Chapter Twenty-Five
Daemon
“What the hell happened?” Ser Aeron bellowed as he stormed into Auraelia’s suite, his eyes wide as they landed on his queen’s limp body.
“I’ve never seen so much…” Xander’s face was white as he stared down at his sister, seemingly unaware of the mass of muscle and anger that was Emerald’s Army Commander stalking toward him.
When Xander still didn’t answer, Ser Aeron pinned Daemon with a hard stare as he knelt next to the queen. “You! Explain. Now!” Effervescent white light radiated from his palms, washing over Auraelia and seeping into her body.
“She expelled too much magic at once. She drained herself.”
“You let her drain herself?” Ser Aeron’s anger was palpable, his hands shaking as he continued to move them over her body.
Chills spider walked down Daemon’s spine as the memory of watching Auraelia push herself beyond her limits resurfaced.
Of watching the color drain from her face.
The way her magic spilled from her in rough waves, dragging her further into her well of power until she couldn’t reach the surface.
He’d felt her waning. Felt it as she neared the end of her rope, diving headfirst into a burnout.
“Daemon saved her.” Piper’s voice was small and shaky, her eyes welling with tears as she clung to her friend’s hand. “If he hadn’t been there… hadn’t wrapped her in his shadows…I…I don’t know that there would be anything for you to heal.”
“Fuck.” The commander shook his head in disbelief.
“Xander,” he snapped, the sharp tone finally pulling the prince from his shock.
“Go tell Liza we need fruit, chocolate, and nuts, but don’t tell her why.
Ask for some of those silly little pastries that Auraelia likes, too.
” Xander stared at the man for a moment, the war between following orders and staying with his sister swimming across his eyes. “Now!” Ser Aeron demanded.
As Xander fled the room, Ser Aeron took a deep breath before asking, “What of the blood? That didn’t come from draining her magic.”
Daemon knelt by Auraelia’s head at the arm of the settee, stroking the hair from her brow. “She and I were attacked in the Amber Woods. The Court of Pearl sent them.”
“They what?”
“Calm down, Commander. You trained your queen well. She took down three of the men and saved my neck in the process. She’s stronger than she thinks.”
Ser Aeron shook his head, his shoulders sagging as he expelled a heavy sigh and returned his focus to healing his queen.
Silence blanketed the room as the commander worked. Piper’s eyes slid closed, her lips moving in what sounded like a whispered prayer as Daemon continued to idly stroke Auraelia’s hair.
Come back to me, my star. Your people need you…I need you.
Hours passed, and still, Auraelia hadn’t woken. Her body was unnervingly still next to Daemon’s as he watched like a sentinel.
He’d moved her to the bedchamber after Ser Aeron finished healing her body.
Gently stripping her of the soiled garments, he wiped away the traces of blood and grime from her skin before redressing her in one of her silk nightdresses.
The slices on her throat and shoulder were now nothing but faint pink lines, and the bruises that once colored her skin were nothing but a memory.
But healing her mind and replenishing the stores of her magic was beyond even Ser Aeron’s capability.
Piper brought dinner to Auraelia’s chambers, the hope in her eyes fading when she saw her friend still unconscious and only staying long enough to watch over Auraelia while Daemon showered and ate.
Her presence was replaced by Ser Aeron, then Xander after him, and Daemon watched the pattern repeat, masks of hope slipping into sorrow as their queen’s status remained unchanged.
Anxiety prickled in Daemon’s chest. His shadows were restless in his veins, longing to reconnect with the fire that once burned brighter than the sun inside Auraelia, but there was no change.
As he gazed down at her motionless body, at the delicate lines of her face and the way her lashes fanned out against her cheeks, he couldn’t help but notice how fragile she looked.
The only thing that brought him hope was that he’d witnessed her strength more times than he could count and in more ways than just physical.
His star was a feat to behold, an intricate tapestry of power and resilience that would make lesser beings buckle under the weight of what she’d endured.
Daemon watched each pull of breath into her lungs until exhaustion crept in like the tide, dragging him under until he could no longer force his eyes open.
Though sleep claimed his body, his mind swirled back through every encounter he’d had with the woman who’d stolen his heart without even meaning to.
The memory of seeing her across the ballroom.
The way his shadows called to her, like a wayward ship finally finding safe harbor.
Of the fire in her eyes whenever they met his.
That undeniable draw to each other, pulling them together regardless of how either of them fought it.
Their souls had been braided together, a thread pulled so taut over the centuries that it seemed that not even death could break it.
But that thread had grown limp as Auraelia burned through her power.
He’d felt it weaken and begin to fray at the ends, their connection growing weaker with every passing second.
It wasn’t until Daemon wrapped her in shadows that it began to tighten again, resolidifying the weakening tether as she collapsed in his arms.
Those shadows now moved frantically in his veins, thrashing against the hold he kept on them and pulling him from his subconscious.
Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked around the room.
The moon had nearly reached its peak, its light showering the room in a silvery glow.
His heart jolted in his chest as his gaze shifted back to Auraelia.
The rose coloring was returning to her sun-kissed skin, her heart a strong, steady thrum in her chest. But then he felt it, the slow trickle of power filling the once near-empty chamber deep within her soul, and it was as if his lungs were finally capable of fully expanding once more.
Gently, Daemon stroked her cheek, his heart hammering in his chest like a stampede of wild horses as he waited for her eyes to open.
To be graced with the storm that swirled in their depths.
Seconds turned into minutes that felt like hours, but just as he was about to lean back against the headboard, her lashes fluttered, and he was pinned to the spot by incandescent green eyes.
The air around them stirred, static clinging to it and causing the hair on his arms to stand on end. It was as if her magic refused to be contained, swirling through her irises in streaks of champagne lightning, emanating the power held within.
“Hi,” she whispered, her voice soft and scratchy.
Relief flooded through him, and it took a moment for him to find his voice, to make sure that it sounded calmer than he felt at that moment. “Hi, yourself. How are you feeling?”
Auraelia pinched her eyes closed, wincing as she attempted to sit up before deciding against it and letting her head fall back against the pillows. “I’m tired and sore. I feel like I—”
“Just drained almost every ounce of power you possessed?”
“Daemon—”
Daemon shook his head and cradled her cheek in his palm. “I know why you did it. I understand why you did. But I almost lost you.”
“No, you di—”
“Yes, my star, I did. I felt you fading. Felt your body growing weaker with every passing second. If I hadn’t intervened, I don’t know that you’d be here right now.”
Auraelia held his gaze, the rich green in her eyes giving way to their natural slate coloring as she slowly controlled her magic. “What of the wards? Do they stand?”
Daemon shook his head with a chuckle. “Of course, you’re worried about that right now.
” When her eyes narrowed on him, he released an exasperated breath and continued.
“They do. And from what your brother said, they’re stronger than anything he’s seen.
” He paused for a moment, letting the words sink in, but when she opened her mouth to respond, he narrowed his gaze.
“You’ve done all that you can do for now, Auraelia.
You’ve taken care of your people; it’s time for you to let me take care of you. ”
Auraelia began to push up from the bed, and Daemon rested a steadying hand on her back, easing her into a sitting position. “Daemon, I can’t just sit here.”
“You can, and you will. I mean it, Princess. You can’t do everything on your own.
I know you want to, that you don’t want to risk putting anyone else in danger, but you have to let someone help you.
So, you can either let me help you, or I can tie you to this bed and make you.
” Auraelia turned toward him slowly, her eyes lighting up at his words as her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth.
“Oh, no, my star. This would not be the pleasurable kind. If you let me hold the reins for a while, I might make it worth your while.”
With a huff of a breath and a roll of her eyes, Auraelia finally acquiesced.
After a quick dinner, Daemon sent a note to Xander while Auraelia showered, letting him know that his sister was awake and doing well. Once she emerged from the bathing chamber, they returned to bed with the tray of food that Ser Aeron sent Xander for.
Auraelia picked at the fruit and nuts while he braided her hair, a contented silence settling over them. When he finished, he pulled her back into his hold, nuzzling into her neck before leaving a trail of kisses along the slender column. “You need to rest, my love,” he whispered against her skin.
“From what you’ve said, I’ve been resting all day.” Her words were punctuated with a roll of her hips against his own.
A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Insatiable creature.”