Rule of the Aurora King

Lor watches Nadir go, unsettled by his behavior. Tristan asks if that was the Aurora Prince, and Lor confirms it, understanding her siblings’ unease about sharing a roof with royalty after Nostraza. Brea arrives with a cart piled with food; Tristan and Willow stare in wonder. Lor serves them, urging them to eat slowly. When Tristan asks, Lor explains that aside from keeping her in captivity, Nadir has not mistreated her. When Willow asks why Lor is being held, Lor recounts her experience in the Trials in the realm of Aphelion (detailed in Trial of the Sun Queen, the previous book in the series), including the final challenge where Atlas manipulated her by making her believe her siblings were present. Tristan reveals that there was a riot in Nostraza the night prisoners were told an ozziller had killed her. Lor apologizes for not contacting them, explaining that her hope of winning and freeing them sustained her. She mentions that Gabriel’s people started the riot as a diversion. She realizes that Atlas lied about her being a tribute from The Aurora and admits that she naively got swept up in his charm until his violent reaction to the Sun Mirror revealed that he had known her secret all along. Willow comforts her, insisting she was not foolish to trust him.

Lor says they must escape and hide again. Tristan doubts Nadir will let them go and notes that Lor promised him information. When pressed, Lor reveals that the Mirror told her she could not be Aphelion’s queen, warned that an unspecified “this” could never happen again, and said she must find the Crown. She shows Willow the jewel in her locket. Tristan declares hiding is over—their unlikely reunion must be destiny. Their history surfaces: They lived hidden in the Violet Forest until the Aurora King’s army killed their parents and imprisoned them. Lor remains hesitant but asks Willow for support. Willow agrees, admitting that she never imagined this chance and expected to die in Nostraza. The three share a fateful understanding. Tristan says their first goal is escaping The Aurora and its prince. Lor agrees, keeping her complicated feelings about Nadir private. Brea returns to say that Tristan’s room is ready and that Willow can share Lor’s bed tonight. After Brea leaves, the siblings embrace tightly, vowing never to be torn apart again. Lor and Willow fall asleep holding hands.

That night, Lor has a vivid dream in which Nadir joins her in bed, smelling of smoked whiskey and an arctic breeze. As they begin to become intimate, he whispers the demeaning term “Inmate.” Lor’s eyes fly open. She is awake in her darkened bedroom, breathless and aroused, with Willow sleeping peacefully beside her. Mortified, she realizes she dreamed about the Aurora Prince and wanted it to continue. She whispers an expletive into the darkness.

In the morning, Nadir bangs on the door and enters without invitation while Lor, Tristan, and Willow eat breakfast. Lor blushes, worried he somehow senses her dream. He meets her gaze, hesitates, then sits beside Tristan, who glares. Lor recalls how lonely Aphelion felt before Halo and Marici befriended her. Nadir announces that it is time to talk. Amya, Mael, and Hylene file in. When Lor protests Hylene’s presence, Nadir explains that she is a trusted member of his circle. Hylene says she likes Lor. Nadir demands to know why Atlas stole Lor for the Trials. Lor shares a partial truth, saying she initially believed the Aurora King sent her as a disposable pawn. Amya observes that Lor’s hatred for the king goes beyond imprisonment. Lor answers that he killed her parents and imprisoned her and her siblings as children, accusing them all of complicity. Amya claims ignorance; Lor counters that they know what Nostraza is.

Nadir ignores the accusation and presses her to tell him who she is. As Lor hesitates, Willow encourages honesty, and Tristan agrees. Nadir unexpectedly admits that he hates his father too and wants to overthrow him, believing Lor is the key. Lor fears being used again, as with Atlas. Nadir gives his word he wants a partnership and will not exploit Lor, sharing his treasonous secret to earn her trust. Lor remains skeptical, citing her kidnapping. Tristan advises his sister that they need allies, even reluctant ones like these. Mael taunts Tristan; Lor tells them to stop. She agrees to talk but says plainly that she does not trust them. After a steadying breath, she reveals that their grandmother was the Heart Queen who almost broke the world.

Two hundred eighty-six years ago, in the Queendom of Heart, Princess Serce and King Wolf of the Woodlands are having passionate sex. She reflects on their powerful connection since meeting two weeks earlier, after she refused a bonding proposal from Prince Atlas of Aphelion. Their attraction was instant and profound, and Serce knows Wolf is her destined mate. The summit’s purpose is to unite the realms against King Rion of The Aurora. Once an alliance forms, Queen Daedra will abdicate, and Serce will ascend, as her unbonded power already rivals her mother’s. Wolf says he will not stand in her way if she must bond with Atlas politically but threatens to kill Atlas if he touches her. Serce, thrilled by his possessiveness, confirms that she is refusing Atlas.

Queen Daedra interrupts, walking in on them. Wolf taunts her for entering without permission. Daedra demands to speak with Serce, who dismisses her until dinner. After Daedra leaves angrily, they laugh and dress, flirting and strengthening their bond. They arrive late to avoid a lecture. In the hall, Daedra has retaliated by seating Wolf at the far end with the lesser nobles, a grave insult. Wolf stops Serce from protesting. In public defiance, Serce pulls Wolf into a passionate kiss before the entire court. She takes her seat beside stony-faced Atlas, remembering that he did not defend her when she refused the Sun Queen Trials. The tense meal proceeds in silence with Daedra glaring. Fed up, Serce slams down her fork and demands her mother speak publicly. Daedra furiously tells her to do her duty. When the Heart King intervenes, Daedra says they will make a scene.

Serce declares that she will not bond with Atlas. Daedra argues that they need Aphelion’s armies; Serce questions allies who demand such a price, publicly challenging King Kyros and his sons. She calls them cowards and declares that once she is queen, Heart will not need their army. Both women rise, and Daedra unleashes crimson lightning to intimidate her. Serce remains confident, knowing her power will soon eclipse her mother’s. Wolf stands behind Serce supportively, confirming for her that he is her true partner. Serce steps in front of Wolf protectively and demands that Daedra give her the Crown. Daedra refuses, saying Serce is not ready. Serce retorts that Daedra is not ready and announces that she is leaving for the Woodlands. She and Wolf march out together.

In the present, Nadir, Amya, Mael, and Hylene are stunned by Lor’s revelation that her grandmother was the Heart Queen, Serce. Hylene asks how it is possible since Serce’s child supposedly died. Lor clarifies that their mother died when Lor was twelve, killed by the Aurora King. Amya says history claims Serce’s only child died with her. Tristan explains that this was a lie to protect the royal line. Willow adds that their mother was born before Serce’s death and hidden in the Violet Forest by their great-uncle Cedar of the Woodlands. Nadir is shocked that Cedar knew. Lor recalls Atlas claiming friendship with Cedar and wonders if he betrayed them. Tristan explains that their mother was raised by a human woman and later met a Fae man with whom she had three children to rebuild Heart’s line.

Nadir asks if their mother had magic; Lor confirms that she did. Nadir shares crucial history: After Serce nearly broke the world, Heart’s magic vanished and never returned to its people. Lor understands why her grandmother is cursed. Amya insists that Lor and her siblings appear human, and Tristan explains Heart’s gift of “folding” into human form, concealing Fae nature and magic. Nadir asks the siblings to shift into their Fae forms, and Tristan explains that they have not done so in many years and can’t even remember what it would feel like. Nadir insists, so Tristan and Willow shift, but Lor admits that she has been trying ever since she arrived and cannot do so. Tristan suggests the Crown could help; Lor says the Mirror told her to find it. Nadir accuses her of withholding information; she says she is sharing because of their bargain. Amya theorizes King Rion might know the Crown’s location.

Nadir explains that each Artefact chooses a primary—usually the person with the strongest magic in that Artefact’s realm. He identifies Lor as Heart’s Primary based on the fact that Atlas and Rion were especially interested in her. When the current ruler of the realm dies or chooses the Evanescence, the Primary becomes the new ruler. Nadir notes Lor’s approaching 25th birthday, when she will gain full power. Tristan asks what the Evanescence is, and Nadir explains that it is a state between life and death. Fae rulers sometimes choose to enter this state in order to allow their successors to take power. Lor asks who The Aurora’s Primary is; Nadir confirms it is him. He says that as Primary, Lor should sense the Crown’s presence and proposes searching the Keep during Frostfire, with her posing as his companion. Lor refuses, horrified. Nadir goads her, calling her a coward. Mael cuts in, telling them to stop their antagonistic sparring and accept that this is the only way.

Tristan demands to know what Nadir stands to gain by helping them. Nadir reveals his greatest secret: Magical law prevents a Primary from killing the ruling monarch without losing their magic and breaking the royal line. His father is too powerful to defeat alone, but if Lor inherited Serce’s legendary power, she might be strong enough to kill the Aurora King. The weight settles over Lor and her siblings. Nadir seals their pact, saying mutual secrets require trust. Lor reluctantly agrees, seeing no alternative. After Nadir’s circle leaves, Willow asks if they can trust them. Lor says no, but they have no choice.

Days later, Lor shares a final breakfast with Tristan and Willow before leaving for the Keep. She is heartsick to part so soon after reuniting. Tristan hates that she must return there; Lor urges him to rest and feel safe. They affirm their pride and love, acknowledging their shared burden of secrets. Tristan asks if she will be okay with Nadir; she says yes, as he has never truly threatened her. Amya arrives to announce departure time. After an emotional embrace, Lor makes Amya swear her siblings will be safe. Amya gives her word to guard them with her life.

In the courtyard, Nadir waits impatiently with his ice hounds and one horse. Lor arrives late and reluctantly agrees to share the horse with him. When he helps her up, their skin touches, and sparks leap, a connection that has grown since they first danced. Nadir sets the horse to a supernaturally fast pace, forcing Lor to wrap her arms around his waist. As they race through the Void, a feared forest, her hands go numb from cold. Nadir covers them with his and channels warming magic through her body, soothing and calming her own magic responds. She relaxes against him, trying not to think about her erotic dream.

They reach the Aurora Keep, and Lor’s anxiety returns at the sight of the place of her trauma. They ride through the surprisingly quaint city, where Lor observes various low fae for the first time. Citizens bow respectfully as Nadir passes, and children play with his hounds. At the Keep, Nadir tells Lor to raise her hood. After refusing his hand, she takes his offered elbow to maintain their cover. A servant confirms that clothes have arrived for both. Nadir leads her to his palatial wing. Lor confronts him, contrasting his luxury with Nostraza’s suffering. He deflects, asking how else to treat criminals. She quietly replies that she was not a criminal. He flinches but says her imprisonment was not his doing. Lor blocks his path, accusing him of allowing injustice by not caring who was imprisoned. Nadir angrily defends Nostraza’s necessity, saying some innocent prisoners are a small price for containing actual criminals. He glares, then storms into the bathroom and slams the door.

Overwhelmed, Nadir slams the bathroom door and strips off his clothes. His skin burns with heat around Lor. He cannot think clearly near her and finds her fierce defiance breathtakingly attractive. He admires her strength and queen-like bearing and wants to kiss her when she scolds him. He regrets suggesting she ride his horse, as the physical proximity was torturous. Taking a cold shower to temper his arousal, he cannot stop thinking about her body pressed against his. Overcome by desire, he masturbates while thinking of Lor and his erotic dream of her. Feeling more controlled, he finishes showering, wraps a towel around his waist, and exits.

He finds Lor sorting through a trunk of provocative black, crimson, and violet clothing—clearly Amya’s style. Lor looks up, her eyes traveling over his bare chest before she blushes. He pretends not to notice his renewed arousal. Walking to his closet while feeling her gaze, he prepares to drop his towel. Lor stops him, insisting he change in the bathroom and asking for her own room. Nadir approaches, drawn by her magnetic pull, and taunts her by reminding her that she is his supposed “plaything.” He escalates, saying that to maintain his reputation it should sound like she is screaming his name in ecstasy nightly. Lor scoffs. He tells her it is his room and if she dislikes his behavior, she can use the bathroom. Defeated, Lor grabs her clothes and storms into the bathroom, slamming the door. Nadir collapses onto the sofa, exhausted, thinking she will be the death of him.