Page 4 of The Call of Crimson
A humorless laugh escapes me. “I haven’t.”
“B—”
“What do you see when you close your eyes at night?”
He laces his fingers with mine, and I let him pull me into his chest. “I see Julian’s smile. I see Jade on her knees before his funeral pyre, wholly consumed by the grief of losing her other half.” His voice trembles. “I see Ophelia—the way she broke watching Layne die, knowing there was nothing she could do. I see her… never mind.”
“I see the light fade from my mother’s eyes. Her chest still moves, and it looks like she’s still breathing, but I know she’s gone. Yet, I hope that maybe I’m wrong. I see itevery single timeI close my eyes, Elijah. And if I manage to sleep, I’m forced to relive her dying in my arms. Over and over. I wake up screaming and alone. So no, I haven’t slept.”
“You wouldn’t have to wake up alone if you let me stay. Or if you let him in.”
“I have no desire to see Aurelius ever again,” I spit, the memory of his betrayal flooding back with venom.
“You knew.”
My eyes locked on Aurelius’, heat rising in my chest.
“Princess—”
“Don’t fucking call me that. You knew!” I shouted angrily at him.
He reached out a hand for me, but I recoiled at his touch, wanting nothing from him except the truth.
“I knew about your betrothal to Prince Ayden,” he admitted, shame and resignation warring in his eyes.
Good.
He should be ashamed.
“And he’s your brother,” I hissed, lip curling in disgust.
“I didn’t?—”
“I want nothing from you, Aurelius. Go fuck yourself.”
It shattered something inside me to utter those words. He had spent weeks earning my trust, winning my affection despite our sordid history—only to keep life-altering secrets from me.
Betrayal churned in my gut, warring with everything I felt for him.
“He’s been a total disaster without you,” Elijah murmurs, running a hand up and down my back in quiet comfort.
“He’s not my problem.”
“I know you feel that way now, B—but he’s your heart. And you’re his.”
“He’s my nothing. He betrayed me, kept secrets, and broke my trust.”
Elijah sighs and gently guides me away from the window toward my bed. “If I recall, there was another male you swore the same thing about. And yet, he managed to win your trust back, eventually.”
“I never felt for Cillian the way I did for Aurelius, E.”
“You loved Cillian. Maybe not to the extent that you love Aurelius, but it was real.”
I stiffen, furrowing my brow. “I don’t love Aurelius.”
He sits on my bed, bringing me with him and cocooning us in the heavy quilt.
“Who are you trying to convince—me or yourself?”
