Dorian exhales, finally letting go of his anger then looks to Aurora. “What did you find?”
She shrugs before shaking her head. “Nothing. He’s deliberately hiding from us. Leaving no trace, not even a scent.”
“Do you think you could reverse whatever he did to her?” I ask, looking to a stone-faced Dorian.
“It depends. Petrifications are very specific. They are…personal. I don’t know what kind of magic was used. But I will try. For you, I will try.” He gently strokes my cheek, his way of apologizing for his foul temper and I see a flash of pain in his eyes. Tammy was petrified, just like him. Just the mere mention of his twenty year punishment hurts him.
“Dorian,” Aurora mutters. “If you asked the king, maybe he could help. At least tell us what to do?”
“No!” Dorian growls, his eyes suddenly ablaze with hatred. “We will not involve him, do you understand? You will not go to him.” Aurora drops her head in shame and nods. Again, I feel bad for her. “I will go now to see what I can find. Aurora, do not let them out of your sight. Not even for a second. Do you think you can manage that task?”
Aurora lifts her head long enough to mutter, “Yes, Dorian.”
Before I can protest her harsh treatment or inquire what Dorian plans to do, he is gone, only leaving a dense wisp of grey smoke behind, which also quickly dissipates. I look at Aurora with compassionate eyes, unsure of what to say to console her. It is apparent that Dorian has broken her.
“Come on, we better get back to the boys,” I murmur.
I lead Aurora back to the waiting room where both Jared and James are speaking to police officers. We pick a quiet corner to sit, neither one of us wanting to address the tension in the room or the sensual exchange the night before.
“He’s right,” she finally whispers. “I should have done better. I should have watched all of them.”
“Aurora, there’s no way you could have known someone would go after Tammy. I know I didn’t.”
Aurora shakes her head. “He’s so protective. So loyal.” She isn’t talking about Jared. “It was easy for me to fall for him. He just had this pull. I just always wanted to impress him, make him proud of me.”
I nod, understanding what Aurora is trying to say. “You still love him.”
“Yes. I do. I always will. We die for love, you know. But he never did for me what he did for you. We are bonded, yes. But he never made the link. He never linked his life to mine. He never trusted me like he trusts you.” She is so full of anguish, it’s hard not to sympathize with her, even if she is talking about my Dorian.
“I never asked him to do that. I never wanted it. It scares me to think I have so much power over his life.”
Aurora looks at me, her blue eyes searching mine. “Does it scare you that he has power over yours?”
I take a moment to process her question. Am I afraid that Dorian has control over whether I live or die? Honestly, the only thing that scares me is losing him. If he were to stop loving me, I’d be nothing but an empty shell anyway.
“No. I trust him completely. He could have killed me a thousand times already. But he’s only shown me kindness and generosity. And love. If he deceived me, I’d want to die anyway.”
Aurora nods, and I know that it’s a possibility that she could feel the same way too. Now I can begin to understand her. Maybe even forgive her one day. I know she probably made more of a production of their power exchange than absolutely necessary to get under my skin, but she couldn’t help it. She loves Dorian. It was her only chance to be close to him. Had I’d been in her shoes, I probably would have done the same thing.
“I’ll have to come back,” Dorian’s silky voice breaks us from our individual ponderings. Our heads both whip around behind us. How long has he been standing there? Long enough to hear our unexpected heart to heart?
“Didn’t you find anything?” I ask. I stand to my feet and quickly close the distance between us. I can understand Aurora, but that doesn’t mean I trust her.
Dorian rubs the small of my back, sending tingles up my spine. “Too risky right now. I’ll try again tonight.” He turns to Aurora, hostility in his glare. “Stay with the boy and his family. I mean it.” Aurora quickly nods before bringing her attention to Jared as he approaches.
“Hey, the cops need to talk to you, Aurora.”
Reluctantly, I release my hold on Dorian to give my friend a hug. “I’m so sorry, Jared. We’re gonna come back later. I need to get home and check in. Keep me posted, ok.”
Jared nods. “Good idea. Thanks for coming, guys.” Then he turns to usher Aurora towards the police officers.