Page 165 of The Forbidden Dragon King
This side to him comes out, when he’s around Daire. Is it the real Aurelius, which is softened around me? How he likes to play with Alphas?
Or does he truly hate Daire, as both of us fear?
Does Hadrian?
That would break all of our hearts.
Aurelius pushes himself out of his seat and prowls around the desk toward Daire. I try to snatch at his sleeve, but Aurelius shakes me off.
Five hisses at Aurelius.
“As rebellious as her owner.” Aurelius sounds delighted.
“I’m not her owner.” Daire continues to stumble backwards, baring his fangs like he craves to hiss as loudly as Five is. “That’s why we’re different. I never try to own anyone as if they’re treasure.”
Aurelius presses Daire against the marble, leaning one hand on the white wall above him. “I’ll take her for you.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Hurting me that way?” Daire is breathing too fast. “You take what people love the most. Their cats…their Omegas…”
My breath hitches.
Aurelius leans even closer to Daire, forcing him to meet his icy gaze. “She’ll get to know and love me. Then when she sleeps in the soft bed that I make for her and eats the fine foods that I feed her, compared to the stone floor and scraps that you can offer, who do you think she’ll choose?”
He’s no longer talking about the cat.
We all know it.
I hurl myself at Aurelius, grabbing him by his crimson cloak and dragging him back from Daire. He allows himself to be pulled away a couple of steps with a chuckle.
“Don’t.” I’m panting. Shaking. “Why can’t Five choose both? Do I need to teach you what pack means?”
Aurelius clenches his hands. “Since I’ve never had one, probably.”
“How Daire is being treated — how this entire court runs on shadows and secrets — isn’t right,” I insist. “What happened to you last night wasn’t either. Do youremember that you were forced to drink, over and over? Daire and I both wanted to intervene but what could we do? You, on the other hand, can change things.”
Aurelius shakes his head. “I can’t.”
“You mean that you’re choosing not to,” Daire says, quietly.
“I mean that Ican’t. At least, not yet. Do you think that I enjoy fighting endless battles? Working every hour of the day and night? Hiding my feelings behind a mask, while sycophantic courtiers flock around me, at the same time that they’re truly courting the favor of my uncle? Let me crush the Bloods, then once the kingdoms are united in an empire, I can take back the power in my own court. Then I will finally be able to make the changes to help everybody.”
“And you’ll be an emperor.” I try not to think of Emperor Hadrian.
I fail.
Aurelius lifts up his chin. “So, give your future emperor that damn cat.”
Daire rests his hand protectively on Five’s head. “You can share her but you’re not taking her.”
“Daire and Five are friends,” I insist. “Think of something else.”
Aurelius turns to me. “You think of it. You’ve vetoed both my ideas.”
My heart speeds up.
This is it. My opportunity.
I adjust my uniform, pretending to think hard. Daire quirks his brow at me, as if daring me to do my worst.
