Page 168 of The Forsaken Heir
I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close. “I agree.”
Elle let out a contented sigh and pressed her back to my chest. Her breathing evened out as she slipped off into an exhausted and satisfied sleep. I stroked my hand down her side and let it rest on her soft stomach. God, she would be so fucking beautiful with her belly swollen with our baby. The mental image flashed across my inner eye, vivid and real. Almost genuine enough that I could picture the glow of her skin and the smile on her face as she slid her hands lovingly across her stomach.
Interspecies breeding was impossible—I knew that, as did every other shifter. Still, it was a nice fantasy. Plus, even if Elle and I could never have children, it would be incredibly fun to practice. Spending our days and nights in the throes of sexual pleasure for the next century or more sounded like a pretty magnificent way to spend our time.
With that thought in my mind, I closed my eyes and let the sound of her breathing, and her heartbeat lull me to sleep.
39
BRIELLE
The day of the meeting was upon us faster than I’d thought possible. At first, each day had slid by with painful slowness, then, as if God himself had hit the fast-forward button, the days flipped past so quickly that it made my head spin. When the sun rose on the morning of the meeting, I met it head-on, with open eyes, since I hadn’t slept at all the night before.
Sunlight tracked across the floor of Aurelius’s room, moving closer to the bed with each passing second. Aurelius rolled over, and from the look in his eyes, I could see he hadn’t slept much either. There was no dullness or squinty-eyed sleepiness on his face, though. All I could see was that intense, burning determination in his eyes.
“Are you ready?” he asked, sliding his hand into mine.
I nodded, putting on a brave face and trying desperately not to think about how terrible the last meeting went. “I’m ready.”
He flashed me a brief smile, then threw off the covers. “Well, let’s go ahead and get this day started.”
After we’d showered and dressed, we went to the throne room to meet with Cassius. The king looked as if he’d slept about as well as we had. He sat at a table just off the dais, a plate of bacon, hash browns, and an omelet cooling in front of him. He hadn’t taken a bite yet.
When we entered, he brightened and plastered a smile on his face. “Good morning. Have you spoken with the Hikshil envoy yet?”
“No,” Aurelius said as he plucks a strip of bacon from his dad’s plate. “We woke up a few minutes ago, actually.”
Cassius chuckled at his son and pushed the plate toward me. “You eat. You need the energy more than I do.”
“Are you not hungry?” I asked as I took a seat beside Aurelius.
Cassius shook his head. “I can’t really muster much of an appetite. A lot is riding on this meeting. More than I ever would have dreamed.”
Word had spread across the world about this meeting to validate the identity of Bastien’s prisoners. In shifter and fae circles, many lines had been drawn and sides taken. Some believed that Bastiendidhave Aurelius, and those who did also bought into the stories of his terrorist activities. Others, however, believed that Bastien didnothave Aurelius, and that the real prince was the one who lived within the dragon castle. The man who sat beside me now, munching on his father’s breakfast as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I kept getting the feeling that Aurelius was trying to be as calm and steadfast as he could for my benefit. As though, by acting like nothing could rattle him, his confidence would bleed over into me. While I appreciated the sentiment, it wasn’t working.
If Bastien could convince everyone that whomever—orwhatever—he had in his possession was Aurelius, then it would strengthen his claims against us. Though, I wasn’t entirely sure how he planned to explain away the fact that the real Aurelius was most definitely not in his dungeons. Would he simply lie like he had with me? Tell everyone he was a skinwalker or some other kind of shapeshifter? If his imposter reallywasthat believable, and if the real Aurelius gave anyone even the slightest reason not to believe he was who he said he was, then God only knew what would happen.
“I can’t blame you,” I said. “I don’t have much desire for food either.”
Cassius cleared his throat. The only other time I’d seen him so tense was when Aurelius had been taken prisoner. That same fear I’d seen then shone in his eyes now.
“The Hikshil will be using their magic to transmit the meeting to anyone who wishes to watch. No television or cameras, of course. They try to limit their use of human technology, and we wouldn’t want the humans to pick up on the broadcast. The last thing we need is for this meeting to end up on the internet somehow.”
“Really?” I asked, intrigued. “How will they manage that?”
Cassius pointed across the room to a small crystal orb that sat on a carved marble plinth. “Viewing crystal. It’s a fairly simple magical device. That’s where humans got the idea of crystal balls. Some random person must have seen one in use centuries ago, and it turned into something that allowed you to see the future or speak with the dead. In reality, it’s nothing but a communication device. Though,” he added, with a shrug, “only the fae can send messages through it. I can’t. All an owner can dois wait for something to come through. They aren’t used much anymore except in special circumstances. Even though they are a slight drain on the wellsprings, cell phones can’t be beat.”
I eyed the shimmering globe. “So, the whole magical world will know if Bastien is lying?” I said.
Cassius nodded, but he didn’t look relieved. “Yes. The issue is, your brother accepted that caveat with no hesitation. Whatever he has, he believes it will pass any test the Hikshil put it through. In that case, then the whole magical world will think he’s telling the truth, and that Aurelius is an imposter. It’s kept me up all night.”
“It’s all going to be fine,” Aurelius said. “There’s nothing Bastien can do to make it seem like I’m not who I say I am. He’s drunk on power and decided to pull the same shit hethoughtwe were pulling with Elle. Simple as that.”
He took another bite of the omelet, and I admired his confidence, though I still had the feeling he was doing it mostly on my account.
“I’m glad you feel that strongly about it,” Cassius said. “I’m sorry the rest of us are a bit terrified.”
Aurelius put his fork down and gave his father a look so full of love, it made me a bit uncomfortable. Like I was an intruder, spying on a connection that could only happen between a father and son.
