The princess wants a normal life. One without fear, without her curse dictating every move she makes. I want that for her. Fae lords, I want it more than anything.
But she’s starving.
That agony is growing, a pressure cooker ready to explode. She’s pretending she can manage it, acting as if this hunger is a test of willpower rather than a merciless compulsion.
She wants freedom. I want her safe. Two goals that shouldn’t feel so far apart but do. A part of me seethes with anger that she won’t return home where I can control the situation. Instead, I can only witness her suffering, paralyzed and powerless. It's tearing me apart inside.
The couch digs into my spine while Lucifer curls up on my boots. Apparently, he owns them now. Eventually, exhaustion claims me, and I drift into a fitful sleep just before sunrise.
When I wake,it’s with a start.
Something's off.
The air carries the charged stillness of a summer storm. Still, yet vibrating with tension. Her magic—normally a faint hum beneath the surface—has changed. It pulses erratically, uneven as a heart that can’t find its rhythm.
I push upright. My eyes snap to the bedroom door, open as always but the sheets are an empty pool.
Dread curls low in my gut, and I'm on my feet.
Lucifer leaps onto the spot I just vacated, tail twitching.
The erratic hum of power leads me to the bathroom. My stomach knots. The door is closed, steam curling from beneath it, dense and unnatural.
"Aura?"
No answer.
Two steps take me across the hall, and I open the door. Her power billows into my face, carrying the chill of death itself. On the other side of the translucent curtain, her body is slumped in the tub, barely more than a silhouette. The sight hits me so hard my chest seizes, ribs refusing to expand.
I surge forward and yank the curtain back, the rings rattling against the metal bar. The icy stream of water is still pounding on her skin. I twist the knob off with more force than necessary, cursing under my breath.
"Aura," I say sharply, crouching down beside the tub. "Come on. Look at me. Say something."
She doesn’t flinch. Her head remains bowed, hair plastered to her face, lips tinged with blue. Heavy magic leaks off her in thick, nauseating waves, the air bending and shuddering. Not pulsing with life—devouring it. As if her curse has turned inward, feeding on her own soul.
"Shit." I rip off my jacket, fast and clumsy, and cocoon her in it, a barrier between us. Even through the thick fabric, her skin is arctic. She shivers violently, a low moan rattling out of her, and for a terrifying second, I think she might slip under completely.
"Aura," I rasp, crouching lower, voice a fractured edge. "Stay with me. Move. Please, move." I give her a gentle shake.
Her head lolls to the side with a groan. “Talon.”
My relief is short-lived. She’s responsive, but she needs help.
I slide my arms under her and lift her out of the tub, keeping the jacket between us. Her wet hair clings to her cheeks, her breath shallow. Each step toward the bedroom is a negotiationwith balance as I try to make sure she doesn’t brush against my bare chest.
We reach the bed, and I lay her down with more care than I’ve ever used in my life. I tuck the blankets around her, needing them to anchor her to this world. Looking down at her, the heat of my worry scorches my throat while I fight the urge to hold her closer than I should.
Fear coils through my body, taut bands tightening around every molecule. With each passing moment they squeeze tighter.
Aurora is starving. She won't go home and even if we did try to go back, it would take too much time. The obvious pain she is in compounds my helplessness as she groans and rocks back and forth.
But I'm not helpless. It's my duty to protect her. My princess. My Aura.
And I'll do whatever it takes.
I yank open a drawer in the kitchen and grab my phone. I got it quickly after we arrived, along with a special cover that ensures I won’t melt the damn thing.
I hated the contraption at first. It may be a necessary evil to function in the Common World, but the learning curve is still too steep for my liking.
