Page 25 of Crucible
“Death.”
“Riiight,” she draws out slowly.
Ah, hell. I’ve freaked her out.
“He allowed you to escape him and find us,” I can’t help but say. “You must be very special.”
Reaching for her hair, she casually frees it from the ponytail at the top of her head before tucking the tie between her teeth. “That’s what they tell me,” she retorts around it dryly.
Her golden curls, which have seen better days, fall around her shoulders and down her back. She shakes them out and makes a face when she brings a strand to her nose and sniffs. Glowering her displeasure, she grumbles to herself before starting the process of tying her hair up again.
“So then, you’re here for me?”
“Uh-huh,” she absently answers when she’s finished gathering the huge mass of curls in her small fist and grabs the hair tie from her mouth with the other.
My heart races from excitement. If this girl is here, she must be a gift from him.
Thanatos hasn’t forsaken me after all. Death is coming for me.
“Who are you?” Thorin demands when she doesn’t say more.
I don’t think any of us expected her to answer so quickly and without a fight.
“Aurelia.” She waits expectantly as if anticipating some recognition or reaction. It’s quiet and awkward for several moments. When she doesn’t get the response she’s expecting, she repeats slowly, “Au-re-li-a.”
I think I hear an owl hooting in the distance.
“Are you suggesting we’ve met before?” Khalil inquires with a grimace.
It’s Aurelia’s turn to frown. “Surely, you’ve heard of me. ‘You, Me, and Heartbreak’? ‘Flowers in February’? ‘The Lovescape’?”
I swing my gaze to Khalil, hoping he knows and can clue me in, but he bucks his eyes at me, silently telling me he’s as lost as I am. Even Thorin has stopped scowling to stare at her like she has two heads.
“Are you…having a seizure?” Thorin questions.
“No.” Thoroughly put off and confused, Aurelia starts fussing with her appearance again as if that would somehow help us recognize her.
“You said you were here for him.” Khalil points at me instead of saying my name, and I know it’s intentional. He doesn’t want to confirm who we are until we know for sure that she’s one of Isaac’s. “Who sent you?”
“My uncle.”
“Aurelia…” Thorin sighs impatiently. “Stop fucking around and tell us who your uncle is. You’ve got five seconds.”
She looks amused, leaning back on her hands and tapping her feet together as she smirks at him. “Or what?”
I smile a little at her bratty response.
I have no idea if Aurelia is who she says, but one thing she can’t fake is that she is a c-u-n-t.
I like her even more because I know she’ll piss off Thorin and Khalil to no end.
Thorin leans forward to plant his hands on the foot of the bed while holding her gaze. “We show why you picked the wrong cabin, Au-re-li-a.”
Her nostrils flare as she stares down the length of the bed at him. “If I picked the wrong cabin, it’s because I thought civilized people lived here. Was I mistaken?”
“Very,” Khalil answers.
“It will be your biggest yet,” Thorin promises.
