Chapter 35 Aurora
Aurora
I sleep soundly throughout the night. Peacefully and dreamlessly for the first time since Jameson’s attack. My eyes flutter open as I stretch, every inch of me deliciously sore.
Bright light streams through Ezra’s floor-to-ceiling windows as birds chirp a cheerful morning song.
I reach beside me for Ezra and find nothing but pillows and duvet.
The house is too quiet, too still, a behemoth holding its breath. My lungs constrict when I consider the possibility that last night was nothing more than a fever dream.
Something cool winds around my ankle, trailing lazy patterns across my skin, light enough to be a daydream. I jolt, but it doesn’t vanish. It lingers in the corner, the darkness just a little too heavy.
Was my night with Ezra all a dream?
The dark corner of the room contracts pugnaciously, a mass of dark little devils pulsing with annoyance.
Did it just … disagree with me?
Perfect. Mind-reading shadows. Add that to my ever-growing list of supernatural shit I don’t understand.
When my feet hit the cold, hard wood of the floor, I shiver, looking around for any sign of him. Glancing toward the bathroom, I relax a little when I glimpse the remains of his suit lying in front of the shower.
I should probably be worried that the sight of a blood-soaked suit calms me, but I’ve decided to fully embrace my new, oddly violent life.
As I pull on Ezra’s navy-blue robe, wrapping myself in its warmth, voices drift upstairs, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee makes me smile. So does the sound of Ezra and Louie trying to out-bitch each other.
I follow the chaos into the kitchen, where Ezra pulls me in and buries his face in my neck.
“Good morning, Aurora.”
A shadow slithers between us, nudging Ezra’s hand toward me, demanding more. He swats it away, but it clings to my forearm, curling tight with theatrical flair.
“I hope you slept well. I tried not to disturb you when I got out of bed since our reunion was … wonderfully exhausting.”
He chuckles, then plants a light kiss right below my ear.
“Bloody hell! I’m standing right here,” Louie groans, choking on bacon. “Thank Christ human ears are garbage.”
Ugh. How humiliating.
“You two were less than discreet last night.”
Heat spreads across my face just thinking about the way I screamed and moaned for Ezra while he worshipped every inch of my body.
To distract myself, I open the fridge, pull out a bowl of strawberries, and then set them down in front of the hellhound without making eye contact.
“You okay, Aurora?” Louie asks with a mouthful of food.
We really need to work on her manners.
“Yeah, Lou, I’m fine. Just a little embarrassed.”
I pick at the side of my thumb while I stare at the floor. Ezra growls at Louie as he wraps his arms around me again.
“Little flame, you should never be ashamed about enjoying something that makes you happy or brings you pleasure.”
Ezra lifts my chin with his forefinger, then plants a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth while he cuts Louie with a disapproving glare.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Aury. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”
The hellhound comes around the island and hugs me from behind, nuzzling the space between my shoulder blades. Ezra smiles, then takes a step back, allowing me to turn and wrap my protector in a massive hug.
A curious wisp of shadow slips between us, claiming space with cold, unspoken intent. It’s gone in a blink, but I can practically hear them grumbling: She’s ours.
“What time is it? I have to get ready for work,” I say, stepping away from Lou to pour myself a cup of coffee.
When I turn around to go upstairs, I find the shade and the hound staring at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“What? What did I say?”
I take a sip from my mug while I patiently wait for their response.
It could be anything, from spilled coffee to a brand-new tail sprouting from my ass.
Louie and Ezra look at each other, then Ezra says, “Aurora, I understand your need to return to work, but there are things we must address.
“Even though I’d rather sit through Stephen P. Demon’s tight-five again, we should visit Iain today. He might be able to give you and Louie some magical guidance.
“If what I’ve learned during my time away is any indication, trouble’s coming, and we’ll all need to be magically functional when it does.”
“But …” The weight of an argument presses against my tongue, desperate to be unleashed.
Shit.
Ezra’s right.
What happened with Jameson will haunt me for the rest of my life, but gaining control over my own powerful magic would allow me to take back some of what he ripped away.
I can protect myself. Maybe even the people I care about. But only if I can control this power—before it controls me.
That’s assuming I ever make peace with the magical bitch still muttering in the corner of my mind.
I refuse to let the trauma win.
Let Jameson win.
Let the Disciples win.
Hell, let the magic win.
“I guess I could call Eve and ask for a few more days off. Maybe tell her I’m still struggling with the attack. I just hate lying to her.”
It’s not exactly a lie.
I’m going to struggle for the foreseeable future. But I was ready to go back to work. Plus, I’ve lied to Eve about almost everything this week, and the resulting guilt pokes at the bugs still slumbering under my skin.
I absentmindedly chew on the inside of my cheek while I consider my options.
“Well, excellent. No need to lie. I already handled it,” Ezra says with a smug look on his face. “Eve said to take all the time you need.”
“Ezra! What the fuck? You can’t call me off work because it suits you. I like to work and spend time with Eve.
“I know you’re right, and if you took the time to discuss it with me, I would have called myself. You can take control in the bedroom, Ezra, but out here? We’re partners. You promised you’d help me find my power, not take it away from me!”
Ezra’s shadows jolt, freezing mid-slither, completely caught off guard by my anger. One curls defensively around his wrist. Another pulses at my hip, bracing for a fight.
I’m so pissed I’m yelling—something I almost never do—when hellfire explodes from my skin.
“Oh, fuck. Shit.”
This is so embarrassing. The flames won’t go away.
I even swallow my pride and ask Emme for help. But the cunt just sits in the dark recesses of my mind and giggles.
Whatever. I’ll figure it out myself.
When I look up from my blazing hands, Ezra’s eyes narrow, his mouth pressing into a tight line.
Not angry.
Not even defensive.
Just … processing. Trying to figure out how we got here.
Stifling a chuckle, I walk over to Ezra and wrap my arms around his waist. My hellfire quickly engulfs him, eagerly igniting his tall frame.
“Don’t be upset, Ezra. It’s important you realize that I have my own voice, and I intend to use it. I want to discuss things like this, not be told what to do. I’m sorry I yelled.”
I lay my head on his chest and listen as his rapid heartbeat eventually slows.
“I’m the one who should apologize, Aurora.
Thank you for telling me how you feel. I didn’t know calling Eve was the wrong thing to do.
I will not let it happen again. At least we know anger is a trigger for your hellfire.
The more pressing issue is how to stop it.
Manipulating it can come later,” he says, kissing the top of my head.
I smile into his chest and sigh happily while his hand rubs calming circles on my back.
“Well, I suppose feeling happy and calm makes the hellfire disappear then.”
Ezra takes a step back and smiles proudly at me. I watch my hands in awe as the hellfire slowly dims.
His shadows leisurely unfurl, the edges of them softening as tension bleeds away. One tendril lingers around my wrist, silent applause in shadow form, then it slithers back to the dark, leaving only a pulse of pride behind.
Ugh. I have a lot to learn. Even Ezra’s emo pool noodles know it.
Louie clears her throat behind me.
“You know you have a hellfire expert in the room. Just because I can’t use it at the moment doesn’t mean I don’t remember everything about it,” she huffs, crossing her arms and sticking her chin in the air.
“My deepest apologies, Louie,” Ezra says with a slight bow. “I’m not sure how I could have forgotten something like that. Please do share.” I think Ezra’s being sincere. But honestly? Could go either way.
“You’re not wrong,” Louie says. “Hellfire’s all emotion and intent. Everyone’s different, but Aurora? She’s easy to read. She gets pissed; it shows up. She chills the fuck out; it backs off.
“Manipulation? That’s a whole different beast. You gotta know your intention before you even try. Do you wanna help or harm? You gotta be certain, without a doubt in your heart, about what you wanna do, or it won’t work.
“Ever done anything with pure, undiluted intent? Shit’s fuckin’ impossible. It’s a skill we spend a lot of time learnin’ as pups. So much bleedin’ meditation.”
Louie curls her lip and flashes her fangs in disgust.
Ezra claps his hands together. “Fantastic! You’ve taught this ancient twat something new, hell-pup. I think, with Iain’s guidance and your support, Aurora should be well on her way to mastering her hellfire. What do you think, little lupine?”
Ezra turns to me with a radiant smile.
Goddamn it.
The smile. The suit. The absolute problem of his entire existence.
My brain flatlines, leaving me a speechless, mouth-breathing fool.
I finally resurface from my lusty thoughts when Ezra waves his hand in front of my eyes. As I refocus, an all-knowing, shit-eating smirk pulls at the corners of his mouth.
Shit, I need to practice some self-control if I’m supposed to be some sort of queen.
“There’s plenty of time for that later, Aurora,” Ezra whispers, grabbing my hand and kissing my palm.
It’s such a simple gesture, so intimate that my heart pounds in Morse code.
Beep, beep, beep.
Send help. I’m horny.
Beep, beep.
Panties? Gone. Vaporized. Taken before their time.
Beep, beep, beep.
Self-restraint? I barely knew her.