Chapter 53
I was floating in a sea of memories, sifting through them one at a time. I saw the moment Aurora Briarcliffe Gaelania was born into this world, a babe among the witch clans, sired by a soldier passing through the kingdom. She had pale orange hair and freckles covering her entire body. When she first opened her eyes, they were a vibrant green with vertical black slits, marking her as the first dragon shifter the clan had seen in over a thousand years.
The next memory I fell into was the moment Aurora’s powers came into fruition. She was able to call blue flames at will and direct them as she wished. Her aim and level of concentration was impeccable. The sage declared she would be the most powerful weapon the clan had ever seen.
After that, hundreds of years passed as Aurora Briarcliffe Gaelania’s powers grew. She became a healer in her clan, using her knowledge of herbs to help her fellow sisters. But when a tribe of witch hunters came, slaughtering half her sisters—her mother included—she unleashed all the horrors of her magic and wiped out the entire tribe without another thought. This was the first sign of her dangerous and deadly power.
The next memory was her journey to become the sage of the witch clan. Several witches objected to this, as Aurora’s gifts were volatile and dangerous, but overall, she gained her sisters’ approval and was granted the gift of Sight.
Decades later, a prophecy came to her mind. It revealed the true nature of her powers, and the two sides of the coin that was her soul. If she mastered her powers, they could be used to unite the realm. But if she did not, she would be the cause of the realm’s destruction.
At first, Aurora kept this prophecy to herself, knowing her sisters would oust her if they discovered it. But when she came across a village in desperate need of assistance, her dragon unwittingly took over, and she accidentally set the hamlet ablaze. Nearly every soul in the village perished from the accident.
After that, Aurora confessed to her closest sisters, Ruby, Jade, and Sapphire. She asked for their help. Together, they concocted a plan to bind Aurora’s powers but to let her live another life. A safer life.
One witch in the clan was opposed to this idea. She wanted to harness Aurora’s powers and use them to destroy their enemies, to conquer other witch clans and expand their territory. Her name was Rosalina.
After much discussion, the clan decided to bind Aurora’s powers instead of utilize them. Rosalina lashed out, attacking her fellow sisters until she was cast out from the clan, never to be seen again. The clan heard rumors that she had disguised herself as a human, living among royals and keeping her identity a secret. But no one knew for sure what became of her.
Ruby, Jade, and Sapphire helped Aurora initiate the spell, but it was Aurora’s blood that finally sealed it, bringing it to life. After this, her life as a sage, a healer, and a witch was no more.
A blinding light overtook me, blotting out the memories I’d been enveloped in only moments before. I found myself sitting in the tea room at the Emerald Palace in the Summer Court. A cup of mint tea was in my hands, warming me to the bone. I looked around, confused at finding myself alone. I could have sworn that, only moments ago, I’d been speaking with Gigi.
But she wasn’t here.
Humming to myself in thought, I sipped at the tea, thinking perhaps my sister would join me shortly. My gaze fixed on the window, through which I could barely make out the forest where the nesting grounds were. I missed my dragons. Perhaps, after tea, I would venture that way and take one of them for a ride. Perhaps I could check in on?—
My thoughts faltered at that, and an unusual stab of unease worked its way into my gut. I swallowed, blinking rapidly to clear my mind. I wasn’t sure why, but the thought of my dragons and—and?—
Which dragon was I thinking of? He had black scales and golden eyes, but the more I thought of him, the more the details flitted away like petals in the wind.
Another slice of pain, and I hunched over, groaning. Burning suns, what was this? Was something in my tea? I set the cup on the table, then rubbed my temples.
Perhaps I needed to retire early tonight. My nightmares of witches and spells and prophecies had plagued me for far too long. If I sought out our healer for a sleeping tonic, I was sure to have a dreamless sleep tonight.
I rose to my feet, smoothing my palms along my skirts before turning to leave, only to find a figure standing in the doorway. He had wavy brown locks and vibrant green eyes, and the look on his face was so intense with longing and grief that it brought back that familiar ache in my stomach. I tilted my head at him, wondering why he was here.
“Aurelia,” he breathed, the sound a low rasp.
I blinked. “Who are you?”
He drew closer until his large form was only a few inches away, warming the space between us. I found my throat dry, though I wasn’t sure why. I had never seen this man before.
“You must remember,” he murmured, taking my hand in his. His palm was so warm and familiar, and when he laced his fingers through mine, it felt like an echo of a past memory. A past life.
My brows knitted together, and I jerked my hand away. “What—What are you doing to me?”
“I’ve come to bring you back.”
“Bring me back where ?” My voice was shrill. “I’m already home.”
“Aurelia, this isn’t real. You’ve been trapped here for too long. If you don’t come with me, it will be too late for you.”
I laughed. This man was clearly insane. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know you, and I’m not going anywhere with you. ”
I tried to step around him, but I froze at the sight of the black dragon in the hall. His wings were spread wide, making him too large to fit through the doorway. As he looked at me with one golden eye and one milky eye, I felt my breath shudder within me.
“Oh gods,” I whispered. “ Mal !”
Within seconds, I had fled from the tea room to throw my arms around my dragon, clinging to him tightly in the hallway. He nuzzled my shoulder, his body rumbling as he purred and wrapped his wings around me as if in a loving embrace. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and his familiar earthy and ember scent filled me with memories of home and flight and the open sky.
Home.
My body jerked as if pulled in motion, though I remained rooted to the spot. Awareness burst in my mind with searing intensity, and suddenly I remembered. Not just the life of Aurora Briarcliffe Gaelania, but my life —the life of Aurelia Perdis, Princess of the Summer Court.
The sleeping curse.
My bargain with Fenn.
Our journey through the Autumn Court.
His lips on mine, his hands roaming my body.
The Mistwood Hills.
The ogre attack.
The Midnight Court and the Nightfire fete and?—
I glanced up at the man, who had followed me to the hall. But he wasn’t just a man. He was Prince Fennick of the Midnight Court. The man I had fallen in love with.
And the man who had betrayed me.
“ You !” I roared, jumping to my feet and baring my teeth at him. “You have some nerve coming here, you bastard. Get out of my castle!”
“I can’t do that, Aurelia. I have to bring you back, or you’ll die.” His eyes were full of pain.
“I don’t believe you!” I shouted in his face. “You’ve done nothing but deceive me from the start. I’m done with you. Come on, Mal, let’s go for a ride.”
I stormed down the hallway with Mal at my side. I didn’t bother looking back to see if Fenn followed us. Part of me hoped he didn’t .
But another much smaller part of me hoped he did.
When we rounded the corner, Mal nudged my hand with his snout. My steps faltered, and I cast him a questioning look. “What?”
Mal jerked his head back toward where we’d come.
I scoffed. “I’m not speaking with him.”
Mal’s ear twitched. Then both ears folded backward.
He was scared. And my brave dragon wasn’t easily scared.
I took a shaky breath. “Mal, I can’t trust him.”
Mal huffed as if in agreement, and I found myself smiling.
“Do you believe he’s here to help me?” I asked quietly.
Slowly, Mal inclined his head in agreement.
“So, you’re saying I should trust him?” My tone was full of doubt.
Mal’s ears perked up, and he tilted his head to the side, letting his tongue loll out. I laughed, interpreting his response as, Maybe. Maybe not. It’s up to you.
With a sigh, I turned back to the tea room. “Fine. I’ll speak to him. But don’t go far, just in case I need you to bite his head off for me.”
Mal huffed again as I strode back down the hall. Fenn was right where we’d left him, pacing the small space in front of the tea room. He looked up at my approach, his eyes wide with desperation and hope.
When I faced him, my eyes narrowed into slits. “You have until I finish my cup of tea to convince me to believe you.” Then, I pushed past him, returning to my seat on the sofa and taking another sip of tea. When he didn’t move from the doorway, I said lightly, “Tick tock.”
With a groan of frustration, Fenn stepped into the room, sitting on the sofa opposite me. He clasped his hands over his knees and looked at me with an intensity that made my stomach flutter.
After a moment, he said, “I killed my mother.”
My hand froze halfway to bringing my teacup to my lips. Then, I laughed. “You would never.”
“But I did.”
I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was joking or not. Sometimes, with Fenn, it was impossible to tell. “How did you do it? ”
“I deposed her. She was so enraged she attacked me with a sword. And I—I—” He broke off, his eyes full of anguish.
I shook my head, taking another sip of my tea. “Sorry. I don’t believe you. You let your mother cage me. You let her steal my dragon. You worded our bargain so I would be trapped to stay in your court. I have no reason to trust you’re telling me the truth.”
“None of that was intentional, Aurelia.” His face was stricken and full of despair. “Yes, I knew she’d stolen a dragon, but I wanted to wait until after the fete to tell you.”
“You knew I was looking for that Blue Amethyst’s mother,” I snarled. “You knew I suspected someone had captured or killed her. How could you have kept this from me?”
His eyes closed, and he nodded, his mouth pressing into a thin line. “Yes. You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have told you right away. But the bargain… I was only looking out for my kingdom. I had no idea about your shifting abilities, Aurelia. I thought for sure it would be Jorey who would come with me to the Midnight Court. I was looking forward to it, actually.” A slow smile lit his face, making him look like the normal Fenn for the first time since he’d shown up here. His gaze turned distant as he no doubt thought of the happy silver dragon who had warmed up to him so quickly.
I was torn between affection for the man who cared about a dragon as much as I did, and defensiveness that anyone dared to try to take Jorey away from me.
“I didn’t know what she was planning,” Fenn said, his eyes pleading. “I know that’s no excuse. You’re right—It is my fault. Because I should have seen this sooner. I should have paid more attention. By the time she’d imprisoned you, it was too late for me to do anything. The bargain was fulfilled.”
“How convenient.” I took another sip of tea.
“Dammit, Aurelia!” Fenn slammed his fist on the table between us, making the teapot and saucer rattle. “I am in love with you. And it’s been tearing me apart, finding a way to get back to you. If you never want to see me again, that’s perfectly fine. But you must return with me before this place kills you. If you don’t believe me, then believe Mal. He’s here for you, too.”
“Don’t you dare drag him into this.” I set my teacup on the table so hard it sloshed, spilling onto the saucer. “ He was captured because of you. He lost his eye because of your soldiers. That alone should have kept me from trusting you. But I was a fool. I won’t be making that mistake again.”
I rose to my feet. “Sorry. Your time is up.” I didn’t care that there was still tea in my cup. I was done speaking with this arrogant ass.
“Wait!” Fenn caught my arm before I could stride for the door. “I—I’m going to kiss you now.”
I stiffened, my body heating from those words. The very same words he uttered before he kissed me at the Equinox Ball. My mouth went dry as I stared at him. “What?” My voice was shaky.
Fenn stepped around the table until he faced me, our chests touching, our bodies sharing the same space. “I’m going to kiss you. And if you feel nothing, then I will leave you alone and never bother you again. But if you feel anything at all, then I’ll know I’m right.”
“Right about what?” I tried to make my tone sharp, but the tremor in my voice betrayed my fear.
“Right about your feelings for me.” He gave me a crooked half-smile that both infuriated and aroused me all at once. “You love me. Admit it.”
“Never,” I growled.
“Fine. Then this test should be easy for you.” He drew closer, his mouth hovering over mine as he waited for me to object.
I wanted to shove him away. To scream. To throw the teapot at him.
But if I refused, I would have to explain why. And I couldn’t do that.
So, in answer, I grabbed his collar and pulled his mouth to mine.