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Kelso utters a pitiful squeak and crumples to the floor.
Simon walks over to me and kneels beside Aurora. Reaching out, he gently caresses her head. “Hey, Princess,” he says gently. “Let me get you out of here.” Shifting closer, he hauls her in his arms and takes her away from me.
Simon, you savage bastard!I curse silently as he straightens up with her in his arms.
“I will take you somewhere safe,” Simon tells her and walks away from the scene.
I grab the purse that Aurora has dropped nearby. Straightening up, I glance at Kelso. He’s still curled up on the floor, gasping and panting. “Pathetic,” I hiss and follow Simon as he walks down the corridor.
Catching up with him, I stop him. “Where are you taking her?”
“I’m taking her up to one of the guestrooms upstairs,” he replies. “She needs time to calm down. We can’t take her down to the party when she’s in the middle of a panic attack.”
“What?!” Glancing down at Aurora, I understand what he means. She looks pitifully small in his arms. Her entire body trembles while she struggles to breathe properly.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” says Simon, moving toward the staircase in the distance.
We’re lucky that this part of the manor is completely deserted. Most of the rooms here belong to Gary, the youngest son of the Richmond family. We’ve known him since we were kids because our grandfathers were friends. So, we’re quite comfortable in his home and know our way around it.
“Help me open the door,” Simon says, standing before Gary’s bedroom.
Moving forward, I open the door wide and let Simon walk inside. Before following him, I sweep the corridor, making sure no one’s around to see Aurora in this state.
Simon lays Aurora on the bed. “Hey, Princess,” he croons softly, caressing her head. “No one’s going to touch you when we’re around you. You’re safe with us.”
Aurora doesn’t respond to him. She turns away and curls into a ball. Loud, hard sobs wrack her slight body.
Simon glances at me. His eyes mirror the same desperation I feel within me. We both feel utterly helpless to see her in so much pain.
“I’ll be right back,” Simon says and heads into the bathroom.
An overwhelming urge to hold her and soothe her comes over me. Taking off my shoes and jacket, I climb into the bed and lie down beside her. She doesn’t move as I gently wrap an arm around her and pull her against me.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I whisper, touching her hand. “Shit! You’re freezing.” Pulling up the blanket, I cover both our bodies to warm her.
A low whimper escapes her as I pull her closer.
“I won’t hurt you,” I tell her softly. “I promise. You’re safe with me and my brother, Aurora.”
The sound of her harsh breathing fills the quiet room. Her body is tightly coiled against mine. She’s letting me hold her because she’s afraid of me.
I hate how she’s refusing to acknowledge me and my brother. We’d never hurt her but she doesn’t want to see that.
“I heard you shout for Seth earlier,” I say, grasping at straws to make her feel better. “Do you know our brother?”
The sound of his name has an instant effect on her. She slowly relaxes and turns around to face me.
“I’m not sure if you were calling out for the same person but my eldest brother’s name is Seth too,” I continue chattering. “Simon and I heard you shouting for him, so we came to help you.”
“You know Seth?” Aurora whispers, her silvery eyes begging me to answer her.
“Here, let me show you.” Fishing out my phone from inside my jacket, I scroll along the screen and open the photo gallery. “See this guy? This is the Seth I know. Is he your Seth too?”
Her hands shake as she takes the phone from me. Slowly, her glass-colored eyes fill up with tears. “I’ve finally found you,” she whispers, staring at my brother’s photograph.
Her emotion-filled reaction heightens my curiosity. Just how close is she to my brother that a mere goofy photo is reducing her to tears?
Despite the questions rising in my mind, I give her the space she needs.
