asks.
“Solomon asked me to train with the regulars.”
“What do you mean? Does he have a problem with my curriculum?”
“Not that I know of.” Saxon shrugs.
“I don’t understand. You woke from hibernation years ago. Didn’t you already complete your rehabilitation or … wait. Is Lucca awake?”
No. He can’t be. I just added Elena’s spell to my mother’s stuff. She couldn’t possibly have found it and had the chance to perform it.
“No. Lucca is not awake yet. Come on, dude. Stop asking me questions. I’m back. That’s all you need to know.”
Hanson grumbles. My stomach spirals.
My worst fear has come to pass. Saxon is here, and I’m woman enough to admit the temptation will be hard to resist.
He finally comes over, and before he has even crossed the distance, my body begins to shake violently. I feel physically ill, like I have a fever. I press my palm against my forehead. Shit. I’m burning up.
“Are you okay?” He’s now in front of me. Too close.
I shake my head. “I can’t be here. I don’t feel well.”
To my dismay, he touches my cheek with the back of his hand. Swiftly, the shock comes—much more potent this time. I cry out, and that’s the last thing I remember doing before I pass out.
12
Saxon
I’ve been pacing in Aurora’s living room for the past half hour. She passed out during Hanson’s class after I touched her, so naturally I whisked her into my arms and bolted to Solomon’s office. She regained consciousness there, but I refrained from touching her again.
The potion King Raphael gave me worked. I could sense the mating bond, but it was weaker, it didn’t take over my senses completely. It’s obvious that the magic binding us is beginning to affect Aurora too.
Finally, Solomon walks out of her room, looking extremely displeased. I lied to him and said the king had forbidden me or anyone to tell Aurora we’re mates. It was a stupid move and I’m sure the headmaster didn’t believe me.
“I gave her something for the fever.” He answers the question that’s shining in my eyes. “Now you’re going to explain to me why she can’t know, and don’t try to sell me that crap about the king again.”
My shoulders sag forward as a resigned exhale leaves my body. “Look, Aurora doesn’t want to get married to the asshat the council chose for her. What if she sees the bond as the perfect excuse to break off the engagement?”
Squinting, Solomon rubs his chin as he seems to ponder my reply. “I hadn’t thought about that. If she calls off the engagement because of you, King Raphael will surely lose the support of the witches and mages. We can’t allow that to happen.”
Wow, Solomon is agreeing with me. I never thought I’d see the day. Too bad everything that I said is a load of crap. Sure, I don’t want to screw things up for the king, but I’m having a terrible time letting go of Aurora even under the influence of the potion. I want to touch her and protect her. The idea I can’t keep her from marrying someone she hates is crushing me.
“I know,” I say.
“And with your blemished past, some people might even think you did it on purpose. Like father, like son.”
Fuck. He had to go there. I’ve always suspected Solomon didn’t like me, and it seems I’ve been right all along. Why else would he pour salt into the wound that never healed?
“I’m not my father,” I grit out. “I’d never betray my king.”
“That remains to be seen,” he says in an offhanded manner.
“What’s that supposed to mean? What are you insinuating?”
“Perhaps not on purpose,” he counters, not one bit affected by my aggressive stance. “What kind of potion did you say you took to help with your primal mating urges?”
“Something against a siren’s spell.”
“Hmm. Not good. Not good. I’ll have to think of a better alternative. In the meantime, stay away from Aurora. And definitely no touching of any kind.”
“What am I supposed to do if she comes after me?”
He gives me a droll stare. “You’re a second-generation Blueblood, you’ve survived several bloody wars, don’t tell me you can’t evade a twenty-one-year-old witch.”
Irritated, I cross my arms while glowering at the small male. “I can evade her.”
He shakes his head. “I’m sure your head could. Your dick? That’s another matter.”
Aurora
I don’t know what kind of malady hit me, but I must have spent days in bed recovering from the sudden cold. My body is achy