Page 19 of The Forsaken Heir

AURELIUS

W hen I awoke in my room the next morning, it was with an overwhelming sense of disappointment. Today, Elle’s family would finally let us know when and where to deliver her back to their custody. Once she was handed over, I’d likely never see her again.

As I sat up in bed, I wondered how a woman could have become so intrinsically tied to me in such a short time.

A little more than a day, and she’d become something like an obsession.

I’d had about a dozen dreams about her, each one more intense and powerful than the one before.

Everything about her burrowed its way into my mind.

Her laugh, her eyes, the way she spoke—all of it.

It was driving me crazy, but in a good way.

“What is wrong with me?” I muttered as I rubbed at my eyes.

Before I could actually delve into that question, I got out of bed and prepared myself for the day. Even as I washed up and dressed for the day, a pervasive sadness filled me that was only broken by the persistent knocking at my door.

I buttoned my shirt and opened the door to find Titus outside.

“Your Highness, we’ve received a message from Karinius. He’s had a meeting with the Laurent family and is flying back as we speak. He’s expected to return within the hour.”

Excitement and surprise struck me, but also an even more foreboding sense that I was losing Elle even quicker than I’d anticipated. She could be gone by lunchtime.

“Uh, very well. Thank you, Titus. Has my father returned from his business?”

Titus nodded once, a decisive and practical movement. “Yes, Your Highness. He arrived late last night. Shall I awaken him?”

I chuckled ruefully. “You know him as well as I do. He’s probably been awake for hours now. The old man never rests enough. Let him know Karinius is on the way, and that I’ll bring Elle—uh, Brielle Laurent—to the throne room in a few minutes.”

“Very good, sir.” Titus turned to go, leaving me to stew with my emotions.

With nothing else to do, I went to collect Elle from her room. The whole walk, I tried my best to ready myself to say goodbye, and I thought I’d managed a good set of lines to say that wouldn’t sound too sappy or emotional, but all that flew out of my mind when I found her door standing ajar.

“Elle?” I called as I pushed it open.

Inside, I found only one of the maids making up the bed. She turned and smiled at me.

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

“Good morning, Serilia. Where is our guest?”

“Mistress Brielle? She headed to the dining room for breakfast some time ago. Lords Vincent and Raspion collected her earlier.”

“Oh,” I said dumbly. It appeared I was the only one in the whole castle to sleep late. “Very well. Thank you.”

I hurried downstairs to the dining room. Before I found Elle, I heard her. She was speaking in a rote way that made it sound like she was reading out loud from a book.

“I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other,” she intoned.

Turning the corner, I found Elle sitting at one of our smaller dining room tables, a spread of food before her.

Vincent sat across from her, staring at her in rapt silence as she read from a hardcover copy of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

On the opposite side of the room, Rasp was also listening, but he was on the ground doing sit-ups.

He was obsessed with making sure his midsection was as ripped and impressive as possible.

Elle glanced up at my arrival and smiled.

Heat cascaded over me, as though someone had poured warm honey on me, and it seeped down from the top of my head and across my entire body.

It was striking to see her interact with my two friends.

She put them at ease in a way no one else but I did and gave them the respect that most other dragons didn’t.

Strange that a wolf shifter would be the one to truly take them as they were.

I’d grown used to being the only one who saw them as worthwhile and valuable companions.

“Hey there.” Elle held up the book. “Vince wanted to hear some of this.”

“I like her voice,” Vincent said.

“Bro,” Rasp said from across the room. “Did you know the freaking monster isn’t called Frankenstein? Frankenstein is the crazy doctor. What a mind fuck.”

I chuckled. “Elle, I’d like you to accompany me to my father’s throne room. Quickly, if possible.”

Her smile faltered as she put the book down. “Is something wrong?”

I gave her a thin-lipped smile, doing my best to hide my emotions.

“Not at all. Our envoy to your family is returning with news. He’ll tell me and my father what plan your family has for your return.”

Her smile vanished completely as she frowned. “Of course,” she said, rising from her chair.

“Are you all right?” I said, perplexed at her strange change in a wondering at her strange change in attitude.

I’d have thought she’d be excited to get back home.

Even if she lived her life in the human world, surely she still visited her shifter family.

She probably had as close a relationship with them as I did with my father.

I was sure if I’d decided to venture away to immerse myself in the human world, we’d still remain close.

“I’m fine.” She gave me a half-hearted smile. “Let’s get this over with.”

She followed me to the throne room, staying silent as we went. I didn’t attempt conversation, too worried I might say something I shouldn’t. Something inappropriate. The last thing I wanted was to part with her on strained or awkward terms.

The throne room was much different from what must have been used in the old days back across the ocean.

Instead of a massive stone-walled room and an ornate throne standing on a huge dais, the room was more like a large den.

Rather than a true throne, the seat of honor was a large, wingback leather chair, surrounded by other smaller seats for visitors or people who’d come to bargain with my father or cajole him into bestowing favors on them.

My father rose from the chair as we entered. “Ah.” He beamed at Elle. “You must be the young lady I’ve heard so much about. I’m sorry it took this long for me to introduce myself.” He held out a hand to her. “My name is Cassius Decimus.”

Elle took his hand and lowered into an ill-practiced curtsy.

“Your Majesty,” she said, her voice low and filled with respect.

“None of this Your Majesty business,” Dad said. “How are you, my dear? Have you found our estate to your liking? Has everyone treated you kindly?”

Elle blinked at him, a shadow of confusion flashing across her face.

“Uh, well, yeah, actually. Everyone’s been really great. I love it here. It’s beautiful.”

Dad eyed her speculatively, a twinkle in his eyes. “You assumed the evil dragon king would spit fire and rage at you? Perhaps you thought I’d shift and gobble you up where you stood, the filthy wolf that you are?”

“Father,” I cried out. “Stop.”

Instead of being scandalized or offended, Elle burst out laughing. Dad chuckled along with her, leaving me gaping at the two of them.

“When I was a kid, everyone always talked about you as if you were some mad tyrant,” Elle said. “You don’t look so scary to me. Not here, anyway.”

“Yes, yes, I am a bit soft around the edges,” Dad said, still chuckling.

“Nothing like I was at my peak. Though, I’m sure the wolves always exaggerated my true nature.

The same way many dragons think you all are nothing but bloodthirsty pack animals bent on destruction.

” Dad put a hand to his heart and looked up at the ceiling wistfully.

“Ah, the drama and grandeur of political rivals. So lovely, and such horseshit.”

He and Elle shared another laugh. I looked between the two of them, feeling completely confused.

Elle had a way of getting under people’s skin and making them reveal their true selves.

It was a remarkable gift, and she’d done the same to my father.

He was no fan of her family or the tactics they used, but he was a kind man.

If Titus had given him all the information we had, he knew she was not involved in any of the plans or machinations her family used against us.

She was an innocent bystander living apart from this strange magic world we were entrenched in.

“Father,” I said, trying to steer the conversation back on track. “Has Karinius arrived yet?”

Dad pulled his gaze from Elle to look at me. “Only moments ago. Titus tells me he’s on his way down from the upper levels now.”

Almost as if his name had summoned him, Titus walked into the room, his heels clicking on the wooden floor.

He bowed. “Your Majesty, I give you Karinius Barcona, royal envoy.”

Karinius looked harried and uncomfortable as he approached my father’s chair.

He glanced at me, and the look on his face told me I probably wouldn’t like what he had to say.

Had the Laurents taken offense to my dumbass friends kidnapping their beloved daughter?

That was my greatest fear, and what I’d hoped to stop by sending him with our apologies.

Perhaps they’d sent him with outlandish requests to make up for the slight?

“Your Majesty,” Karinius said, bending down on one knee before my father, who’d retaken his seat.

“Stand, Karinius,” Dad said. “Tell us what our friends the Laurents have to say about our…” He glanced at me. “Little mistake.”

Karinius stood and again glanced at me, then Elle, and back to my father.

“Sire.” He frowned and shook his head. “I’m not sure how to say this.”

My father leaned forward, all semblance of a smile vanishing. “Have they declared open war? Are they requesting a hostage in return? What is it, man?”

Karinius’ frown deepened, and the lines around his eyes tightened. “They, uh, they don’t care, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t care about what?” I demanded. “About our apologies?”

“No, not that, sire,” Karinius said and threw Elle a miserably uncomfortable look. “They don’t care that we have Brielle Laurent in our custody.”

“Excuse me?” I took a step forward. “What do you mean by that?”

“Yes,” Dad said. “Explain.”

Glancing over at Elle, I found an even greater surprise. Instead of looking confused, she was staring at the ground, arms crossed, a plaintive look on her face.

Karinius took a deep breath before beginning.

“When I arrived, I informed them that I had pressing news about their eldest daughter, thinking that would get me an audience quickly, but I was told to wait until today. Their staff woke me at dawn and brought me before the patriarch, matriarch, and heir apparent of the Laurent family. I explained all that had happened, the misunderstanding and the kidnapping. I gave them our deepest apologies and offered them a time and place of their choosing to return her to their custody.”

“And?” I said.

“They didn’t hesitate,” he said, lowering his voice.

“They told me they ‘decline to accept the political prisoner’. When I pressed them on what that meant, they said… Uhm, they said we could keep her if we wanted to. Your brother Bastien informed me they had no use for a”—he cast a sideways glance at Elle again and lowered his voice—“broken and worthless thing.”

My father and I shared a look, our faces twisted in horror.

Elle let out a bitter laugh. “I knew this would happen.”