Page 188 of The Call of Crimson
“You didn’t need to get me anything, Princess.” He nuzzles my neck. “I have everything I want right here.”
I push him off, fighting a smile. “When did you get so sappy?”
“Don’t get it twisted, I’m only soft for you, little demon.” He nips the skin at the point where my neck meets my shoulder, and I shudder.
“Open your gift, or I’m leaving,” I threaten.
His arm wraps tightly around my midsection, holding me in place while he tears into the wrapping.
The carved wooden pendant rests perfectly in his palm, the dark stain of the wood looking beautiful against the warmth of his skin. On the front is a replica of the tree from mygrandparents’ estate. The tree my father helped craft into a haven for Aurelius.
“It opens here,” I explain, pressing and turning the center of the tree clockwise until it clicks. The top half swings open, revealing a hidden compartment within. Small tendrils of my shadows trail out, coiling around the pendant and my hand.
“You can store what you’d like,” I say. “The shadows were just a placeholder.”
“No,” he commands, his voice gruff. Aurelius grips my wrist before I can recall the shadows. “It’s wonderful. Leave them.”
I coax them back inside and close the pendant. A lengthy gold chain was a last-minute addition that I don’t regret as I loop it over his head. It lies perfectly against his chest, just above his heart.
“Thank you, Breyla. I love it,” he murmurs.
Our lips meet in a kiss so innocent yet heated that my toes curl.
A flicker of warning tugs at the back of my mind as I catch sight of Ayden’s bedroom door opening. Recalling my astral form, I groan and push myself from Aurelius’ lap.
“Our moment of solitude is over, I fear.” I straighten my robe, tucking the dagger out of sight in one of the deep pockets.
“I don’t hear anyone approaching,” Aurelius says.
I find a new chair, this one not nearly as cushioned as the one Aurelius stole from me, and sit down. “Ayden just woke up. He’s on his way here.”
“How do you know that?”
“My astral projections have been getting better,” I reply, winking at him. My astral form appears behind his chair, leaning down to kiss his cheek before disappearing again.
“Impressive,” he praises, stroking his fingers over the spot.
“What is?” Ayden asks groggily, shuffling into the room.
“I was just showing how much my Vizie Gift has grown, thanks to your lessons,” I say sweetly. And I mean it. My once-impossible Gift has grown significantly thanks to Ayden.
Ayden’s eyes narrow, one brow arching subtly in my direction.
Without breaking eye contact, and just to prove a point, I project myself right behind Ayden’s back. I smirk when he doesn’t notice and launch my astral form onto his back.
The projection passes through him, but the look on his face tells me he feels it.
“Eh, that was mildly intriguing,” he says, shrugging. “I’m not sureimpressiveis the word I would use for it.”
I shake my head as my astral form flips him off from the floor. “Whatever.”
That has both Ayden and Aurelius chuckling.
I recall the projection, crossing my arms.
“Happy Solstice, love,” Ayden says, his arms wrapping around me.
Reluctantly, I return the hug. “Why were you out of bed so early?” he whispers.
