Page 44 of The Reaping Rose

Even as he speaks in my thoughts, I swear I feel his breath tickling my neck. His amusement playing in his tone.

My eyebrows pull as I glance out the window again, wondering who Quietus mirrors if not Wilder as he guides me through a set of towering birch doors. Tree trunks are carved into each panel, starting halfway up, with roots stretching down to the floor.

The room is round, with no ceiling as the walls stretch in a silo up toward the sky. It’s open and lacks any decor, apart from a single grand table at the center. But I’m too distracted by Callum and Greer huddled with Perame across the room to focus on anything else. The moment they come into view, my heart somersaults.

Our plan worked. They’re here.

When I stepped into the prison, part of me accepted the possibility of never seeing them again. To know that’s not the case has tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

Greer smirks at something Perame says, while Callum’s lips purse with his thoughts. He’s dressed in perfectly polished armor, unable to relax for even a moment, and it’s so like him that I smile. Perame’s red curls are tied in a wild ponytail, showing off her pink cheeks. She absentmindedly spins a dagger in one hand as she talks to them.

“I told you they made it.” Wilder leans close, his eyes sparkling when my gaze meets his.

“It’s just…” I clear my throat. “It’s been a long few months since the Ley Court. It’s hard to believe we’re here.”

His thumb brushes my lower back. “I know.”

“Wilder.” A smooth, melodic voice comes from my right, and I turn as the most beautiful female walks toward us.

Her sage eyes match the leaf hairpins that secure her warm-copper hair off her face. Her piercing gaze moves between me and Wilder as she approaches. Pale-green lace molds to her body, cut low in the front and accentuating her curves. It’s decorated with a heap of feathers on each of her shoulders. They trail down her arms as if they are not arms at all, but wings. A red blush paints her dark-tan cheeks.

The female stops in front of us, her hands relaxed at her sides. Her green eyes assess me with more disinterest than anything before her gaze snaps to Wilder.

“We need to speak about Tael’s ships. Lord Darvel is getting impatient.”

It seems she’s the impatient one.

“Because she is.” Wilder chuckles through the thread. “Aurora, I’d like you to meet Elorie.”

Her teeth click with a hint of irritation, but her face remains passive.

So this is Aurora. The female who sat on Wilder’s throne this past century when he was locked in a prison. I suspected she was a force to be reckoned with since she held such a role for so long, but to see the full force of the female standing before me is intimidating.

She’s powerful.

Confident.

Stunning.

Wilder hasn’t defined their relationship beyond his confidence in her ability to run his kingdom, but I’ve always suspected it was more than friendship if Malachi once believed Aurora was Wilder’s mate. Considering that now, I wonder how deep their connection must have been for him to trust her that much.

Aether tickles my skin as Wilder’s magic pulses over me in a blanket of comfort, but it does nothing to settle the stir of jealousy.

“So this is your mate.” Aurora’s eyes slide to the rune on my chest. It marks the tie between our magic, not our mating bond, but she eyes it as if it is one and the same. “Lovely to meet you.”

There’s nothing lovely about her tone. If anything, my presence seems to annoy her when she clearly has more pressing matters at hand.

I nod, smiling tightly as I turn to Wilder. “I’m going to say hello to Callum and Greer while you touch base with Aurora.”

He slips into the thread. “You don’t need to leave on her behalf. I trust you with any battle plans. There are no secrets between us.”

“I know.” Even as the words leave my mind, a pinprick of doubt sparks just out of reach.

A flicker of what I’ve battled with these past few months creeps through now.

I’d like to think Wilder and I are beyond secrets, but we’ve yet to discuss all those he kept from me in the Ley Court. Mate or not, Wilder has no problem getting creative in the name of protecting me. While I hope we’re past that, I don’t doubt my mate’s ruthlessness for a second.

“I appreciate the offer, but I need to check in on my friends. I’ll be right over there.” I squeeze his forearm, shifting away before he can kiss me.