Savage Beauty(45)

She would be bound to Aura forever. Miserable.

I couldn’t let that happen.

She had to stay focused.

At first, I thought she was being overdramatic about seeking revenge for my brother. Personally, I thought he deserved the punishment he got—maybe not the nature of his death, but he angered two half-fae witches. What did he expect?

But I didn’t play the twins against each other. I didn’t do anything more than go looking for my missing brother. And I couldn’t even remember how I even knew he’d ended up in Virosa. My memories were a jumbled mess thanks to Aura, but in the end, I was innocent in all this and Aura poisoned me anyway.

I wasn’t her first victim, nor would I be her last.

When I saw the vision in the sleep walk of all the people she’d killed, when Luna led them from their graves, I was sickened.

So, I would do as I said. I’d enjoy one night with her and then I’d leave.

I had to. I had to protect her.

It was selfish of me to even want tonight, but if I was dying, I wanted to live a few extra moments with her. Even if only for a few short hours, until the sun rose and she slept.

My sleeping beauty.



Luna returned with a chicken, carrying it by its feet. She’d wrung its neck, and the head flopped to and fro with each of her steps.

Ember meowed, clawing at the dead bird. “Don’t you dare, or I’ll boil and pluck you next,” Luna warned.

Ember sat, pouting as Luna slung the chicken onto the cutting board. “Be back with some water.”

She was trying to act as if nothing was bothering her, but I could see the creases around her mouth, the tension in her shoulders.

I felt it, too.



LUNA

A few hours later, we were eating chicken and a mixture of cooked vegetables, staring awkwardly at each other across the candlelit table. “What was your childhood like?” I finally asked him.

He finished chewing and wiped his mouth. “Typical, I suppose. William and I were always in trouble when we were kids. As princes, we could get away with more than most children could. As we got older, the competition between us got more intense. I loved my brother, but he had his faults. Not that I didn’t.” He took a drink of water. “I’m still angry with him for going to Virosa without telling me. Not that it does any good to be angry.”

“I wish I could reverse time,” I mused.

“You should work on that power,” he smirked.

How could he possibly joke at a time like this? Death was looming over him, his scythe sharpened and ready.

“What about yours? What was your childhood like?” he asked.

“Awful at times. Magnificent at others. We didn’t have a parent to guide us into our powers, so I set quite a few things on fire when my temper got the best of me. But people knew I’d set it. Most people at the palace avoided me if they could. They were scared of the fire I held. Not that I blamed them. I didn’t know what I was doing, and had no control when my magic began to manifest.”

“They should’ve been scared of Aura.”

“At the time, their fear of me was well placed. My power over fire and wind were difficult to hide. For a long time, people didn’t fear Aura because she only manipulated water and earth. She couldn’t burn them to death. But things have changed. People must know what she’s capable of now. That midwife the other night knew about her garden and the toxin contained in the roses.”

“Did you ever try to stop her?”

I blew out a breath, contemplating his question. “You must understand, Phillip, that for a long time, she hid her deeds well. She always loved roses. Probably because our mother did. When we were small, the woman who raised us took us outside and told us about our mother’s garden. She told us Mother spent more time outside than in, when she could afford the luxury. I merely thought Aura had inherited her joy of gardening from her.”

My expression darkened as I remembered the moment I first realized how sinister her gardening hobby really was. “It wasn’t until William died that I saw what she was doing. That day, I looked at all the bushes, arranged in perfect rows, pristine and thriving, and I knew she’d killed more than just him.”

I paused to think about my answer to his original question. In all honesty, I was a coward when I realized the truth, and decided to flee instead of fight. Putting distance between myself and her was the only thing I could think of after William was torn apart. “No, I didn’t try to stop her, Phillip. I should have; but instead, I left the people of Virosa to suffer at her hands.” I chose self-preservation, and in doing so, was no better than my sister.

“We want to see the best in the ones we love,” he said quietly.

“I guess we do, but I never imagined that she could be capable of so much horror. She was the beautiful one; the one who was always happy, who could sing like a songbird and dressed in bright, lovely colors. She was the one everyone would stop and smile at as she passed. Their eyes didn’t dart away from her. I guess when the outside appearance doesn’t match what’s inside, it’s difficult for people to imagine someone can be capable of evil.”

“She and William weren’t so different, after all,” Phillip added. “He was the golden son. Nothing he did was wrong, even if it was. And I was just a shadow, heir to nothing, until the fateful day he failed to come home. Only then did people take notice of me. Unfortunately, I had hardened myself against their games by then, much to their chagrin,” he said ruefully. After a moment of contemplative silence, he asked, “If the spell works, do you plan on killing her?” His deep brown eyes clashed with mine.