The Sorrow of Shadows (Crimson & Shadows #1)

Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

AURELIUS

W hen I awake next it’s to the feeling of Breyla’s fingers drawing soft patterns down my abs, dancing dangerously close to my dick. I don’t think she’s trying to be erotic, but everything this female does turns me on. I could spend all day with my dick inside her or my tongue tasting every inch of her freckled skin.

Without opening my eyes, I pull my little demon into my chest, leaving a kiss on the top of her head. “Good morning,” I say, my voice raspy.

Her fingers still, and she lays her hand flat on my lower stomach. “Good morning,” she whispers. Her voice lacks her usual bravado and confidence. She sounds like she’s deep in thought.

“What’s on your mind, little demon?”

She turns her head to look up into my eyes. “Where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know about you, but the bath sounds like a good place to start.” My voice is full of insinuation of what I’d like to do with her there .

She doesn’t respond to my suggestive tone but slaps me lightly on the stomach. “That’s not what I meant, Aurelius. I mean what comes next for us?”

“I grow tired of repeating myself. How many times must I tell you you’re mine before you finally believe it?”

“That’s just it—I do believe you. You’ve made it clear that you aren’t going to let me go, but how exactly are we supposed to be together when you’re betrothed to my mother? There would be a scandal if we were seen in that way together while you’re supposed to be marrying her. You can’t exactly just choose me instead. She’ll be forced to abdicate the crown to me if she doesn't remarry. Gods know nobody wants me on the throne.”

My eyes roll at her undervaluation of her own worth or ability. I can practically see the wheels turning in her pretty little head. She’s both overthinking and not seeing the full picture at the same time. It’s driving her insane.

“I know you don’t feel anything romantic for her, but I can see how she is around you. She obviously cares for you,” she continues, spiraling out of control.

I slide my palm over her mouth to silence her rambling. “That’s enough of that nonsense. Come on, let’s go.” I sit up and slide out of bed, pulling her to her feet with me.

“Where are we going?” she asks, quirking an auburn brow at me.

“To settle this once and for all.” I pull on my discarded clothes from the floor.

She slides on a long nightgown, then wraps a robe around herself right as I finish putting on what clothes I can. She had ripped the buttons off my dress shirt in her lust-fueled frenzy last night, and now I have no choice but to let it hang open, baring my chest.

I’m pulling her out of her chambers and further down the royal wing at a pace that forces her to jog to keep up with my long strides .

Recognition of where we’re heading registers on her face. “Aurelius, why are you taking me to my mother’s chambers?”

“Because you need answers and refuse to ask the questions yourself. You’ve left me with no choice.”

I bang on Genevieve’s door three times, then say, “Gen, open up. It’s me.”

The door opens to reveal a sleepy Queen Genevieve, her hair mussed and eyes rimmed in red. She’s been crying again.

“Aurelius, what is it?” she asks and opens her door wide, inviting us inside.

I drag Breyla in behind me, our hands still clasped together.

“Gen, I need you to clear something up for us.”

She gives me a questioning look, but nods for me to continue.

“Do you love me?”

“Of course I do, Aurelius. I’ve always loved you.” She states it as if it’s obvious, and Breyla tenses next to me.

“But do you have feelings for me?” I continue, trying to clarify what I mean.

Instead of responding she breaks out into a full-belly laugh. The way she laughs more freely fills me with hope for her future happiness.

“Yeah, they range somewhere between you being the little brother I never asked for and you being my best friend despite that fact.” She grins widely at me.

“Haha, very funny,” I say, rolling my eyes at her.

“What’s the reason for the questions? You know all this already.”

“Breyla didn’t get that message, apparently. I have a point to prove to her.” I think it’s then that she first notices our linked hands and gives me a questioning look.

I have to be careful how I word the next question. “And is the reason I agreed to marry you to protect Breyla and keep you from losing the throne or being forced into a less-desirable match?”

She yawns, “That’s the gist of it. Is there a point to this?”

“I’m getting there. Now, do you plan to ever go through with our wedding?” This question has Breyla’s attention. Her eyes flare wide in anticipation of what her mother will say next.

“Not if I can help it. It’s a political move, but I thought we already established this.”

“Fantastic, now don’t kill me for what I’m about to do.” Before she can say anything more, I yank Breyla to me and wrap a hand around the back of her neck, fingers tangling in her auburn curls. I pull her lips to mine and kiss her in a way I hope shows my complete obsession and dedication to the fierce female in my arms.

A startled gasp leaves Gen, but it doesn’t sound like she’s angry. More like she’s surprised I would be as bold as to kiss her daughter right in the middle of her bed chamber.

As I pull back from Breyla, I catch the subtle pink that stains her cheeks, and it might be the most adorable thing I’ve seen on her. She can’t seem to form words but directs her gaze to her mother, gauging her reaction.

Gen just chuckles. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. The energy between you two has always been something that toed the line between wanting to murder or fuck the other.”

“You aren’t mad?” Breyla asks incredulously. The guilt she’s been carrying for weeks is evident in the way she looks at her mother.

“Mad? No. Actually, I think I’m relieved. Maybe I should be horrified that you’re kissing your father’s brother, but you’ve never really looked at him that way, have you?”

“Not really.” Breyla is clearly uncomfortable with this conversation. I, on the other hand, am highly amused. “Could you not say it like that?” Breyla pleads. “He’s adopted. There’s no blood relation. ”

“Breyla, this is Aurelius. Aurelius, meet our daughter, Princess Breyla.” My father introduced me to the male he called brother. They looked nothing alike. Father had hair like mine but even brighter, and Aurelius had hair as black as shadows. His eyes were dark. The only thing they had in common was they were both tall.

“Hello, Princess.” Aurelius said with a smile. He doesn’t look nearly old enough to be Father’s brother. Older than me, but not that old.

“Don’t call me that,” I said with an eye roll.

“Then what should I call you?” he asked curiously.

“I don’t know, just not princess,” I replied with a shrug.

My father chuckles behind him. “She has never cared for her title. Just call her Breyla.”

“You look nothing like Father. Are you sure we’re related?” I asked.

“Blunt little thing you are,” my father said.

Aurelius took a deep breath, debating how to answer me. “No, I wouldn’t look anything like him. We’re not related by blood.”

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

“Aurelius was found as an infant without any parents, so mine took him in and raised him as their own,” my father elaborated.

“It’s like how Elijah isn’t really your brother, but we take care of him because his parents are gone,” my mother added.

I tried to wrap my head around how that worked, but all I could figure out was, “So you’re not actually my uncle.”

“No, not technically, I suppose.” Aurelius didn’t look upset by this.

My mother bent down to my level and said, “Sometimes family is blood like with you and me and your father, but sometimes family is chosen. Both are precious, Breyla.”

I looked Aurelius up and down, trying to determine if he fit into my family. After several moments of silent thought, I said, “Well, I don’t choose you for my family.”

“Breyla!” my mother said, frustration and embarrassment clear in her face.

I pulled away from her as my father’s deep voice boomed, “To your room, young lady. That is not the way we behave.”

“I was already going there,” I replied as I skipped out of the room and back to my own. I didn’t care if I was confined to my chambers; Aurelius wasn’t family, and I didn’t regret saying that.

“Why are you relieved?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.

“Well, for one, it saves me from having to ever bed you.” She visibly shudders at the thought, doing great things for my male ego. Not that the thought of sleeping with her doesn’t elicit the same reaction from me. “For two, maybe the tension between you two will finally ease and we won’t have to endure your constant bickering.”

I chuckle. “Not likely. She’s still the most infuriating female I’ve ever met.”

Breyla punches me hard in the shoulder at that comment, which I mostly deserve, but I wasn’t lying.

“Yes, well, she gets that from her mother,” Gen teases.

“Like mother, like daughter, I suppose.” I reach out and catch Breyla’s fist before she can land a second hit. Stop it, little demon. There are much better things I can think of to use your hands for.”

Gen clears her throat behind us, as if to say she doesn’t want to hear this. I turn to face her again, and her face is sullen.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, immediately on edge.

“You can’t tell anyone, at least not yet.” I’m not surprised to hear her say this, but I don’t like it all the same.

“It might be too late for that,” Breyla says, fidgeting nervously.

Gen levels an impressive glare at me. If I didn’t know her so well, I might be afraid of the queen in front me. “Who did you tell, Aurelius?”

“Why do you assume it was me?” I ask in an exasperated tone.

She gives me a look as if to say she knows better. She does, but I’m not going to tell her that.

“It may have been both of us, actually,” Breyla admits, and it takes me by surprise.

I tilt my head at her in question. “Who did you tell, Princess?”

“I may have lost a bet with Elijah and he got me to show him...one of my memories that exposed us.” She seems wholly embarrassed, probably because she’s having to admit this to her mother.

“Of course, it’s fucking Elijah,” I grumble.

“Hey!” she snaps at me. “It’s not as bad as what you did.” She jabs an accusing finger into my chest.

“What I did was necessary, and you know it,” I huff back, brushing her finger off my chest.

“No, what you did was a show of territorial male bullshit. You were basically a dog pissing on a tree to mark its territory.”

“Silence!” Genevieve demands in a tone that has us both hushing. “You two are insufferable.” She rubs her temples, trying to release the headache we’re causing her.

“Somebody just tell me who you told.” She sighs, looking between the two of us.

“Prince Ayden was...” Breyla’s voice trails off as she tries to find her words, “made aware of Aurelius's feelings toward me last night.”

I smirk at her word choice, but it quickly turns to a frown when I see Gen’s face.

Pissed would be too light a word to describe the emotion on her face. She’s irate, but there’s also something akin to fear in her eyes. She begins pacing back and forth, muttering to herself about idiotic males.

“Why in the hell would you do something so stupid, Aurelius? Can you imagine what someone like Prince Ayden would do with that information? The danger you’ve put us all in by giving him leverage like that?”

I take a deep breath, trying to find an answer that will satisfy her, knowing I’m in trouble either way. “The prince is a nosey bastard and already suspected something before I exposed the truth. He would have figured it out either way, but I needed to send a message that he couldn’t misinterpret.”

“Ah, so territorial male bullshit, just like my daughter said.” She rolls her eyes, clearly irritated with my reasoning.

I couldn’t really explain it any other way but a need to claim my little demon and make sure no one else would dare touch her. I can’t say that, though, because that’s the literal epitome of ‘territorial male bullshit’.

“What’s done is done. If it helps, he gave us his word he wouldn’t tell anyone.” I shrug as if that’s supposed to help. It doesn’t.

“And you believed him?” she asks incredulously. “You were obviously thinking with your dick. Honestly, I should strip you of your position as emissary after this stunt.”

I tense at her suggestion, never considering that was something she would do.

“But I won’t,” she sighs. She finally ceases her pacing and stands directly in front of us.

“As you said, what’s done is done. Moving forward, no one else can know. I trust Elijah, of course. Ayden is a wild card, no doubt. I’ll find some way to end our betrothal, Aurelius, but until then you must keep your relationship with Breyla a secret. I need time.”

Then she does something I’m not suspecting and wraps her arms around both of us in a group hug .

“I’m happy for you both, truly. But you’re both idiots. Don’t do anything else stupid for a while,” she says, squeezing us tightly.

“No promises,” Breyla responds and hugs her back.

As we pull away from the hug, Gen’s face softens. “Breyla, now that the ball is over, we need to decide what to do for Julian.”

“I can’t lay him to rest knowing his body is still out there, but not knowing what happened to him...Don’t ask that of me.”

I pull her into my side, wrapping my arm around her waist as she leans her head on my shoulder.

“We won’t ask that of you, little demon. We will get you answers,” I promise, not sure it’s one I can keep.

Genevieve runs her hand up and down Breyla’s arm in a soothing motion. “I think we can manage here without you for a few days. Why don’t you follow his trail and see if you can find anything? Aurelius can accompany you.”

Breyla nods at her mother before adding, “Do you think you can spare me for a few more? I think I’d like to visit Father’s parents. They’re on the way Julian would have taken, so it shouldn’t add much time to the journey.”

Gen smiles brightly at her request. “I think we can handle that. It’s about time you saw them; I know they’ll be ecstatic to see you both. Though, maybe don’t mention the nature of your relationship to them. That might be too much for them to handle right now.”

“That’s fair. That’s not a conversation I want to have with them,” she says, chuckling lightly.

“Not sure they’d really be surprised by anything after raising me.”

Breyla shoves her elbow into my ribs and sighs. “That’s not helpful. We are not telling them anything.”

“For now,” I say, but keep to myself that I don’t think I can keep my hands off her for long. I understand why we can’t tell anyone, but now that I’ve had her, I don’t think I can return to life without her. Consider me addicted.

Breyla ignores my comment and continues, “We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. Just Aurelius and I; I don’t want anyone else knowing what we’re up to.”

“If anyone asks, I’ll just say Aurelius is making an extended visit home and you wanted to see your grandparents.”

“Perfect, it’s settled then.”

And with that, we part to prepare for the journey.