Page 64 of The Call of Crimson (The Crimson & Shadows #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

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T he palace is quiet. It’s the kind of quiet that brings peace rather than unease. As promised, the staff had left breakfast for us this morning, but not a single one of them was anywhere to be seen now.

I trade my normal spiced tea for steamed cocoa in celebration of the Winter Solstice.

The liquid chocolate coats my tongue, creating a nostalgia that reminds me of home.

Flakey biscuits coated in butter and sweet berry preserves comprise my breakfast as I curl into an overstuffed wing-back chair in front of a fireplace.

A tall, full-bodied pine tree stands in the corner to the side of the fireplace. Strands of tinsel are woven amongst the branches, the light from the fire catching them and sending shards of dancing light across the room.

Elijah’s message had awoken me before dawn and left me simmering with nervous anticipation.

On the one hand, I was elated at the prospect of seeing two of my closest friends after months apart.

On the other hand, their warning about what’s become of my kingdom left me sick to my stomach.

Grief, guilt, and anxiety form an unpleasant combination in my gut.

With no staff on site today, the rest of the castle’s occupants were still tucked cozily in their beds. There are no meetings, no obligations, and no courtly proceedings to attend to today. I relish the tentative silence as I shove another savory and sweet biscuit in my mouth.

“Happy Solstice,” Aurelius says, his voice like velvet dragged over gravel from sleep.

I set the cup of cocoa and the plate of biscuits on the table beside the chair and stand to greet him. Still dressed in sleep clothes, with a robe draped over his shoulders, hair mussed from sleep, he looks more beautiful than he has a right to.

“Happy Solstice, Aurelius.” I smile and reach for his hand.

He ignores my outstretched arm and grips my waist instead, pulling me flush against him. Our lips meet in a burning, but all too short, kiss that leaves me wanting.

“You’re sweet today,” he comments as he falls into my chair, tugging me down with him.

“Are you saying I’m not usually sweet?” I ask, batting my lashes with mock innocence.

He levels me with a look that reads something along the lines of Are you serious?

“Fine, point taken,” I grumble and reach for my cocoa.

Aurelius drags his nose up the curve of my neck, peppering soft kisses behind my ear as he whispers, “What I meant was, you taste especially sweet today.”

Scandalous shivers run up my spine from his heated breath on my flesh.

“That would be the cocoa,” I explain, lifting the mug to my lips.

Before I can swallow, he captures my chin between his fingers, tilting my face toward him. “Let me taste.”

I press my lips to his, parting them to let the hot liquid chocolate spill down his throat. He tangles his fingers through the loose strands of hair at the nape of my neck, deepening the kiss.

A soft moan rattles through my throat when I feel him harden beneath me. We’ve stolen brief moments here and there since our time in the pantry, but in the weeks he’s been back at the palace, I haven’t gotten him where I really want him, buried deep inside me.

I shift so my legs straddle his hips in the chair, and grind myself against his hard length.

Reaching between us, I grasp his cock through the thin fabric separating us. “I need you,” I whimper.

With a pain-filled groan, Aurelius pulls my hand away, settling me back into his lap once more. He buries his face in my loose curls, breathing heavily before he finally says, “As much as I want nothing more than to be buried in your tight, wet heat, that’s not why I got out of bed this early.”

Reluctantly, I move off his lap and try to will my overheated skin to cool. “Why can’t it be both?”

“The castle is waking, and our time alone is coming to an end. I would rather spend these last few minutes of solitude giving you your gift.”

He shifts and retrieves a small parcel wrapped in brown paper from the pocket of his robe.

“You didn’t need to get me anything. You’ve showered me with more than enough gifts over the last several months,” I try to protest, but I know it will do no good.

I tear open the wrapping, revealing a sheathed dagger. But this isn’t just any weapon. The hilt is gold inlaid with three rubies centered on the handle. Unsheathing it, I find the metal is dark and sharpened to a deadly point.

“Turn it over,” Aurelius whispers.

On the back are the etched words, ‘ Until the very end.’

“Aurelius...” My voice is weak, the sound catching in my throat.

“I found the plans in some of your father’s belongings,” he explains quietly.

“The hilt and pommel were crafted from your mother’s crown.

There are a few tweaks of my own making, but I wanted you to have something from both of them.

I wanted you to have a piece of your parents, no matter where you go. Until the very end. ”

I don’t even try to fight the tears that flow freely down my cheeks as I turn it over and over, savoring the feel of holding something so precious. “Perfect is too simple a word for this gift.”

He brushes the tears away from my cheeks, stroking my jaw with aching tenderness. “Perfect doesn’t even come close to describing the one it was crafted for.”

Setting the dagger aside, I contort myself, searching for the gift I had prepared for him.

He looks puzzled when I place the small wrapped package in his palm. “What’s this?”

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t get something for you, did you?”

“You didn’t need to get me anything, Princess.” He nuzzles my neck. “I have everything I want right here.”

I push him off, fighting a smile. “When did you get so sappy?”

“Don’t get it twisted, I’m only soft for you, little demon.” He nips the skin at the point where my neck meets my shoulder, and I shudder.

“Open your gift, or I’m leaving,” I threaten.

His arm wraps tightly around my midsection, holding me in place while he tears into the wrapping.

The carved wooden pendant rests perfectly in his palm, the dark stain of the wood looking beautiful against the warmth of his skin. On the front is a replica of the tree from my grandparents’ estate. The tree my father helped craft into a haven for Aurelius.

“It opens here,” I explain, pressing and turning the center of the tree clockwise until it clicks. The top half swings open, revealing a hidden compartment within. Small tendrils of my shadows trail out, coiling around the pendant and my hand.

“You can store what you’d like,” I say. “The shadows were just a placeholder.”

“No,” he commands, his voice gruff. Aurelius grips my wrist before I can recall the shadows. “It’s wonderful. Leave them.”

I coax them back inside and close the pendant. A lengthy gold chain was a last-minute addition that I don’t regret as I loop it over his head. It lies perfectly against his chest, just above his heart.

“Thank you, Breyla. I love it,” he murmurs.

Our lips meet in a kiss so innocent yet heated that my toes curl.

A flicker of warning tugs at the back of my mind as I catch sight of Ayden’s bedroom door opening. Recalling my astral form, I groan and push myself from Aurelius’ lap.

“Our moment of solitude is over, I fear.” I straighten my robe, tucking the dagger out of sight in one of the deep pockets.

“I don’t hear anyone approaching,” Aurelius says.

I find a new chair, this one not nearly as cushioned as the one Aurelius stole from me, and sit down. “Ayden just woke up. He’s on his way here.”

“How do you know that?”

“My astral projections have been getting better,” I reply, winking at him. My astral form appears behind his chair, leaning down to kiss his cheek before disappearing again.

“Impressive,” he praises, stroking his fingers over the spot.

“What is?” Ayden asks groggily, shuffling into the room.

“I was just showing how much my Vizie Gift has grown, thanks to your lessons,” I say sweetly. And I mean it. My once-impossible Gift has grown significantly thanks to Ayden.

Ayden’s eyes narrow, one brow arching subtly in my direction.

Without breaking eye contact, and just to prove a point, I project myself right behind Ayden’s back. I smirk when he doesn’t notice and launch my astral form onto his back.

The projection passes through him, but the look on his face tells me he feels it.

“Eh, that was mildly intriguing,” he says, shrugging. “I’m not sure impressive is the word I would use for it.”

I shake my head as my astral form flips him off from the floor. “Whatever.”

That has both Ayden and Aurelius chuckling.

I recall the projection, crossing my arms.

“Happy Solstice, love,” Ayden says, his arms wrapping around me.

Reluctantly, I return the hug. “Why were you out of bed so early?” he whispers.

I don’t know why he bothers, seeing as Aurelius’ sensitive Fae hearing can easily pick up what he’s saying.

“Elijah,” I sigh. “Ciyoria has been deemed unsafe. Cillian evacuated them late last night. They’re on their way here.”

“Cillian is on his way here?” Aurelius growls, possessiveness flaring in his dark eyes.

“Who is Cillian?” Ayden asks as he drops into the chair beside me.

“He’s the leader of the Midnight Brotherhood. A mercenary group I’ve allowed to operate within Rimor,” I explain, taking a sip of the cocoa that has now grown tepid.

“You conveniently left out the part where he’s your ex and a massive pain in the ass,” Aurelius adds.

I shrug. “Both are true. Wait, when did you meet Cillian?”

“Shortly before we left Rimor. Luella kicked me out of her pub, leaving his fine establishment as my only option.”

“I’m shocked he let you in.”

“He didn’t know who I was at the time,” Aurelius explains.

An involuntary laugh bursts from me. “Oh, Aurelius. Trust me when I say, Cillian knew exactly who you were. It’s his job to know.”

“Are you suggesting he was?—”

“Fucking with you? Without a doubt.”

“Is this Cillian someone I need to concern myself over?” Ayden asks.