Rule of the Aurora King (Artefacts of Ouranos, #2)

by Nisha J. Tuli

That’s when a shadow falls over me, and I look up to find the prince of eternal darkness glaring at Tharos like he’s about to reach into his chest and pull out his beating heart.

“She likes it when I chain her up.” He squeezes my thigh and winks at me. “Don’t you, sweetheart?” I glare at him, considering whether I’ll gouge out his eyes with a spoon or a knife.

That scent—the one that reminds me of cold winter breezes and the first dusts of snow—fills my nose. I breathe out an instinctive sigh. Why does it feel like a memory I can’t touch?

“Sorry about that,” Meora said with a sheepish smile. “Nadir’s a little grabby. Aren’t you, sweetheart?” She regarded the boy with such affection, Serce almost felt something twist in her chest. Or perhaps it was just indigestion.

“What if I said I wanted you to touch me?” I ask, not really sure what I want the answer to be. Except, I do know, I’m just too much of a coward to admit it. “Then I’d tell you to spread your legs,” he says, his voice working its way through every cell of my body.

“We should go back to the party.” “What about you?” I ask. “What about me?” “Don’t you want…” He smirks. “I very much do, but you wanted to take it slowly and I’m trying to earn your trust.” I cock my head. “By giving me orgasms?” He grins, and the smile transforms his face. I didn’t even know he was capable of such a boyish smile. “I figure it can’t hurt.”

“I think I’ll have him killed.” Nadir takes a casual sip of his drink, and I choke on mine. “Why?” “I don’t like the way he was looking at you. He was watching your ass as you walked away.” I blow out a breath, puffing a lock of hair out of my eyes. “Is this what you’re going to be like now?” “This is how I always was. I’m just not hiding it anymore.”

I lick my lips before I say, “You said you wouldn’t touch me unless I asked?” He nods, his eyes scanning me. “You let me hold your hand today,” he says. “That’s true. But you know I didn’t mean that kind of touch.” He smirks, the corner of his mouth tipping up to reveal a dimple in his cheek that practically shreds my heart. “Can I touch you?” I ask with a tilt of my head. “You can do whatever you fucking want to me.”

She glares at me, fierce defiance in her expression. This is when she’s her most radiant. When I’d gladly fall to my knees and destroy entire continents if she asked. Even if she didn’t.

Red. The color of home. Of the legacy that was taken. Of the rivers of blood that will run from the Aurora King when I finally get my revenge.

“Okay, prince of The Aurora. You aren’t the ally I expected to have and I’m still not entirely sure I trust you, but you’re all I’ve got.”

Blood-red roses trail from floor to ceiling, crawling up the stone walls. Here the blooms are bursting in a thick carpet of velvety red, and I see the shock on Nadir’s face before he turns to look at me, his gaze sweeping me from head to toe as if he’s seeing me for the first time. The air is sweet and fresh, and I inhale deeply, overcome with an emotion for which I have no name.