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

by Nisha J. Tuli

Mael smirks. “Come now, Amya, you must have noticed our little prisoner is rather lovely to look at. Perhaps our boy is in love.”

“My magic feels strained around her,” I say. “Like it’s trying to come out of my skin. Like it wants to…touch her.”

“I know Nadir can come off as…abrasive,” Amya says. “But it’s just because he feels so much. It’s hard for him to be casual about anything.”

Mael snorts. “I’m not one for dancing around the truth, darling.” He winks and maybe he is a little bit charming if I squint and look at him the right way.

“You’ll be there as my female companion for the duration of the festival. We can search for it then.” I snort at that. “Absolutely not.” Nadir’s mouth stretches into a slow smile. “Afraid you’ll like it?”

Mael unfolds himself from his position at the fireplace. “If you two could stop flirting, maybe we can get on with it? You’ll argue and bicker in your fucked up little version of foreplay and then you’ll agree, Lor. This is the only way.”

There’s another pause and then the lightest stroke of fingers along my jawbone. “I don’t know what that bastard did to you, but I’m going to help you get your crown, Heart Queen, and I’m going to make him pay. For all of it.”

I want her like I want air and the magic that flows in my veins.

And it’s then I notice how silent the room has gone. Amya, Mael, and even the servant that delivered Lor here, are all staring at the two of us—Amya with a bright knowing look in her eyes and Mael with a smirk.

Then I’ll show her how it can be with someone who worships every inch of her body from their knees.

“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.”

No. I do not think it is. The prince wants something from you, but it is not your power. I inhale a deep breath, feeling a strange shift behind my heart. But…that way lies only heartbreak, Your Majesty. That way lies only ruin.

“You’re allowed to be scared. No one expects you to be strong all the time. I think maybe you believe you have to.” Those earnest words catch me off-guard, and I hesitate, studying him carefully. It’s like he can see straight through to the darkest parts of my soul.

Nadir is watching me as I talk. I’m not really saying these things to him, but I need the words to exist, even if no one else ever hears them.

His eyes flicker in the darkness, swirling with violet and green, and I don’t know what makes me do it, but I reach out and touch his hand. There is no hesitation before he moves his own and threads his fingers through mine before we drift off to sleep.

“It’s there, Lor. It’s trying to play with me.” There is amusement in his voice and a note of pride. I revel in it, feeling his magic twin with mine, their cadence thrumming together like a perfectly tuned symphony.