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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

W hat was happening? Melora stood up as Aurelius suddenly darted from the carriage, heading off into the woods. She hurried after him. There was no way she was staying behind. The more her fondness for him grew, the more desperate she became to learn everything about him. And if he was hiding something—if this had something to do with the curse, she needed to know.

She hadn’t gone far before she noticed that the golden forest which mostly surrounded Everrose also extended to this small section of the wood.

Aurelius’s harsh voice stopped her cold, making her heart stutter as he accused someone of trespassing and stealing, then demanded he come out and face him like a man. She had never heard his voice sound so harsh. Her stomach clenched. Had he seen her father when he’d stolen from him? Had he been the one to send Dragon? Would he call for Dragon now?

She carefully made her way toward Aurelius and the alleged thief, except it wasn’t a dangerous man as she’d feared—it was a young boy.

The small boy held out a trembling hand clutching a golden branch toward Aurelius, his expression contrite. “I-I’m sorry sir. We were hungry. I thought maybe a bit of this gold could help us pay taxes. I heard there was some in the Tameion Wood and thought it was just part of the forest. I didn’t realize it belonged to anyone.” His gaunt cheeks turned red as he attempted to look strong. Melora’s heart went out to the poor lad; surely there was plenty of gold to help his plight.

Aurelius stood silent for several long moments, his large form looming over the boy. “You assumed a forest made entirely of gold on the far side of a fence you had to climb didn’t belong to anyone? I find that difficult to believe.”

The boy hung his head in shame as he scuffed the dirt with the toe of his tattered shoe. His trousers, several inches too short, exposed skinny ankles streaked with dust.

Melora chewed her lip. What would he do to the boy?

“What of your family? Do they know where you are?” Aurelius asked.

The boy shook his head, his blond hair falling into his eyes. “Papa says not to venture into the woods too far because of the dragon. I saw this gold nice and close and thought I could grab it fast before the dragon came. Is it true? Is there a dragon?” His eyes suddenly brightened, and he looked hopeful as he gazed up at Aurelius.

“Your Papa is correct.” Aurelius’s voice was firm but gentle. “A dragon does reside in these parts, and he most definitely does not take kindly to people stealing his gold.”

Was Aurelius trying to protect the boy from the wrath of Dragon? Melora wondered, surreptitiously searching the sky.

The boy’s eyes stretched wide, as if he were gazing at the most terrifying yet awe-inspiring treasure. “Really?”

“Yes. Now, what do you say about returning to your family?”

He turned away and fidgeted. “I’m afraid I’ll disappoint them.”

Melora found herself drawing closer to the boy and couldn’t help the words that popped from her mouth. “What would they have to be disappointed about? I think you made a stalwart, though misguided, effort to help.” While she didn’t agree with stealing, the boy was obviously desperate. Surely Aurelius would offer some kind of help.

Aurelius nodded his head in agreement with her words even as his eyes narrowed at her presence. She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head in defiance. She had every right to be here.

The boy twisted his foot in the dirt. His shoulders slumped. “You don’t understand. I was supposed to help make money, but I failed. My bow broke and I didn’t know what else to do.” He sniffed, “I-I am sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to take what wasn’t mine.”

Aurelius nodded sagely. “No, you should not have. However, I’m certain that your family will be glad to know you are safe.” He gestured toward their carriage through the trees. “I imagine that you have been gone for a while; they are probably worried. Let’s get you home.”

The boy chewed his lip, gave one last longing look at the golden forest, then followed them to the carriage.

* * *

A urie didn’t know what to think of the young would-be-thief. On the one hand, he knew how enticing gold was, and he understood how detrimental the high taxes were to the people. That had been one of the many things he’d disagreed with King Iver about, something that had probably cost him his title. However, that didn’t negate the boy’s actions. At such a young age, he needed to learn that stealing was wrong no matter the circumstances. There were other ways to solve a problem. And, while he wanted to help the boy, he knew that he needed to tread carefully. Mountains of unexpected gold, especially curious objects, would only make him and the boy’s family a target.

Soon they arrived at the boy’s home. He looked both eager to leave the carriage and stretch his legs and reluctant to face his family’s possible disappointment. Aurie could understand that. He felt as though he had constantly faced his own father’s disappointment. It never seemed like he could do anything right.

A woman spilled out of the house almost before they stopped, a babe on her hip and a little girl clutching her skirts, with two more young children following after her.

“Taren! Where have you been?!”

While his mother began to lecture him, Aurie couldn’t help but notice a key figure missing…

“Where is Taren’s father?” Perhaps he was still at work—and yet, looking at the condition of the cottage before him, something felt off. No father should allow his wife and young children to live in a house with a roof that looked like that.

The woman froze, seeming to notice them for the first time. Her pink skin paled. “Forgive me, your lordship. We meant you no harm. Taren is just a boy up to his tricks. I’ll be sure to keep him away from your land, Sir. He must have gone exploring too far; you know how boys can be.

His heart clenched at the reminder of his stolen title. “I… I’m…” He cleared his throat. “I’m no lord. But we did find Taren trying to steal from my land.”

She gasped, placing a hand to her heart, and tightened her grip on the babe in her arms as she looked down to scold the boy, “What were you thinking, Taren?! Stealing is wrong! You could have been punished, beaten and thrown in a cage like they did to those poor fae! Then where would we be?”

Taren shifted, tears welling up in his eyes. “The roof is broke, and you said Lilly needed milk, and I’m supposed to be the man of the house now. I wanted to use my bow to get meat like a man, but it broke too.”

Aurie’s heart melted a little at his words. Though the boy was nearly as tall as his mother, he was far too young to be worried about such things.

Melora stepped in, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Taren knows that it is wrong to steal, and he returned the item. I’m certain no further punishment is needed.” She gave the boy a stern but warm look—an expression a mother would give her child.

Something within Aurie shifted; she would make a wonderful mother someday to some lucky man’s children. Except… why did the children he imagined her having possess her enchanting eyes and his dark head of curls?

“However,” Melora continued, “we would like to offer our help.”

Aurie’s stomach was still swooping as he blinked back the distracting mental images of children startlingly similar to the beauty before him. With some effort, he reined his mind back to the present. Why had she said that?

“We would?” He swallowed. How exactly could he help? Didn’t she remember his warning that his touch was dangerous? Had she not believed him? Turning this sorry cottage to gold would help no one, least of all this poor family.They didn’t want unscrupulous gold-seekers to descend upon them.

“Yes. I had to help my father thatch our roof when it began to leak a few springs ago—I know what I’m doing.” Melora spoke with a firmness that allowed no arguments, aiming her intense, no-nonsense expression his way. He felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. Was she trying to humiliate him? He could not see this ending well, but he also knew that he would do anything for this woman, including humiliate himself.

She called for Galen to come help them and pushed toward the cottage. “Now, will you show me your roof?”

It wasn’t long before Aurie found himself standing uselessly to one side of the house while Galen climbed on the roof as Melora gave him instructions. He hadn’t even been able to purchase new thatching for fear of what would happen if he touched it—Galen had done all the work. He still felt the tension radiating from her when he also refused to get on the roof or touch the thatching. His shoulders slumped.

“Are you going to help us?” Taren asked, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, a sharp pain piercing his heart. What kind of example of manhood was he being? He felt even more worthless after watching the boy’s mother take care of her five children. “I’m no good at building things,” he lied. “I paid for all of the materials, and I’ll send my cook around with some food later.”

Taren’s eyes widened further. “Will there be cake?”

Aurie smiled. “I think I can make that happen.”

Mrs. Helen, Taren’s mother, who had been listening nearby, stepped in. “Oh no, we wouldn’t want to inconvenience you, sir. We’ll be just fine without your fancy things.” There was a bite behind her polite words. She gave Taren a look, and he scurried off to continue helping with the roof. She then bounced the fussy babe in her arms. “It must be nice, having all that wealth. No need to worry about menial tasks.”

Aurie’s throat felt tight, and for once he found himself wishing he could perform such menial tasks. Melora had even recruited several of the children to help—and yet here he was, standing uselessly by; forced to stay back for fear of touching something.

The baby began fussing, and Mrs. Helen excused herself before Aurie could think of something to say—not that there was anything to say.

She was correct. He was useless.

His fingers curled, reminding him that he had been the one to seek out the golden touch in the first place, all because of his dissatisfaction with his circumstances. And now here he was, with the power to make anything into gold—and still he was dissatisfied. The dragon was right. He had a lot to learn.

“Pwetty.” He looked down to find the little girl who'd been clutching her mother’s skirts still standing next to him, sucking her thumb. A worn stuffed bunny was clutched in her arms. She was pointing at his golden attire.

“You like this?” He asked, shaking his long jerkin.

Her eyes brightened, and she nodded vigorously as she took a small step closer. She popped her thumb out of her mouth long enough to ask, “Awe you a pwince?”

Smiling, he shook his head and crouched down to her level. “No, I’m afraid I’m just a normal man.” He leaned in. “I’ll tell you a secret, though. I’m not even a lord anymore. King Iver doesn’t like me much.” He winced. He probably shouldn’t have said that.

“He doesn’t wike us either,” she confided in a loud whisper. “Mama says he stole all our money. Stealing is bad.”

Aurie nodded seriously. Looking into the eyes of this innocent child, he got a wild, crazy idea. Perhaps there was something he could do. It would have to be small enough not to raise suspicion or cause a craze, but enough to help this family. He would have to be careful that no one noticed. His eyes flicked to their mother, who was anxiously watching the older children help. Though she wouldn’t take his money or a handout of provisions, he could leave her with a little something. She just didn’t have to know it was from him.

“Maybe I can help you. Do you have anything that you’d like to become gold?”

Her eyes seemed to become bigger than a drachma as her lips paused their sucking. She held out the stuffed bunny she had been clutching.

He shook his head. She definitely would not appreciate her favorite bunny being turned into hard gold. It would no longer be the item of comfort it was now. He thought for a moment. “What about a rock?” He gestured toward a pile of rocks nearby. A natural item would be far less suspicious as gold than a unique object.

She hurried to the pile he’d indicated and came back with a rock clutched in each hand, her bunny still pinched under her arm and her thumb inserted back into her mouth. He gestured for her to put them on the ground and back up.

After scanning the area to make certain everyone was properly occupied, he reached down and touched first one, then the other. Gold sparked and quickly encompassed each stone.

She gasped, then clapped her hands in delight. “Pwetty! Again! Again!” She rushed back over to collect more rocks, setting them down in front of him once more.

No one seemed to be paying them any mind, so he turned a few more to gold for her, enjoying her absolute delight every time. While he would have been glad to continue indefinitely in order to absorb her adorable wonder, he knew they had to stop. Mrs. Helen would not accept the gold if there was too much, and each modest-sized rock was now worth a great deal. Hopefully it would help them in ways he physically could not.

The little girl collected a handful of her “pwetties” and rushed off to share them with her mother, as he had encouraged her to do. He casually pushed the rest of them near the house where they would hopefully be discovered later.

Taking note of the delighted child skipping toward her mother, Melora turned to look at him, a question in her eyes.

Just then, Galen climbed off the roof and wiped his hands on his trousers. “That should do it.” he told Mrs. Helen, who looked to be on the verge of tears as she took in the roof, her eyes flicking from Galen to Melora in thanks.

Again, Aurie wished he had been able to help the way Melora had. His paltry assistance felt small in comparison.

His eyes found Melora’s. She had seen their need and immediately jumped in, ready to do what was necessary and directing everyone to make it happen. Had anyone ever been so beautiful? This woman truly was a wonder.

A s they climbed back into the carriage and Galen helped Melora in once more, Aurie felt another pang of jealousy. All the money in the world wouldn’t allow him to touch her, and right now he’d trade all of his golden possessions to offer her this simple gesture his steward was able to do without hesitation. A common courtesy he no longer had.

His eyes flicked toward the cottage and the newly repaired roof—something he couldn’t even lend a hand with—all because of his own foolishness and greed. If only he’d never made that deal with the dragon! But then he would still be poor, and perhaps Melora never would have noticed him in the first place.

He sighed deeply as his thoughts spun round. Nothing he could do would undo the past.

“Aurie, what did you give that little girl? She looked absolutely delighted.” Her expression turned soft at the memory.

How would she look at him if she knew the truth? Perhaps he was just as arrogant as she had first believed. He shrugged dismissively. “Just a few pretty rocks.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Just pretty rocks or not, it seemed important to her.”

He rested his head in his hand—Oh, those eyes! He didn’t deserve that sparkle. He’d been useless while his steward had been the one to save the day. All he’d been able to offer was a few rocks.

Useless.

Less than useless.

“I’m certain Taren’s family appreciated your paying for the new roof. And I heard you offer to have Mrs. Calla send them some of her delicious food.”

He folded his arms moodily. He felt lower than a wingless dragon caught in a pit. “She didn’t want my help. I did nothing. You are the one who deserves praise. You acted quickly and were able to give them the exact help they needed. You and Galen were the true heroes. Meanwhile, this blasted curse made me useless.”

She pressed her lips together, leaning away from him as the sparkle faded from her eyes. She fell silent, probably because he was right. He was as useless as his father had always told him he would be.

What a joke his big romantic outing had turned out to be. Instead of showing her how much he had to offer, he’d succeeded only in proving just how worthless he was. She must hate him as much as he hated himself right now. His body trembled beneath his folded arms—and suddenly a new fear gripped him. He gritted his teeth as the golden flame on his chest pulsed and grew. The dragon within was trying to escape.

Styx!

How could he be so careless as to lose control of his emotions at a time like this? He knew what happened when he did. He had to contain it until Melora was no longer here to see.

He peered out of the carriage to see how close they were to home just as a sharp pain rippled down his body. There wasn’t much time before the dragon would come out. Thankfully, he could see the spires of Everrose’s turrets shining above the trees ahead. And still, he was afraid that he wouldn’t have time.

His hands trembled. Would he need to abandon Melora and the carriage? Unable to help himself, he looked up toward her beautiful face. Her brows were etched with concern. Everything had started off so well—and for a moment, he’d had hope that maybe—but no. It had been a ridiculous dream. He would never be free from this curse. And even if he was, what made him think he would ever be worthy of this amazing woman? A beauty like her would never love a monster like him. Especially if she understood the truth of his curse.

“Are you quite well?”

He could barely stand her tender concern. He shook his head, unable to formulate words as the dragon rippled just under his skin. Grimacing, he turned toward Galen and managed to grind out a single word, “Faster.”

Galen picked up the pace without question.

“Aurie? Aurelius! What’s going on? How can I help?” She hovered nearby, her hands uncertain.

He didn’t answer—he couldn’t, and even if he could, he wouldn’t know what to say.

They had nearly reached the manor when his vision began to blur and pain exploded down his back as spines threatened to burst through.

“Stop!”

He leapt out of the carriage before it even came to a complete stop and raced into the dark woods, hoping the forest would hide the truth from Melora.

* * *

M elora blinked back the tears that began blurring her vision, staring dazedly in the direction Aurelius had bolted. Was he okay? Should she go after him?

No. His expression and body language said he didn’t want her. Her heart clenched. What had she done wrong? She hadn’t meant to offend him. Was he angry that she had insisted upon helping Taren’s family? She sniffed and squared her shoulders. If he was, then he wasn’t worth her time anyway. Serving others was in her nature. Oh, why did she care so much?

Her lips trembled. Unbidden, more tears skittered down her cheeks. He could barely bear to look at her. Of course he didn’t want her—any more than her own father wanted her.

After allowing herself a small cry, she dashed away the tears and dried her face. Galen studiously pretended not to notice and quietly drove her the rest of the way to Everrose. The manor gleamed in the sinking sun, looking somehow foreboding now. So much for the romantic day she had imagined when she’d first received the roses.