddenly, the air is sucked out of the room and I”m finding it hard to think. I”d forgotten about that completely after the night I shared with Atlas. I love him. There”s no way I”d be able to marry someone else now, especially after giving myself over to him fully.
I rub the heels of my palms against my eyes. ”Shit.”
”Do you have a plan?” She asks, stroking Corvex”s nose. ”Or are you hoping the Frost King will forget?”
”Either I follow my heart, or I accept Thrane”s offer.”
Her interest is piqued. ”What offer?”
”Thrane told me last night the Frost King is pressuring him to find a wife. He proposed we marry one another. I could stay here, be accepted as a Basilius and still…”
When I trail off, realization sparks in her eyes. ”You will still have the Tronovian. You love him, don”t you?”
”Atlas?” When she nods, I exhale and say, ”Yes, I love him.”
”Aurelia,” her soft voice nabs my attention. ”I will never ask you to betroth yourself to a man for the sake of Armas Basilius to accept you. I chose the man I loved, in spite of the consequences.”
”If I defy the Frost King, he”ll force me to leave you.”
”My darling girl,” she slips her hands on my shoulders and smiles. ”Sometimes you must stand your ground and follow your heart. Do not allow the threats and intimidation of one old man to dictate your happiness.”
”And if he sends me away?”
”Corvex and I would plan an extended vacation in Tronovia.” She kisses my forehead. ”I hear Draaksten is unoccupied,” she wiggles her eyebrows as she makes her way inside Corvex”s pen to mount him. ”Besides, wherever you go, Seraxes will be bound to go as well. And we both know dragons shouldn”t be left alone. As her older brother, Corvex will feel obligated to keep a watchful eye on her.”
I slip inside Seraxes” pen and hop on her back. It”s easy to do now, and oddly enough, I feel like I”ve been flying with her for years. It”s in my blood, no doubt about it.
”Let”s give your new best friend a show,” I tease, garnering a vicious side-eye from Seraxes. ”What? Too far? What is it about him anyway? Is it his hair? His hazel eyes?” Her nostrils flare before launching into the sky, and if I didn”t know any better, I”d swear every flip, spin and barrel roll were geared to impress Nyx watching from below. ”Show off, indeed.”
Corvex and Seraxes serpentine around each other, zipping around the course with incredible speed. I lean forward, making myself as aerodynamic as possible to keep my seat. This feeling has become an addiction. Soaring through the air, spearing through each hoop with ease and accuracy. At first, I was terrified of how fast Seraxes is, but I”ve come to crave the wind flipping my hair over my back. As we finish the course, I sit up, stretching my arms wide and closing my eyes. I love this feeling. It feels like freedom.
”You can tell there”s so much trust between you now,” my mother says.
I glance over at her, our dragons flapping their white wings, keeping us hovering in place. I bob my head and pat Seraxes scales. ”I think we make quite the team.”
”I do believe there”s someone else who also compliments you.”
I look in the direction she”s staring and spot Atlas standing beside Nyx and my heart leaps in my chest. I tap Seraxes and point downward when she tosses her head back at me. ”Let”s go.”
A nosedive that would have paralyzed me in fear a week ago, now exhilarates me. Seraxes only pulls up at the very last second to perch on the landing area. I quickly slide down Seraxes” side and run over to Atlas. Not caring who sees us, I jump into his awaiting arms, wrap my legs around his torso and kiss him. I tug my fingers through his hair and bite his bottom lip, enjoying the soft moan vibrating through his chest.
”Well, hello to you, too.” He smiles against my lips when I reluctantly pull back a smidge.
”It”s about damn time, Kitarni!” Nyx howls, reminding me he”s still here. ”Wait, does this mean you two are together?”
I slip down from Atlas” chest and grin up at him. ”What do you think?”
”You”re mine.”
”Oh, thank the Stars!” Nyx exhales. ”Another couple of weeks and I was going to owe Ronan a good bit of money.”
”Wait a second!” I scoff, eyes widening. ”You two were betting if Atlas and I would end up together or not?”
”Correction,” Nyx puts a hand up. ”We were both betting in favor of you being together, just disagreed on the timing. I just happen to know you two better.”
”Ass,” I chuckle, but Atlas doesn”t look the least bit surprised. ”Wait, you knew?”
”I found out the other night,” he admits.
”Well,” I turn back to Nyx. ”How much did you make off Ronan?” I tease and Nyx grins wickedly.
”A hundred crowns.”
My eyes pop and I laugh. ”Damn, Nyx. I suppose drinks will be on you when we get back to Tronovia.”
”Drinks?” He chuckles. ”Why would I be paying for your drinks?”
”You made money off of us, the least you could do is buy us a drink.”
He rolls his eyes, but every argument that flashes in his eyes dies on the tip of his tongue. The moment I see him accept defeat, I grin, but I don”t get the chance to tease him, because my mother joins us. She nods at the boys and smiles at me. ”I am sure you have plans the rest of the day, but could I persuade you into joining me on one more excursion today?”
Atlas gently pushes me toward her, his silent way of telling me to spend all the time I can with her. ”You two have fun. Nyx and I have to – ”
”Sleep,” Nyx interjects. ”Nyx needs to sleep. I won”t be of any use tonight, if I don”t rest.”
”I”ll make sure he gets back safely,” Atlas says and winks at me. ”I”ll see you when you”re finished.”
As Atlas and Nyx head up the incline, I can hear Nyx telling his older brother how Seraxes took to him faster than me. I have half a mind to shout something snarky, but I refrain, sensing my mother”s piercing stare pinned to me. I glance up at her and she smiles.
”So,” she says with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes, ”how do you feel about jewelry?”
”I love anything that sparkles.”
My first thought is she is going to bring me down to the city to shop, but I couldn”t have been more wrong. Deep in the heart of Stelara, on one of the lowest levels of the castle, my mother escorts me inside the heavily guarded Basilius Royal Treasury. The windowless room harbors gems and jewels of different cuts and colors housed in tufted blue velvet boxes on glassed white shelves from the floor to the ceiling. With only one way in or out, the safety measures ensure this priceless collection remains intact.
”I”ve never seen anything like this before,” I say in reverential awe.
”This collection has been acquired over hundreds of years,” Sylvane circles the room. She motions toward a wall filled with necklaces, earrings, bracelets and hairpins. ”Emeralds from Tronovia, rubies from Bava, amethysts from Midori, sapphires from Hydra, topaz from Durne – all gifts from our allies over the centuries.” Gliding to the opposite wall, she waves her hand from floor to ceiling, pointing out a case filled with diamonds and pearls. ”These were crafted here in Elowen as presents for engagements, birthdays, and other special occasions.”
”Everything in here is stunning,” I turn in a circle, taking each sparkling gem in. ”Some would even say, enviable.”
The corners of her mouth tick upward as she squares her shoulders to mine. She rests her hand against the glass where dozens of diadems are displayed, ”Last night, I asked you to wear the tiara I had designed because it symbolizes your heritage. Tonight, I want you to pick something on your own. And remember, whatever you choose has meaning, so pick wisely.”
”You”re letting me wear anything in here?”
She nods. ”You are a Basilius, are you not? All of these belong to you as well.”
I methodically scan the shelves and cases filled with gemstones that pale in comparison to my collection in Midori. Any color stone one could imagine is sitting here within my reach, but there is one piece that beckons me.
”What would the Frost King expect me to wear tonight?” I ask.
Sylvane tosses a thumb at a silver crown with diamonds and pearls. It is handsdown the most expensive piece in the Basilius collection and from what she”s told me, custom made here in Elowen. ”This crown belonged to my grandmother. She had it fashioned for her wedding ceremony in Basilius stones. If you were to declare your allegiance to House Basilius publicly, that is what he would expect you to choose.”
”And if I picked something else?”
She smirks. ”I would expect nothing less from a Sol.”
Tonight, I will decide my fate and forge my own path. I can bow down to the whims and wishes of Armas Basilius, or I can defy him, all consequences be damned.
There is no question in my mind of the piece I will wear tonight when I go toe-to-toe with my grandfather. I cross to the opposite side of the vault and carefully pick up a diadem with emerald stones and set it on top of my head. Stepping in front of the full-length silver mirror, I smile at how stunning the green compliments my skin tone and grey eyes.
”Wearing a Tronovian gifted crown won”t make a statement, Aurelia.”
I flick my eyes up from my reflection to meet her gaze in the glass, but before I can defend my choice, she says, ”It will be seen as the equivalent of challenging Armas Basilius” in battle.”
I suck in a steadying breath, not daring to tear my eyes from hers. ”Are you advising me against choosing the emeralds?”
She tilts her head to the side and smiles. ”I always say, choose your battles wisely, but if you choose to wage a war, make sure you strike hard and fast.” She approaches me and rests her hands on my shoulders. ”Wear the crown and stand your ground, Aurelia.”
”And if he banishes me?”
”Then he banishes me as well,” she says so fiercely that it reassures me of what I have to do. ”I will never be parted from you again, this I swear.”
I slip my hand over my shoulder and rest it on top of hers. ”Thank you.”
”For what?”
”Choosing me.”
She gently turns me around to face her and places her hands on my cheeks. ”I will always choose you, my darling. Always.” Swiping the tear that slips down my cheek, she smiles and says, ”Be brave tonight. You are in control of your own fate.”
And I intend to make her proud.