Chapter 53: Chapter 53

KILLIAN

“Here it is,” Lenore said, holding out an envelope, and I turned it over after taking it from her.

This was my first time seeing it, and though the magic radiating from it wasn’t that strong, my powers weren’t unbounded. I could try by attacking the magic tied to the invitation, but I didn’t want to risk damaging it—I wasn’t exactly interested in going to get another representative’s invitation. There was also the fact that my father might have taken that into account and there’d be some nasty backlash waiting for me if I tried it.

When I shifted my gaze back to Lenore’s, she raised her brow, waiting for me to tell her what I wanted it for. We were currently in her closet, and despite the sheer size of the space, it felt like the only air left inside was the breath leaving her lungs.

I dropped the envelope on the dresser island next to us, my arm brushing her chest as I reached past. She drew in a breath at the contact and the corner of my mouth turned up.

“I might have found a way to break the spell on it,” I said and the flustered expression on her face was instantly replaced by surprise.

“Really?”

I nodded and the smile that broke on her face mattered more than whatever the witch would name as her price. She then wrapped her arms around my neck and my hands instinctively went around her waist while she pulled me down to her lips. The kiss was a short one, but gods…

“Thank you,” she said, and I tilted my head, sneaking my hand under her shirt to draw circles on her back. “I know. You said might. But still… thank you.”

“I already told you, Lenore. I’d do anything you want.”

Her smile widened a fraction and our lips found each other again. My fingers pressed firmer into the smooth skin of her back as I slid my tongue against hers, and a soft hum escaped her, her fingers gripping my hair to pull me even closer.

“Have dinner with me tonight,” I said the moment we broke the kiss, and a short, breathless laugh escaped her.

“Are you asking me on a date?”

“Yes,” I answered, and her eyes practically twinkled. “I want to know more about you.”

“I’m afraid there’s not much to know.”

“Then I want to know all there is,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to the edge of her mouth. “What do you say?”

She didn’t hesitate to bob her head but then, the next moment, she drew her brows together. “Um, how long is Calley going to be my bodyguard for?”

“Why? What’s wrong?’ I didn’t actually have an end date for when Calley would stop protecting her when I first requested her presence. And now that my father knew I cared about Lenore…

“Nothing. I just…” She heaved a sigh, letting me move her so her back was to the dresser island. “Watching me all day has to be boring.”

I gave her a small frown. “Who could get bored of watching you all day?”

“Everyone except you,” she said with a snort before someone knocked on the door.

Oh, for fuck’s sake!

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything!” Aurel called out, and I ground my jaw.

I was going to maim him. I didn’t care that he hadn’t really interrupted anything, someone had to pay for the interruptions I’d suffered while with Lenore, and he was the lucky winner.

“Who’s that?” Lenore asked, her brows furrowing again.

“The court jester. Ignore him. You were—”

Aurel knocked again, harder this time, and I glanced around the closet, looking for what to fashion a stake from. That chair’s leg looks nice enough.

“Could Your Most Royal Highness grace us with his presence?!” Aurel announced, and I clicked my tongue while Lenore blinked at me. Then realization dawned on her.

“Oh. That’s the man from yesterday.”

“Give me a moment. I’ll go see what he wants.”

“Okay.”

I reluctantly let go of her and marched out of the closet, making sure to close the door behind me. There was a curved dagger in the nightstand by the bed and I also made sure to grab it, unsheathing the blade before I got to the bedroom door while he knocked again. The moment I opened the door, ready to bring the dagger down on him, he jerked away from the door while a hand caught my wrist.

“I told you he was going to come out like that,” Aurel said, his voice tinged with laughter, while my gaze shifted to the person holding my wrist.

“Uncle…” I muttered as he raised his brows at me.

This was quite the surprise. My uncle had moved out of the city a couple of years after the werewolf royal family fell—after he and my father fell out hard—and though he came to the city once in a while, he hadn’t stepped foot in the palace.

He glanced at the dagger—he was the one who gave it to me—then back at me, raising his brows even more.

“I—It’s not like he was going to die,” I said, dropping my hand when he let go of it. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to the city to speak with Thorian—” That was Fabien’s father “—And he told me about the vault. Why didn’t you call me?

Oh.

“And what’s this I hear about you meeting with a witch,” he added, and my brows snapped together.

I’m going to kill Celeste. “News travels fast.”

“Aurel was just worried.”

I tipped my head to the side, my gaze drifting to Aurel over his shoulder. Aurel shrugged.

…I’m actually going to kill him.

“I suggest you speak with your mother before setting up that meeting,” my uncle added, and I pressed my lips together.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to—I’d just really hate not seeing her if I decided to go find her. But then he gave me a long stare—the same one my mother always gave me whenever she wanted me to do something that would be good for me and I was being stubborn.

“I’ll try to,” I mumbled and he nodded before turning to leave. “Are you leaving the city now?”

He paused. “Yes…?”

“I need to talk to you.”

He’d been close with my mother before she… Even if I got to see her, she might not want to tell me what she gave the gods in exchange for me getting a mate, but he might know. If he didn’t, I could also ask him for help with the witch that robbed me.

“I suppose I could stay a bit longer,” he replied, tilting his head while Aurora stepped out of the study. “I’ll be in the Oxborn estate though. And I’ll be leaving before midnight.”

I nodded and he headed for the suite’s door. After he shut the door behind him, I shifted my attention to Aurel and he held his hands up.

But before I could kill him or something, Lenore’s closet door opened, and an immediate glance over revealed her peeking out of it.

“Are you going to introduce us to her or what?” Aurora asked just as Lenore raised her brows. She wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough for Lenore to hear because the next moment, she was walking over.

I blew out a harsh breath before shooting them a look. Introducing them to her wasn’t a bad idea—it would happen at some point—but I was just feeling… selfish.

When Lenore stopped next to me, she pressed her lips together and gave them a shy wave while I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her even closer

“Lenore, Aurora. Aurora, Lenore.”

When seconds passed without me saying anything else, Aurora raised a brow. “...Wow,” she muttered, then stepped forward to shake Lenore’s hand. “Hi. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Aurora Achard, and a friend of Killian’s.”

“Uh, it’s nice to meet you too. I’m Lenore… McGuire.”

“Yeah, Killian told us quite a lot about you,” she said, and I gave her a blank stare.

“He did?” Lenore glanced at me, smiling, before shifting her gaze to Aurel who was still standing in the corner where the hallway ended.

“That’s Aurel,” I said, “but you don’t need to know him. You won’t see him again after today.”

He frowned. “I do hope we get to see each other another day,” he told Lenore, and I smiled.

“Hope is a wonderful thing.”

“Why are you…” Lenore trailed off and I followed her line of sight to the dagger in my other hand.

“Ah.” I forgot I was still holding it. “It’s nothing. And these two are leaving.” I fixed Aurel and Aurora a look. “Right?”

“Right,” Aurel added while Aurora rolled her eyes.

“See you later, Lenore,” Aurora said before following Aurel who was already headed for the door.