Page 120 of The Call of Crimson
My face burns with the fury and horror I’m feeling, but Aurelius’ expression doesn’t flicker.
It remains neutral, no emotion giving away his inner turmoil. Until he speaks.
“Fuck off, Charlie,” Aurelius says, shoving her aside.
He reaches for my hand, but it’s too late.
I’m already running, the tears I swore I wouldn’t shed, burning my vision as I flee down the hall.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BREYLA
Several days later, Ayden forces me into the library to start working on my astral projection. Poor weather had cancelled any outdoor plans, giving him the perfect opportunity to torture, I mean, train me.
“Try again,” Ayden encourages.
I let out an exasperated sigh before closing my eyes, pulling my focus inward. It’s easy enough to project my image, but making it believable? That’s another matter entirely. If my physical body has to focus on anything else, my astral form flickers.
I manifest next to Ayden, visible and clear.He can see me, but if he were to touch me, his hand would pass right through. As far as I knew, there was no way around that with my Gift. While his illusions could take a corporeal form, mine would always remain intangible. A projection.
So, the trick was to make it so believable that no one questioned it. Maintain enough distance that no one could reach out and prove it false.
I circle him slowly, inspecting him from head to toe, waiting for his next instruction.
“Good,” Ayden praises. “Now open your eyes. Walk to me.”
I crack my physical eyes open, careful to hold onto the tether between myself and the projection.
It’s dizzying, seeing through both forms at once, but I manage it.
Ayden smiles, slow and dazzling. He claps once, then leans into my space. “Very good. You’re improving.”
A second later, hot breath tickles the back of my neck. “Now tell me where you went wrong,” he whispers.
I groan and let the projection collapse.
Spinning to face him, I scowl. “You fight dirty.”
“So do our enemies, love.” He smirks. “You owe me a kiss.”
Begrudgingly, I lean forward and press a chaste kiss to his lips, the taste of smug satisfaction rolling off him.
Before I can pull away, Ayden’s hand closes around my hip, deepening the kiss.
Jealousy and fury surge through me in an instant.
I shove him back, the low growl that escapes my throat shocking even me. “Watch yourself, Prince.”
“Why would I do that? I do so love watching you lose our little deal.”
He’s grinning like the cat that got the cream. So self-satisfied it makes me want to punch him.
The jealousy and anger pumping through me feel foreign and disconnected, but I can’t see clearly enough to understand why.
Instead, I make my first guess. “When I had you arrested in Rimor... you weren’t really there, were you? That was an illusion.”
“Very good, sweetheart,” he hums. “That one is a bit easy, though.”
