Page 38 of The Forsaken Heir
Rasp slapped a hand to his forehead. “No, bro. I don’t mean form like your shape, I meanformas in etiquette.”
“Then why didn’t you say that?” Vincent asked.
“That’ll be enough, boys,” Aurelius said. “Do we have a car ready?”
“Yeah,” Rasp said. “I’ll have the valet bring one from the garage.”
“I’m confused,” Vince said when Rasp had left. “Why would your family not want you because you can’t shift?” His face twisted into the most earnest frown I’d ever seen. “I mean, I’m weird, so I know why my dad doesn’t like me, but you’re cool.”
Recalling what a bastard his father had been back in the throne room, I felt a little twist of anger in my chest.
“Vince, you arenotweird. Do you understand me? Blunt? Overly literal? Sure. Weird, you are not,” I said.
He looked embarrassed, but he smiled brightly. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“She’s right, Vince,” Aurelius added. “Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Hell, you’re best friends with the prince. That means that one day, you’ll be best friends with the king. The king wouldn’t be best friends with someone weird.”
Vincent’s brows shot up. “I never thought of that.” He grinned to himself as Rasp came back inside.
“Got a car ready,” he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.
Aurelius offered me his hand. “My lady?”
I took his hand, wanting to soak in all this pomp and circumstance while I could. Soon I’d be back in my boring life again. I hadn’t thought it was boring until I was brought here. I’d pushed my old life out of my mind, and had come to peace with the way things were. Being here, even for only a couple days, had given me a taste of the life I’d once had. It wasn’t the luxury, it was the camaraderie of being around those like you. Sure, they were dragons and I was a wolf, but they still understood what I understood. Not only that, but none of them seemed to care that I couldn’tactuallyshift. That alone was a miraculous gift I wanted to keep experiencing.
Aurelius led me to a black sedan and opened the back door for me.
“After you,” he said.
“See you later, Elle,” Rasp said.
“Yeah,” Vincent said. “We’re probably never going to see you again. So, goodbye, I guess.”
Rasp’s head snapped around, and he scoffed at his friend. “My guy, we have to work on your tact.”
“See you guys later,” I said, and waved to them as I climbed in.
Aurelius slid into the backseat beside me and closed the door.
“We can go,” he said to the driver. An instant later, the car pulled away.
Glancing out the back window, I watched the mansion slowly shrink as we cruised down the long driveway, leaving behind the beautiful and expansive grounds. After only a few moments, the house and the mountains vanished from sight.
The drive back home didn’t take long. In fact, it seemed to fly by faster than was natural. Aurelius and I sat in companionable silence. I wondered if the same thoughts were going through his head. I was undeniably attracted to him. No other man had ever elicited such a reaction out of me. He was gorgeous, smart, kind, funny, and easygoing. Everything you could imagine. He was like a paper cutout of theperfectman. This had truly been the most magical thirty-six hours of my life. Soon, it would all seem like a dream.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” he finally asked as we turned into my neighborhood.
“You’ve done more than enough,” I said. “Please. I don’t want you going home thinking you’ve ruined my life or anything.”
“Whew, that’s a load off,” he said, pretending to wipe sweat from his brow. “I was nervous.”
“Jerk.” I laughed and nudged his leg with my foot.
“We’ve arrived, my lord,” the driver said as we pulled up outside my apartment complex.
Aurelius got out first and held the door for me, then walked me to the entrance. He was tense, acting awkward. If my instincts were right, he was uncomfortable.
“This is me,” I said, turning to face him.
