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Right before she goes to leave, she pauses in the doorway, turning her head to look back at us from over her shoulder. “Tell the new Prince Aiden to send a letter of some sort first to let us know of his visit before showing up on our doorstep. Remind him it's the princely thing to do.”
When the door clicks shut behind her, the air in the room becomes eerily cold. It has the hair on the back of my neck rising.
Draven clears his throat, placing his hand on my lower back. “Let’s go see why the bastard is here.”
He applies a little pressure on my back as he goes to take a step but stops when I don’t budge, my feet rooted in place.
“Should I stay back? We don’t know the reason behind his visit.” I release an uneven breath.
Those striking blue eyes probe directly into mine. He turns his body to face me, covering me in the shadow of his tall frame. “I am done hiding us.” His large palm that bears our mark cups my cheek. “And I can’t bear to have you out of my sight right now,” he rasps, a vulnerable catch in his throat.
His eyes stay steady on mine with such raw emotions swimming in them. An icy sliver of fear inches down the bond, as if the thought of being separated from me for only a moment will haunt him.
“Okay,” I whisper, tucking my hand into his. “Lead the way.”
He never lets go, keeping our fingers intertwined as we make our way to the main doors with Fynn and Cora following suit. Each step I take, I am more thankful for Cora healing the exhaustion from my body or else this trek would have my lungs wheezing and my legs threatening to buckle.
The moment we step off the final stair, the sight of Aiden standing inside near the doors elicits a warning growl from Draven. His grip tightens on my hand, keeping his body in front of me like a shield. But those familiar green eyes have already found mine.
Before Aiden can utter a word, Fynn steps beside Draven, crossing his arms over his chest and speaks. “The Queen wanted us to relay the message to send a letter before visiting. It's the princely thing to do.”
Aiden sputters before collecting himself, patting the nonexistent wrinkles out of the lapels of his tunic. “Do you know who I am?”
Cora lazily drags her eyes down to his feet and back up. “Someone who’s unwelcome.”
Draven jerks his head to the two guards standing on each side of Aiden. “You may go.”
They dip at the waist before exiting the main entryway, leaving Aiden standing there with all of us watching him closely. I track every twitch of his muscles.
“Why are you here?” Draven’s own muscles are tense beneath his shirt. His hands are strained and his voice terrifyingly low.
Aiden drags a hand through his hair, softening the hardness that was sharpening his face. “I came to see with my own eyes if it was true.” He leans to peer around Draven, green eyes locking on me. “I had to know. My father, as you know, is a Seer. He saw you die, and Whiro confirmed it a day ago when my father wished to know the truth.”
Aiden goes to instinctively take a step towards me, but Draven mirrors him, causing Aiden to retreat.
Blowing out a deep sigh, Aiden lets his arms limply fall to his sides. “I came to the one place I knew I would get an answer, much to my disgust.” His eyes dart to Draven on the last word, before flitting back to mine. “But…you’re alive,” he whispers in disbelief.
Wait. Aiden’s words rushing replay in my mind, making it a little harder to breathe.
Shooting my hand out, I latch onto Draven’s arm, making him look down at me with a frown. “I was only gone an hour, or so it seemed. How long was I…” Do I say dead? Asleep? I don’t even know, but I don’t have to because Draven understands.
“Almost a full week,” he says, softly, and sends a comforting warmth down the bond.
I still can’t hide the shock splaying over my face, or how it suddenly hurts to breathe as my lungs constrict. Grabbing my stomach, I hunch over to help draw in more air, breathing through my nose and out my mouth.
“Time moves differently there,” I whisper. “I never knew because I couldn’t keep track of time when I was there.” My next words I go to speak through the bond, “I’m sorry—”
“Don’t,” Draven rushes out. “No more apologizing, little demon. All that matters is that you are here now.”
All I can do is nod and clutch his arm a little tighter, needing to feel his strength. But then, a throat clears, and my focus is back on our visitor.
“I traveled all this way.” Aiden’s hands curl and uncurl. “I can’t believe you are alive and well. That everything I’ve done wasn’t for nothing.” A smile graces his face, but my eyes narrow, not understanding what he means.
Ignoring Draven’s growling protest, I move to stand beside him. “Why does it matter to you?” My heart thunders in a maddening pace. “Trying to see if you can claim your prize for the deal you struck with Whiro?” Rage boils my blood as I once again find betrayal flashing in his eyes, like a bad habit he refuses to learn from.
His eyes widen a fraction before he pulls his face back to neutral. “Please,” his voice breaks. “Let me explain.” I stand there, waiting with my arms crossed over my chest, and he sighs. “Can we talk privately outside and out of…here?” His arms gesture to the door behind him as his eyes scan the room with disgust. As if being in Draven’s castle is revolting for him.
“I think you’re in no place to ask anything from her unless it’s mercy for a slow death,” Fynn snipes.
