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Then I turn to Ricky, who is still glaring at Tony. "As for you—you need to show me you can control your crews, or I will take them off you. And find those five soldiers who deserted us. When you locate them, make their ends slow and painful, and leave their corpses on display. I want them used as examples to any who would break faith with me."
Ricky nods. "Consider it done, Boss."
My anger has cooled entirely, shifting into calculation. With a reduced force, I'll need to adjust our strategies for seizing several contested territories from Nero's allies. Muscle alone won't win this war; we need to strike with precision.
I rise from my chair to sit beside Lyssa at the table, gesturing for my lieutenants to show me the maps and reports. For the next hour we're absorbed in an intricate dance of tactics and counter-tactics, reworking elements of our plans.
And for a time, I lose myself in the cold pleasure of strategy.
But as soon as my lieutenants have left the war room, I find my thoughts circling back to the moonlit garden, its vivid blossoms, and the woman who tends them. And I'm gripped by a strange feeling, foreign enough that it takes me a moment to place it.
Fear.
Fear that I'm losing something precious. That Aurora will change too much, that—as Lyssa said—she'll lose that thing that makes herher.
No matter how much I didn't want to hear it from Lyssa, I know my Wolf is right. It's inevitable; no one ever leaves Elysium the same as when they arrived. If I keep her here, Aurora will transform, and I might lose her completely in that process.
But I can't see a way to free her, either.
CHAPTER 25
Hadria
The next nightI awaken slowly, as if rising from the depths of a dark sea, and I resist, because I'm dreaming of Aurora. But all too soon, the soft silk sheets glide over my skin, the lingering vestiges of the dream slip away. My eyes open to the familiar darkness of my chambers, lit only by the soft glow of the floor lamp in the sitting room outside, the outside shutters keeping out the late afternoon sun and the view of the grounds beyond.
I sit up at the gentle rap of knuckles on my door. But before I can call out to permit entry, the door opens, and she is there, tentative yet resolute, a tea service balanced precariously in her grasp.
Aurora.
Not Mrs. Graves.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Aurora's voice is a strained whisper in the stillness. She hurriedly sets the tray down on the antique coffee table.
"You didn't. Is it time for breakfast already?"
Aurora glances at the clock. "Actually, you've...slept in, if that's the term for it. It's ten past midnight."
My brows rise in surprise. Slept in? Me? Aurora fidgets under my steady gaze, a rosy blush creeping across her cheeks.
"I persuaded Mrs. Graves to let me bring up your breakfast. Or is it supper?" she adds, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. Her eyes flit to the floor.
I study her intently, reading each nuance of expression, every minute movement. She's never entered these rooms unbidden. It's an uncharacteristic boldness.
And as for Mrs. Graves, she should damn well know better than to let anyone else into my rooms without my express permission. "Mrs. Graves is unwell?" I keep my tone even, not betraying the undercurrent of curiosity.
"Oh no, she's quite alright." A pause as Aurora weighs her next words carefully, mindful of my scrutinizing stare. "I…I just asked if I could be the one to bring you your meal tonight. I wanted to see you."
Aurora seems to have wrapped Mrs. Graves around her little finger as easily as she did me—and even Lyssa, who hasneverin her life suggested I go easier on someone, like she did last night with Aurora.
But Aurora's approach interests me. Our dynamic has shifted, a subtle realignment evident in her demeanor. The notions of captor and captive no longer hold true, if they ever really did.
Aurora occupies an undefined space, not quite prisoner, nor guest, nor lover…
But not quitenota lover.
I pat the side of my bed, gesturing for her to sit as I sit up myself, letting the sheets fall beneath my breasts, just to see her reaction.
She blushes. Sweet.
