Chapter 85: You Like Aurelia, Don’t You?

Vlad didn’t like the way they were looking at him.

Their curious gazes made him itchy, scratching over his fake composure to unearth the layer of falsehood beneath.

“What?” he asked, glancing around at them.

“You said her story would make the sirens cry,” Ethan reminded him.

“Yes? You don’t think so? Everything that’s happened to her since she got here. That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Ohh,” Zen said. “I almost thought you knew more about Aurelia than we did.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Vlad muttered, turning away.

Aurelia swallowed hard, keeping her gaze focused on the map in Xavier’s hands. If she dared to look at Vlad at that moment, the truth would probably be written on her face for all of them to see.

Drat. Maybe Vlad had been right to erase her memories of their nights together. She was having such a difficult time pretending to be unaffected by him.

“Okay, moving on.” Xavier sped through the rest of the briefing. “This is a painting of the Sunshard. It’s a fragment of sunlight trapped in crystal form. It literally brings daylight into the darkest places, but will burn a hole through anything that holds it for too long. This sculpted item here.” He picked up a grey, clay-sculpted object. “Is the heart of Yserin. Well, a sculpture of it. In reality, it’s red and blue, and pulses with life and warmth. It’s the heart of a fallen dragon god and is located at the deepest end of a cave to the north of the ice regions.”

“Should be easy enough to get,” Aurelia cluelessly commented.

Ethan scoffed. “It’s guarded by a bloodthirsty dragon the size of X’s ego. Try getting past that.”

“What?!” Her eyes were wide. “A dragon? A real dragon?”

“The size of Xavier’s ego!” Ethan repeated, imitating her girly shock.

“Fuck you,” X murmured flatly.

“No worries,” Vlad said. He slapped a hand onto Fayed’s back. “I remember you saying the girls think Fayed is big and strong enough to take down a dragon. He’ll handle it.”

The guys chuckled, getting rowdier with cheers and more sounds that made Fayed want to break a table.

He was stunned by Vlad’s suggestion and sighed at their jeers. “I can’t.”

“Of course, you can,” Vlad said. “Don’t let the girls down.”

“Don’t let the girls down!” Ethan repeated in a girly voice. “Go, Fayed, you can do it!”

“Fayed, the dragon eater!” cheered Zen.

Wincing, Aurelia sympathetically watched Fayed patiently absorb his brothers’ childish antics.

Vlad, who started the mess, stood aside, studying the ceiling with interest.

Aurelia sighed at him, and he looked at her. “What?”

She would’ve responded, but suddenly felt Xavier watching them. If there was one thing she’d learned, it was that Vlad didn’t like people to witness them interacting. So, she ignored him and looked at X.

Vlad’s jaw nearly dropped open as he stared at her.

Had she… just ignored him?

His ego, sizzling hotly, practically burst into flames, crashing and burning within him.

“Xavier, do you think Fayed could do it?” Aurelia asked.

Fayed looked at her. “No! I wouldn’t—” Groaning with annoyance, he shoved Zen away and grabbed Ethan’s wrist before he could pinch his cheek.

“He wouldn’t be able to,” Syre said for him, seeing as Fayed was too busy wrestling the two nuisances. “The dragon senses any living presence. Nobody’s ever made it past the entrance of the cave.”

“So, we definitely can’t do it,” Ethan said, limping back to them after the foolish decision of provoking Fayed and nearly getting his bones broken.

“Wait!” Zen yelled in the back, darting away from Fayed, who was aiming a punch. “I admit defeat!”

Huffing, Fayed stomped away and marched out the doors.

“And he’s gone,” X said as the door closed behind Fayed. “You two annoying brats got on his nerves.”

“Brats?” Zen said. “That’s the way you speak to your older brother?”

“Oh, go and meditate somewhere,” Xavier said, carefully replacing the heart on the table.

“I actually should,” Zen weakly said, pressing his fingers against his temple. “I’ve been rather restless lately.” He suddenly shot Aurelia a seductive look. “It might be because of you, Aurelia.”

She blinked, but Zen wasn’t even looking at her anymore. He was closely studying Xavier and then jumped up.

“Aha! I saw that. I saw you glaring at me when I flirted with her.”

Everyone looked at X, and his brows rose. “Wh-what? Me?!”

“I knew it, I knew you were acting strange!” Zen said, smirking. “From the day we went to visit her when she was recovering weakly in her little bed, you were there, acting like a concerned husband—”

“You’re full of shit,” X spat.

“I might be!” Zen declared. “But I know you, X. Admit it. You like Aurelia, don’t you?”

“Cut it out, she’s right here!”

Zen huffed. “Fine.” He pressed both hands to Aurelia’s ears, and she blinked, her hearing taken away by the makeshift earmuffs.

“You like Aurelia, don’t you?”

Xavier swallowed hard, squirming under his brothers’ intense gazes.

Syre, for one, looked like he would pass out. “No, he… doesn’t…” he weakly denied.

“She’s nothing but a servant,” X said.

“That’s not what I asked you,” Zen said, having fun. “Do you like her or not?”

Aurelia watched everyone’s mouth move with muted words she couldn’t understand.

Clenching his jaw, Xavier straightened his back, shrugging. “I might. And that doesn’t have balls to do with you lot!”

“I knew it!” Zen yelled, whipping his hands away from Aurelia and jabbing a finger toward X. “Excuse you, she’s nineteen!”

Xavier tilted his head, looking at her. “You’re nineteen? Oh, you sweet darling, no wonder you look so delicate and innocent. Don’t worry. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”

“Oh!” Aurelia blurted, eyes wide. “I don’t follow...”

“That’s for the best,” said Zen.

“He’s insane!” laughed Ethan. “I knew you wouldn’t let her go after she resisted you!”

“It’s not about that!” Xavier denied, reaching over to take Aurelia’s wrist and tug her to his side.

A pair of green eyes dropped to the point where X’s hand held Aurelia’s wrist and stared.

Vlad… had never stared so hard in his life.

It felt like his eyeballs would shatter at any moment now.

Xavier smirked. “I’ve actually decided to grant her the honor of experiencing the joy of belonging to me—”

He broke off, noticing that the room had gotten much colder. He instantly knew where to look.

The floor around Vlad’s shoes was frosty, going grey with ice.

Zen raised a brow, amused by the unexpected reaction.

But Syre hadn’t noticed and just wanted to change the topic. “How do we get the Blood Crystal of Nox?”

“The… King of Geminor,” Xavier murmured, frowning at the frost on the floor. “He could help us.”

“So, one of us needs to go to Geminor?” Ethan groaned. “Not me. Who’s going?”

Syre started to raise his hand.

“I’ll go.” Vlad’s voice cut through the air before anyone else could.

X frowned at him. “You?”

Vlad, slowly dragging his gaze up from their joined arms, glared at him. “What? Is there a problem?”