Kirin brought no company with him. She expected to see half the inn's wizards when she stepped out, but he came alone instead and, to make matters worse, wore the King's uniform.
Once the shock had passed, and she was honest with herself, her mind changed quite drastically about the situation.
Something good came out of this mess, after all, she thought. Kirin couldn't possibly go back to the castle after being seen by so many people. It made getting caught the best thing that could have happened to her all evening. She caught herself smiling and straightened her lips.
Maybe his fiancé wouldn't want to be with him anymore ifâ she stopped the thought. Kirin deserved to be happy, and if that girl were what made him happy, well then, Aurelie would try her very hardest to be content with that and let them be. The thought itself made her a little ill. Could she wish that upon him?
It was dark outside, with only the faint light of the moon to barely allow her to see his silhouette. It moved at a pace not too far off of running. She said very little and made her steps quiet as she could. Leila walked halfway between her and Kirin, still swaying a little from the drink. On the other hand, Aurelie had sobered right up as soon as she saw Kirin standing in that doorway.
"Was that your first kiss?" Leila asked.
Kirin's head angled.
"Whose?" Aurelie asked.
"Yours, silly. Will the sailor."
"Was he a sailor?" As the words came out, she realized what she had carelessly admitted to.
"You kissed him?" Kirin spun around.
"What?" Aurelie felt her throat tighten. "No.".
"And what if she did?" Leila asked, putting on a smug little smile. Aurelie couldn't understand why she was doing this.
"Leila! Stop."
"Stop what? Talking about you smooching Johnicus, the sailor?" She giggled and stumbled onward, knees shaking and arms flailing for balance. "Why would I do that? I'm jealous you got to do it. We're all just waiting to die, you know? And you got to have some fun with a handsome stranger."
Kirin stormed ahead, unable or unwilling to listen to more. She was both angry at him for reacting the way he did and horrified that she upset him. Before she could rush ahead, Leila continued.
"It's okay to have a life outside of being a dragon, Aurelie. We're all going to die at one point or another. What the point of sitting in that place and waiting for disaster? If you're fated to drown, you won't choke."
"Leila!" Aurelie's eye blazed. "What are you talking about? I didn't kiss him. You know I didn't. What is wrong with you?"
"You think he's going to be half mindful of you if you sit around all day hoping that he falls in love with you?"
Aurelie rolled her eyes. "Is that what you're trying to do?" She couldn't hear Kirin anymore. He either stopped to listen or stomped out of hearing distance.
"I'm trying to grow your spine back."
Aurelie's eyesâwhich had calmed by this pointâignited again. "You?" She giggled darkly and cocked her head at Leila. "You who lied to me for years and who left me captured by a giant tree? Is that the person who's making claims about my so-called lack of spine? You, my best friend, followed me from a distance for days." Aurelie shook her head, thinking that she had said too much. As much as she wanted to regret it, she didn't. "Besides, what does outright lying have to do with me having a spine? Is that how you measure it these days? What have you lied about to me, Leila?"
"I didn'tâ"
"Didn't what?" It was all coming out now. Aurelie remembered every single thing in the world that she had been mad about. She also remembered the tiger that she had seen outside of her aunt and uncle's cabin in the Dream Realm. Someone had sent her a message. The realm wanted her to know that there was something wrong with Leila.
"Will you let me finish?" Leila's voice reached a higher pitch. Of all the things Leila Holver hated, being interrupted was at the top of the list. They used to get into hair pulling and biting rows over it when they were younger. Aurelie loved to push her limits, and Leila had many limits.
"You've been back for weeks," Aurelie's eyebrow lurched up, "is that not enough time to have had your say?"
"You're making me angry."
"Oh, and we wouldn't want that, would we?"
"What's your problem?"
"I don't know," Aurelie took a step closer, "that depends on what you're hiding."
"I'm not hidingâ"
"Stop lying!" Aurelie shouted.
"Stop screaming."
"Ha!" Aurelie shot her hand out and pointed her finger at Leila. The very tip of her nail grazed Leila's chin. "You're not even denyingâ"
Leila struck Aurelie's cheek. For a moment, the shock of the blow was all that Aurelie felt, and then the entire side of her face felt wet. The sting of her wounds came later. Aurelie rubbed her hand along the wetness and looked down. The blood looked black under the dim light of the moon.
"Aurelie, I'm so, so sorry. Are you alright?"
Aurelie said nothing and reached back to touch her wound. Three deep cuts traced her cheeks. Leila had her claws out when she hit her.
"Blood for blood," Aurelie said and ignited her hand.
Leila stiffened and took a step backwards. "Aurelie, I didn't mean to."
Aurelie lurched forward. Aurelie caught Leila around the waist with her legs and squeezed to keep herself up. Seconds later, she heard the flick of Leila's hair burning between her touch. Unlike when they were children, Aurelie could no longer get a proper grip.
She swung back and hit Leila's face, unsure of where the blow landed.
Leila moaned, struggling to tear Aurelie off herself, then upon failure, joined the fight, and Aurelie felt her own hair being pulled backwards, making her eyes looked permanently shocked.
"That's the last time you lie to me!" Aurelie shouted and bit into the closest thing to her mouth that she could find.
"Or what?"
Her stomach hollow as Leila dropped over forward, taking Aurelieâwho still clung on and clawed whatever she could reachâwith her. They hit the ground with a thump. Aurelie huffed, her wind knocked out of her by Leila's weight.
"I'll kill you!" Aurelie shouted, grabbing for another lock of blond hair. It broke off at her fiery touch. Leila, for the first time, noticed and screamed. Pieces of ashen hair drifted down into Aurelie's eyes and made them blink and water.
"Is that so?" Leila retorted, pushing up the sleeves of her shirt.
Leila struck Aurelie's jaw, sending sparks flying around Aurelie. The last blow was so hard that it made her dizzy. Her own hand punched out, but Leila's face had split into three blurry shapes, and Aurelie missed. Another blow landed just under Aurelie's chin. The tip of Aurelie's tongue caught her teeth just before the blow. She split it open with her teeth and tasted blood.
Suddenly, the weight of Leila's body on her lifted.
"Let go!"
Aurelie looked up, waiting for her eyes to clear up. Kicking and screaming, Leila tried to break free from whoever it was that was holding her. Aurelie saw two dark lines around her waist that resembled hands, but they were much too dark to be those of any human. The same darkness formed a human shape behind her and remained perfectly still as Leila struggled to get free.
"Enough!" Kirin's stern voice came from the darkness. "What the hell are the two of you thinking?"
Aurelie set fire to her hand and searched for him.
"Let go of me!" Leila said slowly and firmly.
Shadow particles faded around her, glinting in different shades of blue and purple in the moonlight. She stormed off in the directions of the inn.
Aurelie let her head fall backwards and bit back tears. Her face felt hot and swollen, and dirt had gotten into her wounds during all the commotion, and now it stung so much more than before. The tears weren't exactly going to help either, so she swallowed and shut her eyes to keep them back, despite desperately wanting to cry.
"Are you alright?" Kirin asked, his voice sounding less irritated than before.
"No. I don't think I am, Kirin."
"I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" she asked.
He sat down beside her. "Aurelie," he said gently and waited for her to respond.
"Yeah?"
"Can you make some light so that I can see your face?"
A soft light emanated from her hand. She lifted it and brought it closer to her face.
Kirin stayed quiet for far too long afterwards. She turned to him and saw that he saw with his eyes closed and his jaw clenched tightly.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
He laughed. "I should be asking you that." Kirin turned on his side and bent over her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop her sooner."
Aurelie shook nodded. "It's okay," she said in the softest voice imaginable. Having him so close was doing strange things to her body. Her lips tingled, and her chest felt tight, among other things that all involved a certain amount of heat all over.
"No, it's not," he said and sighed.
His hot breath traced over her cheek and neck and sent goosebumps over her arms.
"I'll be there to protect you next time. Nothing will ever happen to you again, okay?"
"I didn't kiss him." It was off-topic and silly to bring up right then, but she wanted him to know. "I didn't kiss that Johnicus person. I also don't think he's a sailor."
Kirin smiled, and Aurelie's heart grew ten times its size.
"I don't know what he is," Aurelie continued, lowering her eyes to avoid his sharp and steady gaze. "I only just started dancing with himâ"
"Aurelie," he interrupted.
"Yes."
"You just saved his life."
She cocked her head, smiling slightly. "How so?"
"Cause if he had kissed you, I'd kill him."
She laughed and looked up into his soft blue eyes. "Is that so?"
"Yes," he said. She believed him.
"Are you going to kiss me, Kirin?"
He took a deep and heavy breath. Again it was hot against her neck, and her eyes closed at the pleasure of having him touch herâeven if just with his breath.
"Not just yet, but I will." He nodded as if confirming it to himself. "And when I do, I won't stop."
"Why not now?"
"You know why."
Aurelie looked away from him. The engagement, she thought bitterly. "It hurts being away from you, Kirin."
"I know. I feel it too."
"When will you do it?"
"Soon."
"And then?"
"And then I'm your . . . if you'll have me."
Aurelie's chest expanded with the fluttering wings of a thousand butterflies. "I'll have you," she smiled as she said and scooted just a little bit closer to him.
He began to slowly trace the sensitive and swollen skin around her scar with his fingertips. Aurelie closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his fingers on her skin.
The night air smelled crisp. It would be getting cold that evening. In fact, the air already had a chill to it. Aurelie turned slightly to Kirin and watched as he observed her wounds. She wanted nothing more than to crawl under his arm and to have the heat of his body warm her, but she had to wait until he was ready. And though she was ready to wait as long as it took, she knew that every single day of not being with him would hurt more than the last. She wanted him to know that but, at the same time, did not want to rush his decision or make his life harder than it already was.