Page 237 of The Call of Crimson
“You came to help me sleep?” I ask, dumbfounded. “Why would you do that?”
“I could say it’s because I gave my word to Elijah. But the truth?” He pauses. “I can’t stand to see you in this much pain. If I can help, even just a little, I want to.”
His explanation leaves me speechless.
Without thinking, I step forward and wrap my arms around him. He holds me tightly for several long, quiet moments.
When I finally pull back, my cloak slips. The edge of the hood falls, baring my neck.
Ayden stiffens.
His amber eyes turn molten as he eyes the angry red mark left by Cillian’s teeth. I know it looks much worse than any love bites, but truthfully, I delighted in it.
“He did this to you,” Ayden hisses as his fingers trace over the mark.
I flinch slightly at the sting of having him touch the wound.
“Yes,” I say softly, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. “But it wasn’t anything I didn’t want.”
His eyes turn from venomous to curious in an instant.
“Intriguing,” he says, dropping his hand from my neck.
We walk the rest of the way to my room in silence. But it’s not uncomfortable.
After I shut the door behind us and drop my cloak to the floor, I turn to him. “Ayden, I’m sorry.”
“Whatever for?”
“For whatever you overheard between Cillian and me. It seems to have upset you, and I just?— “
“Stop, Ophelia.” He places a hand over my mouth, silencing me. Once he’s satisfied I’m done talking, he lowers it.
“You are responsible for your own self-rescue,” he says. “How you decide to heal is up to you, and I don’t ever want tohear you apologize for it again. You are not responsible for my feelings.”
I nod, heart thudding in my chest.
“Now go get dressed for bed.”
I slip into the bathing chambers and quickly discard my dress and ruined shift in one swift motion. Pulling a nightdress over my chilled skin, I fight back the tears pressing behind my eyes.
I had worn Elijah’s shirt to bed every night since his death, soaking in the last remaining bits of his scent that lingered. The faint scent of cinnamon and chocolate clinging to the fabric was all I had left of him, and it was nearly gone. But it felt wrong wearing his shirt to bed when I was covered in Cillian’s scent.
A fresh wave of grief rolls through me as I realize I will never again be covered in the smell of cocoa and cinnamon. It would never again be his love marks that marred my skin. I would never wake up next to him again.
It was all… gone.
I sink to the floor, the weight of it pressing me down as the sobs take over, raw and unrelenting. I don’t know how long I sit there, knees drawn to my chest, tears soaking my nightdress.
When Ayden finds me, I barely hear the door open. But then his arms are around me, lifting me from the cold tile without a word. He carries me to my bed and lays me down gently, pulling the covers up to my shoulders like I’m something fragile.
My body still trembles, but the tears eventually slow. I feel the warmth of his magic press gently against my temple, soothing, quieting the edges of my mind.
Between his Gift and the exhaustion Cillian left in his wake, I know I’ll sleep deeply tonight.
A thought occurs as he pulls away. “Why do you have to kiss Breyla’s forehead for your Gift to work?”
A soft smile tugs at his lips. “I don’t. I just really enjoy pissing off Aurelius.”
