Page 73 of The Oracle of Dusk

Aurora smiled and held out her hand, not at all intimidated. He was only sulking, after all.

“Give me the comb and some oil, and sit there.” She pointed to a place at the foot of the bed.

“One night in my bed and already you order me around.” He smirked, handing her the items and seating himself. Aurora sat behind him and began working the comb through the ends of his hair. Though it was of the deepest crimson, brushing it reminded her of her time with Phaedra and her friend’s red hair. Goddesses knew how many times she’d been roped into making her presentable mere moments before some important function, and all after they’d just come from some ill-advised adventure or another.

“We’re allies now. You don’t have to flirt with me anymore,” she reminded him as she worked out the first big knot. Or was she reminding herself?

“I flirt with you because you’re attractive.”

Aurora gritted her teeth as another blush crept up her neck. She didnotneed him saying such things in his deep voice. Especially when he was either being flippant or manipulative.

“I doubt that.”

“You asked for my honesty.” He shrugged.

“I honestly look like I’m half dead. If that’s what you find attractive, then I have grave concerns for your taste,” she retorted.

He laughed.

“I’m also not the only one flirting.”

Did he consider insults flirting? Goddesses help her. In any case, it was best to be direct and clear with such misunderstandings, especially as they had a tendency to get more complicated the longer things were left unsaid.

“Only yesterday. I thought I had to, in order to gain your help. It’s different now.”

“And what about before that?”

Before yesterday? They’d only known each other a day now. It seemed like so much longer, given all that happened.

“Before?”

“When you came into the baths and got an eyeful. Given your reaction then, I had assumed the attraction was mutual. Was I mistaken?”

It had not been her intent. She’d had other things on her mind then. Admittedly, she hadn’t fully thought through her actions, desperate as she’d been for answers. The people of this time were singularly unconcerned with nudity, unlike herself, so she’d not thought he would mind. And when he’d been standing there, fully nude instead of submerged, it had come as a great shock. Try as she might, the image of him had been branded into her mind.Somethings could never be unseen.

“I—”

“And do try to be honest.”

She supposed that was only fair but…she didn’t want to think about that. If the histories were to be trusted, he was meant for another. What she knew of his fate was that he had attacked the avatar of Justice, that he was sent to Boreas for a time, and that he had married a princess—two of which had already occurred. Even if she did have an attraction to him in a purely physical sense, which was, when she thought on it, a base, instinctual thing and not something she had any control of, she had no intention of acting on it. There would be nothing to gain but heartache. Aurora had enough of that already. That, and he was a distraction she could ill afford. Pleasant though it might have been in other circumstances, she had something she needed to accomplish.

But, if she were being honest…

“You’re not…unattractive.”

“Be still my heart, such high praise!”

And even that felt like she’d given him too much. He struck her as someone who, once they were given any ground, pushed until one was overwhelmed completely.

“I would very much like to discuss something else.” She squirmed as she made short work of his knots.

“Hmmm, I’m sure you would,” he teased.

They needed to find another topic to discuss. Something less fraught. And preferably something he could expound on at length so she would be free to rebuild her walls as she focused on the methodical task before her.

“Tell me about Aureum. I’ve only ever read stories about it.”

He was a window into a world that had been utterly lost. What remained in her time was a backwater province that had mostly become arid plains and desert, with only a sliver of green closest the border to Viridis.

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