97

AURORA

“I’d rather stay at the hospital,” I say, sliding my hand along the kitchen counter as Orion and I walk slowly toward the garden.

“I know,” Orion says, his tone still as stiff as it was at the hospital. “But you need rest and Lucian wants you here where it’s safe. So here you will be.”

I want to roll my eyes and complain, but I know it’s the right call. Remaining at the hospital would be for purely selfish reasons and a desire to stay by Lucian’s side while he’s hurting. Surgery was a success, and the two bullets that struck Selene thankfully missed her vital organs, but it’s still touch and go.

Nothing will take Lucian from her side, so the rest of us have to make sure the world runs smoothly without him.

“Okay. I’ll stay here. But what about you?” Turning to Orion, I hook my finger around one of the buttons of his vest to stop him from stepping back. “Are you staying?”

“No, I have things to look into for Lucian.”

I pout and Orion catches my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Cassian will take care of you. He will keep you safe so go to him. Please.”

“Sending me to another man?” I tease weakly, trying to bring any sort of smile or warmth out of Orion. Sadly, it doesn’t work.

Instead, he leans forward and presses a chaste kiss on my forehead.

“You will be safe here, I promise.” With that reassurance, he steps back and I let my hand fall free of his vest. He vanishes from the kitchen, leaving me in a smothering silence broken rhythmically by the ticking clock.

How did things get so fucked? Thinking of Selene makes my chest constrict, so I shove my hands into my pockets and turn toward the garden. Only, something cold and plastic catches my attention.

Wait. The pregnancy test.

I completely forgot I’d shoved it into my pocket at the pharmacy. Two blue lines stare up at me from my palm, taunting me with news I can’t share. Might never be able to share. Something so good soured so quickly, all because some assholes decided gunning down a restaurant was a good way to spend the afternoon.

I toss the test into the trash and close the door, putting it out of my mind. Right now, my men need my focus.

White light surrounds me from the floodlights lining the pool as I head toward the conservatory. Sinking into Cassian’s arms sounds like heaven right now. The scent of chlorine tickles my nose, and above me, a blanket of stars stretches in all directions as far as the eye can see. It’s oddly surreal to be back here, to see things so normal when Selene is in the hospital.

“Cassian?” Knocking lightly on the conservatory door, I let myself inside.

“Aurora?” Cassian, previously lounging on the bed in only his boxers, rises as I enter. He places his book down on the nightstand and his gorgeous white-blonde hair spills like silk over one shoulder.

“Cassian.”

“What happened? They told me nothing and I’ve been so worried. Orion only told me that I need to keep you safe.”

He approaches with long steps, his skin golden from the low light of the lamps dotted around the room. I take a breath, and his warm floral scent floods my senses. The moment the backs of his gentle fingers brush my cheek, I crumble.

The dam breaks and all my carefully controlled emotions surge forward.

“Oh Cassian, it was so awful!” The tears I held at bay in the hospital pour forth like a tidal wave. I sob violently, gasping for air while tears leak down my cheeks and my hands tremble.

Without pause, Cassian scoops me up into his arms and carries me swiftly back to his bed. I wind my arms around his shoulders, bury my face into his warm neck, and sob. He settles back onto the bed, cradling me in his lap and the comfort unlocks a fresh wave of tears, along with a whole host of fresh pain.

“I have you,” Cassian says, his voice low and soft. “You are safe here with me. I have you.”

I cry for Selene, for the sight of her in Lucian’s arms. I cry for Lucian and the pain that ripped out of him. I cry about my pregnancy and the building guilt for even daring to think about something like that at a time like this. It’s selfish of me and that makes the guilt worse.

Cassian’s arms remain a protective cage around me. He kisses the top of my head, rocks me back and forth, and rubs my back while making soothing murmurs in his throat.

His gentle affection makes me cry harder as if I don’t deserve his kindness.

I sob until I have nothing left. No grief to give, no tears to shed. I’m numb and exhausted.

“We were having lunch,” I begin hoarsely. “And there was a drive-by. Selene got shot and the noise Lucian made, I—I can’t get it out of my head. Or the sight of her in his arms.”

“Oh my God,” Cassian breathes.

“She’s had surgery, but it’s touch and go. So many of his security team died too. So much death. Everyone is hurting and I can’t do anything to help them; it was so scary, but I feel guilty for thinking that because it could have been so much worse.”

“Hey.” Cassian brings one warm hand to my cheek and encourages me to look up at him. “Your feelings in this situation are valid. And it is not a competition. As I have been reminded, you are not of this world, and if you are scared and hurt, then it is okay to feel that. Here, you are safe.”

Staring into his gorgeous eyes, the guilt swells. I am from this world.

Is what happened today anything like what my mother witnessed as a child? Did a disaster like this set her on a lifetime hell-bent on revenge?

If so, I think I understand her more given Lucian’s reaction.

“I feel selfish hearing you say that,” I whisper up at him.

“It is not selfish to feel. In tragedy, everyone affected is entitled to their pain. You must feel yours, else it will nestle inside you and become poison.”

Maybe that’s more like my mother.

A needy urge for affection rises in my chest, so I tilt my chin up and tentatively kiss Cassian’s dry lips. It’s uncertain and cautious, unsure what I’m asking for or if I’m even allowed.

The kiss breaks and his blue-green eyes study my face, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake. Cassian leans down and kisses me properly, a gentle kiss that is the polar opposite of what Lucian gave me in the storeroom.

In one slow move, he shifts me underneath him and presses me into the fluffy pillows. We kiss, and his lips weave gently against mine, mirroring my own movement but from the opposite direction.

It’s sweet and slow and so full of affection that I’d cry if I had any tears left to shed. Every touch from Cassian is soft and slow; every caress makes me melt, and my chest aches with a mixture of love and desire.

He kisses my jaw softly, grazing his teeth down my neck like a whisper, and when he reaches the valley of my breasts, his lips trail over my breasts with such delicacy that I feel utterly precious. My skin sings to a different tune when Cassian removes my clothes.

The touch of his skin against mine while our bodies writhe together is electric. Everything is slow and sensual. Kisses are sweet, touches are lingering, our legs tangle together like we’re never going to be apart.

I close my eyes and grip onto the bed sheet then onto his shoulders and his ribs as he teases down below my navel and dips between my legs. When his skilled fingers spread my pussy lips and guide his cock closer, my breath catches in my throat. He breathes for me with a deep kiss, sharing the air in his lungs. His hair falls to one side, blocking out the rest of the world.

Opening my eyes, his crystal eyes glimmer like gems. He holds my gaze, unblinking, and presses his thick cock inside me so slowly it’s like we’re becoming one. Caressing his cheek, I stroke my thumb along his cheekbone and follow the line to his ear. His hair is like silk between my fingers and still we hold each other’s gaze.

He guides my legs around his waist and when I lock my ankles together at the small of his back, he presses flat against me.

We are one.

Cassian doesn’t break eye contact even for a second when he starts to move. Slow rolls of his hips press his cock deep into me, teasing over the hidden bundle of nerves on my G-spot. He keeps one arm around my waist, arching my back slightly and tilting my pelvis so that each drag of his cock is delicious.

I soak him up, taking in every little detail on his face as we rock together. The beautiful colors of his eyes, the way a tiny crease forms between his brow each time the pleasure is just that good. His full lips part slightly with each low moan. He’s a work of art and a beautiful distraction.

The sex is deeply passionate and the orgasm Cassian pulls out of me is one so powerfully strong that it overtakes my entire body. I come hard with every limb trembling and my core aching from muscle repeatedly rippling around his cock. Sweat coats my body in a sheen, gleaming just like Cassian’s, and my heart soars.

Exhaustion settles in not longer after and Cassian kisses me deeply. The movements of his lips are almost lazy. My legs fall to the side, tired out, and my body throbs with each thump of my heart.

“Rest now,” Cassian says, gently pulling his cock from my body and drawing the bedsheets over us. He takes me in his arms and aligns his body with mine, cuddling me with every inch while maintaining skin-on-skin contact. “I have you. Sleep.”

I want to argue but my mind is finally at peace and sleep comes almost immediately. Exhaustion drags me under like a weight and I fall deeply asleep, safe in the grounding arms of Cassian.

The protection doesn’t reach into my dreams though. I dream of a shadow stalking me through the mansion. I throw open the curtains and open all the windows, then turn on all the lights to flood the rooms with as much light as possible. It doesn’t work. The shadow moves in the walls, always just out of sight. The harder I try to block it out, the more it taunts me in the corner of my eye. I run from it, straight to the scene of the shoot-out where Lucian is on his knees screaming over the death of his daughter.

I run and the sun gives way to snow. Calling for help is useless as the snowstorm steals my words each time I open my mouth. I can’t find anyone. I’m alone with the deep, unsettled feeling that I chose to be here.

Trees crash down around me and I scream, making no noise until?—

Another crash and I jolt awake, drenched in sweat with my heart pounding. The room is a mess; chairs have been overturned, the door is flung open, and the wind sends the netting curtains spiraling through the air like ghosts. A choked-off gasp pulls my attention to the far side of the room, and fear grips me like the bitter cold of an early morning frost.

Lucian has Cassian up against the wall, pinning him there by his throat.

“You did this!” Lucian roars with fury. “You got my daughter nearly killed!”