Page 83 of The Forsaken Heir
“Oh, I’m spending the night, am I?” I said, teasing him.
He sat up on his elbow and grinned at me. “I mean, you can sleep on the floor if you want, but it’s pretty hard.”
“Asshole,” I said, swatting his shoulder. “Why wouldn’tyousleep on the floor?”
“Me?” he asked, pressing his palm to his chest innocently. “I’m a feminist. I believe in equal rights. This is my bed.” He shrugged. “That means I get first call on where to sleep.”
I poked him in the stomach. “Jerk!”
Aurelius grabbed my sides and tickled me. I dissolved into hysterical giggles until I couldn’t breathe.
“Enough,” I cried. “I give up.”
“Glad you can see reason,” he said, pulling the covers up.
Just like in my imagination, he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me back against his chest. The smile on my lips faded as his breathing evened out. A few nights of this would be nice and would give me something to look back on fondly years from now. The month when I was the dragon prince’s consort. It would be a cool story.
But even that thought didn’t stop me from feeling a bone-deep loss. The sadness that came with having to leave Aurelius for my old life made sleep hard to come by that night.
19
AURELIUS
“How many cars do we have?” I asked Titus as we looked down on the driveway from my office.
Glancing down at his notepad, he said, “Five. All with enhanced protections.”
“Like what? Is it what we discussed?”
“Indeed, Your Highness,” the man said. “Bulletproof glass and side panels, run-flat tires, and the cabs have all been hermetically sealed with magic, preventing any sort of gas attack and to keep water out should the cars become submerged. Also, we’ve provided several provisions within each car—water and shelf-stable meals—should you be caught somewhere and be unable to leave the cars for a day or two. We’ve also had an inflammatory protection spell placed on them in case of fire. I can’t think of much more we could do.”
“Better to expect the best but plan for the worst,” I said.
It had been four days since the disastrous gala, and we were leaving for Laurent wolf territory that afternoon. I’d spent thelast several days preparing with my father and Titus. Well,mostof that time I had been with my dad and his advisor. The rest had been spent making forays to Elle’s room. Despite both of us feeling like we couldn’t keep having such wild sex, that we’d wear ourselves out before long, our bodies and hormones told a different story. Nothing we did could stop the flaming desire we had for one another. I enjoyed it immensely, and based on her body’s reaction, Elle did as well. But I had started to notice a strange sadness in her eyes each time we were done. She would grow distant and introspective. I hadn’t asked her about it yet, but I would once we’d put this meeting with her family behind us. I desperately wanted to know what she was thinking.
“It is a good mantra,” Titus agreed, then lowered his voice, looking worried for the first time that day. “Do you really believe the Laurents might try something? I mean, theentireshifter world knows you and Lady Brielle are going there under a banner of truce. Everyone wants to see what this fae shaman says. Would they be so aggressive as to attack you in a situation like that?”
As he spoke, the five tank-like SUVs pulled up the drive to park at the front door. They looked as impressive as Titus made them sound.
“I’m honestly not sure,” I answered. “It’s possible. Their entire plan was thrown out the window when Elle revealed herself at the gala. They had assumed that when we took her after their attack failed, we would kill her simply because of who she was, and they’d jumped at the chance to use her death to declare open war. When we showed that, not only was she not dead, but she was allied with us, it threw everything into chaos. I do believe that even if their assassins had succeeded in killing her, they would still have used it as an opportunity to declare war sinceRaspion and Vincent had kidnapped her in the first place.” I sighed.
“Elle is right, if the world believes they tried to kill their only daughter for no reason other than because she has no inner wolf, the Laurents will lose a lot of support. Not only that, but some of the more honorable wolf families might even work to supplant their position. If that’s what’s at stake, then I wouldn’t put anything past them.”
“Fair points all around, Highness,” Titus said. “Please be careful.”
I turned from the window, and something in the man’s voice caught my attention. When I looked into his face, what I saw startled me. True, heartfelt fear.
“Titus? Are you all right?” I said.
The advisor-cum-butler-cum-chief-of-staff shook his head and waved a hand at me.
“It’s fine. I simply worry about you, dear boy. Nothing more.”
“What’s to worry about?” I chuckled and patted him on the back. “I’m Prince Aurelius Decimus. Haven’t you heard? The whole shifter world thinks I shit bolts of lightning and fight sharks with my bare hands before breakfast. At least, that’s what the rumors say, isn’t it?”
Titus laughed at that, his concerned grimace turning into a smile. “You forget you also have a sasquatch in the basement that you wrestle for exercise.”
“I haven’t heard that one yet,” I said, then grew somber once more. “Seriously, Titus, what’s wrong?”
