Chapter Three
Auraelia
The resounding door boom as it slammed into place reverberated through the air. Collapsing against the wall, Auraelia let go of everything she’d been holding onto for months.
Let go of the hold she’d kept on her magic.
Let the dam that had been holding back her pain and tears break and spill over.
Just…let go.
She’d kept everything bottled so tightly, tucked into the recesses of her mind, that she’d been able to fool herself into thinking she was fine.
That she could get over whatever had been between her and Daemon.
But the minute he stepped into that room, the minute his eyes locked onto hers, her resolve and the wall around her heart crumbled.
Tears streamed down her face as months of repressed magic bled out of her.
Wind spiraled around the room with enough force to slide furniture around and rip books from their homes on the shelves. Rain hammered against the windows, and thunder boomed in the sky while lightning twined up her arms until it encased her entire body in ribbons of crackling light.
Reaching for the one thing that could help, she closed her eyes and began counting.
One. Two. Three—
She needed to calm down. Needed to reign in her magic before she flooded the city or burned down the brothel with everyone inside. Every breath she took scorched her throat, and her lungs screamed for the air she was unable to find.
Four. Five—
She couldn’t move.
Couldn’t feel anything outside of the overwhelming grief that she’d been determined to ignore. Couldn’t see anything past the anguish that, once again, twisted Daemon’s handsome features.
Six—
Her eyes snapped open at the loud crash that echoed through the space as something rammed against the door to the office, and it wasn’t long before Piper and Xander were barreling into the room.
Piper seemed to be screaming to her, but she couldn’t make out the words over the wind's howling and the ringing in her ears.
Seven. Eight—
Her friend’s face twisted into one of panic as she rushed across the space to kneel in front of her and froze. Piper’s eyes quickly flicked over Auraelia’s body before she said something to Xander, who was out the door the next instant.
Auraelia looked down at the coils of light that surrounded her body, and dread set in.
No. This can’t be happening. I can’t—I can’t breathe.
Her breathing became more erratic as her panic rose, and for the first time since she discovered her lightning, it burned.
The heat from the ribbons seared through the fabric of her tunic, and she couldn’t stop it.
It was as if her magic was actively fighting against her.
Raging against the leash that she tried desperately to put around it.
Her vision blurred from the tears in her eyes, sizzling against her cheeks as they fell.
It wasn’t until the world around her darkened and a pair of leather-clad knees knelt before her that she finally looked up.
Eyes the color of molten gold with the slightest hint of green around their edges stared back at her.
“Auraelia, let me help.” Daemon reached a hand out toward her as he spoke.
She recoiled, but as she tried to back away, she collided with a wall of inky darkness. Shaking her head vigorously, she managed to inhale enough air to speak. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Sadness filled his eyes, and his shoulders drooped as a sigh slipped through his lips. “You can’t hurt me, Auraelia. Not any more than you already have. I just want to help you. Please, let me help.”
Daemon slid closer, and as he reached out again, she felt her magic stretch toward him in return. Her lightning again twined with his shadows until they were wrapped in a sphere of burning light and velvety darkness.
The feeling of his hand on her cheek made her heart skip and grounded her long enough to suck air into her lungs.
Even after everything she’d said and done to push him away, he’d come back.
I’ll always come back for you. His words from earlier echoed through her mind as tears streamed down her face once more.
“I’m so sorry, Daemon.” Auraelia’s words came out in hiccupped sobs as guilt crashed into her.
His hands were warm as he cupped her face and rested his brow on hers. “I know.”
Those two words had the rest of her walls crumbling down.
She let him pull her into his lap. Let the beat of his heart and the rhythm of his breathing settle the storm in her soul. It was selfish to lean into his touch and seek solace in his embrace; she knew that but couldn’t help it.
She craved being near him, held by him…even if it was for a short time.
Daemon stroked her hair as he spoke in hushed whispers, “We’ll figure this out, my star. I promise.”
She pulled away enough to glance up at him. “How?”
Reverently, he wiped away her tears and caressed her cheek as he gazed down at her like he was committing every fleck of color in her eyes to memory. “I don’t know, but we will do it together.”
When he pressed his lips to hers, it was like coming home.
As if everything they had been through and had yet to endure was nothing. Forgotten as their lips melded together and their souls healed.
It was a promise to be there with her through whatever and wherever this war with her cousin took them.
To be hers and for her to be his.
It took everything she had not to entirely fall apart in his arms.
With her emotions settling, Auraelia was able to wrangle in her magic. Calming the wind that still howled through the room. Easing the storm that raged outside. And finally, pulling her lightning from where it mixed with Daemon’s shadows.
As their magic separated, the room around them came back into view. Piper’s mouth dropped open as her eyes flicked between Auraelia and Daemon. “Rae, is everything okay?”
Sliding from his lap, Auraelia nodded to her friend, then dropped her gaze. Letting it land where her fingers were intertwined with Daemon’s in her lap. “You should go.”
“Auraelia—” Her name was a growl on his lips, and she winced.
“Daemon, please.” She took a steadying breath before lifting her gaze to his. “Nothing has changed—”
“Everything has changed! Auraelia, please. Don’t do this, not again.” Anguish swirled in his eyes, and the chasm in her heart widened.
“Please try to understand. You can’t stay here; it’s not safe, not for you or for either of our people. If we have any chance at defeating Davina, we have to be smart about this. Which means you need to leave.”
“She’s right.” Aiden’s tenor cut through the room, causing Piper to jump.
“Goddess, dammit, Aiden. Could you not sneak up on people, please?” Piper growled out through clenched teeth.
Auraelia rolled her eyes before turning a pleading gaze back to Daemon.
He sighed, defeat settling in his eyes. “I know you’re right. I do. But I feel like I just got you back.”
Auraelia reached up and cupped his face in her hand.
Relishing in the scratchy, soft texture of his beard beneath her palm.
“Walking away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do—” She smiled and pulled his face to hers, placing a chaste kiss on his lips before resting her brow against his. “I won’t do it again.”
The words were acid on her tongue, and she knew that they were a lie as soon as they left her lips.
It may break her into a thousand pieces to do it, but she would walk away from him a thousand times if it meant keeping him safe.
Daemon stood and helped her to her feet as well.
Then, after another quick kiss, Auraelia watched as he walked out the door again.
Minutes passed before Xander broke the silence that had descended on their small group. “Lying through your teeth again, I see, sis.”
Auraelia flinched at the bite in his tone before turning to face him head-on. “You would have done the same in my situation—” She quickly glanced at where Piper was picking up papers from the floor before staring back at her brother. “Would you not?”
Xander didn’t respond, but the way his eyes lingered on Piper was an answer in and of itself.
Piper—oblivious to their conversation—straightened and turned toward them with a stack of parchment and books in her hands. “Would you both stop gawking at me and help? Vee is a tiny but terrifying woman. And I’d rather not get on her bad side.”
Back in her room at the castle, Auraelia stripped out of her riding clothes and took a long, hot shower before collapsing into bed. She was exhausted beyond belief, but her mind was a massive tangle of thoughts.
After tossing and turning for hours, she gave up.
Crossing the room to the writing desk that was nestled into a corner, she opened the bottom drawer and pulled out the wooden box that had been locked away since Daemon left. Inside sat the sapphire pendant he’d given her.
The one that had let them reach each other regardless of time or distance.
The physical reminder of everything she lost. Everything that she’d given up.
She’d tossed it into a box and locked it away the same way she’d locked away her feelings for him. Building a wall so high that she couldn’t look back even if she’d tried.
Until tonight.
Bringing the box to her bed, she set it down on the coverlet and took a deep breath. As she slowly lifted the lid, and the contents inside came into view, her breath caught in her throat.
Surrounding the pendant were countless letters.
New letters.
She’d left the old ones on the side table of her former room, unable to bring herself to take them with her into her new chambers.
He never stopped writing.
Tears sprung into her eyes as she pulled them from the box one by one and placed them into a pile on the bed.
Cracking the seals on each one, she slowly worked her way through them all. Her heart broke with each one she opened. Anger, sadness, and cold indifference poured through his words, and the guilt of everything she put him through crashed into her once more.
Each letter got shorter as she read. No longer were there greetings or farewells.
Instead, he flipped between cursing her name and begging her to write back.
But the one that stung most was the final letter that she’d received.
Tears streamed down her face, landing on the parchment in her hand and smudging the ink scrawled across the page.
Picking up the pendant from where it lay on the bed, she let the chain slip through her fingers before palming the rich-colored stone. The sapphire warmed in her hand, the familiar feeling bringing her a sense of comfort.
She had no idea how to—or if she even could—repair the damage she’d done to her relationship with Daemon. No clue if there was a way for her to make it up to him. The one thing she did know was that it wasn’t safe to try until she’d handled her cousin.
Piling the letters back into the box, Auraelia slipped back out of bed and padded over to her desk. After placing the box back in the drawer, she penned a response to Daemon.
She just hoped that one day, he would forgive her.