Page 26 of Aura Awakened
Anger. Guilt. Worry.
Nothing unexpected there. His partner disappeared and Fillian is blaming himself. Thinking that it wouldn’t have happened if he’d been there, if he hadn’t gone haring off on his own.
I grip his hand in my own, as tightly as I can, and push my thoughts toward him.It’s not your fault.
You don’t know that.
Okay, but you don’t know what happened yet, so stop blaming yourself. If you hadn’t left him, you wouldn’t have saved me. Wouldn’t have woken those other prisoners. Wouldn’t have provided vital information to your people.
He looks up at that, his face arranged in the stern expression he was wearing when we first met. As I watch, his features shift, turning tender. “I hate myself for leaving him, but I could never regret finding you. Never.”
Something inside me twists, then settles. I can’t explain it, if it’s the result of the extreme circumstances, the incredible sex, or fate itself. But I feel something for this man, something deep in my bones and in my heart. His pain hurts me and I can’t stand to see him like this.
I cup his cheek. “I know you’re worried, but you heard what Cynara said. They’re still gathering information. For all we know, Rampion met his own woman and is off having the time of his life.”
He snorts. “Ramp would never. I’ve never met anyone more duty-bound. Sure, he has his flings now and again, but there’s no room for romance in his life. Besides, if you’d ever seen a Gothelian woman, you’d get it.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m sure they’re beautiful. And speaking of, look at this planet.” I gesture toward the transport’s window at the landscape rushing by. The photos he showed me hadn’t exaggerated. If anything, they hadn’t done the planet justice.
“I have a garden at my house,” he says. “Nothing like the royal ones at the palace; those are spectacular. But I don’t live there full time. It’s too stuffy.”
“I would love to see your garden,” I tell him.
He shoots me a saucy grin. “Is that a euphemism?”
I laugh. “Maybe it is. Wait and see.”
Playful, sexy Fillian is so much better than grim, remorseful Fillian. I’ll do whatever I can to keep that smile on his face.
“We’re at my stop,” he says, just as the transport begins to slow. I follow him off, unsure what to expect. I know he’s a prince, but also that he doesn’t really have much to do with the palace or ruling. I guess I’m expecting him to live in some sort of grand manor fit for royalty, or maybe a bland bachelor pad.
What I do not expect is a magnificent, semi-two-story treehouse like something out of a fairy tale. The main floor of the house, including an impressive entry door, sits nestled on the ground between two huge, twining trees that resemble oaks. The sturdy branches support the upper half, a multilevel affair of cantilevered brilliance. Open-air stairs and rope ladders connect the spaces, hammocks wave to and fro, and twinkling lights—possibly flameflowers—are dotted throughout the branches, giving the whole thing a magical air. I half expect pixies to come fluttering out from behind the leaves.
“You live here?” I breathe, stunned by its beauty.
A glow of pride suffuses his face. “I do. I built this entire place. The garden is in the back.”
I stare at him. “Holy crap. You built this? Yourself? Like with your hands?”
He laughs. “I did. I mean, I had some help and some tools, of course. But yeah. I designed it and constructed it. Took me two years to complete between missions. Wanna go inside?”
He takes me by the elbow and leads me through the massive double door. It’s nearly medieval, made of wide planks with two ornate rings as doorknobs. He ushers me inside, and the first thing I notice is the aroma. It smells like twilight and moonbeams, like fresh grass and leaves with secrets. There’s his own evergreen-and-vetiver musk, with something like the scent of fresh breezes overlaying it.
There are no windows on the front of the structure, but the back is composed of nothing but glass, providing an endless view of the garden and forest beyond. Butterfly-like creatures flit among the wildflowers, and I spot at least two fountains gurgling amid the blossoms. In the forest, a little brook winds through the trees, sunlight sparkling on its surface before it disappears under the canopy.
The home brings new meaning to the idea of open concept: I can see two living areas, a dining nook, and a very small kitchen, which I guess is apt, since he barely eats. There’s one closed-off area that I assume leads to his bedroom and bathroom. Staircases on either side lead up to the higher level, twisting up into the leaves above. The majority of the bottom floor is protected by a glass ceiling, designed to let in as much light and scenery as possible. There are two small passages to accommodate the stairways, and nothing on the upper floor—or floors, I guess, given that it’s all disconnected and multileveled—is encased. It’s all fresh air and sunlight up there.
I thought I knew what I wanted when I told Phillipa Printz to let me know if a storybook home hit the market in Tenpenny, but those whimsical structures have nothing on this.Thisis my dream home.
“Fillian, this is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. It’s a wonder to me that you ever go anywhere else. If I could live in a place like this, I’d never leave.”
He laughs softly. “Aura, youcanlive in a place like this. My home is your home, always. Regardless of how you feel about it, I consider you my star-mate. I want to share my life and my home with you. That is, if you could see yourself being happy here. With me.”
I wander over to a cushy couch and sink into it. “Let me ask you something. If I did stay here, tried to make a life with you, on Acacia, what would I do? I can’t just live here like a kept woman. It’s gorgeous, but I’d get bored. I need to stay busy, contribute, make something of myself. Where would I work?”
He sits next to me. He looks almost hesitant, as if talking about a life here might scare me off, like a skittish animal.
“There are choices. Of course, there’s always the Coalition. You could join, help protect worlds—including your own, in a way—from the Malifects. It’s not all in space; that’s just what I do. You could work on the base. You could also consider politics and government, like my father, although you would need to spend a lot of time here to understand how those things work. You could become an artisan or work in the charity sector.”