Prologue
AUREN
The tip of the golden dagger points into my throat as Midas traps me in his hold from behind. His grip is tight on me and fear is pulsing through my body. I can feel his hot breath against my neck.
I can see Slade across from me, the lines of his rot roil underneath his pale skin, and I can see the intensity of his fear in his wide eyes. Tears prick the back of my own as I think to myself that this cannot be the end. Goddesses, Midas cannot win like this.
The feathered beast of my power is fully awake and I feel it begin to stretch its wings and the thirst of another emotion slithers through my veins. A thirst for blood. For justice. For vengeance. I can feel the heat of my power circle in my core, growing ever hotter as it spreads out until I can feel the magic in my fingertips.
I raise my hand to grasp onto Midas' wrist, the one that holds the sharp blade to my golden throat. Without another thought I send my gold touch out and I hear his hiss of pain, "Fucking bitch!" as he let's go of me, along with the threat of his dagger. I turn to see that his hand is turning solid gold and then Midas falls backwards as he screams in pain while the gold spreads up to his shoulder.
My golden creature sings at his pain and my power only grows as it calls to the gold of the castle, willing it to heat and liquefy. All the items that I have spent days, wasted hours and precious amounts of my power on gold touching for Midas have turned to molten gold.
As the deadly flow of gold starts to surge down the sides of the walls and over the ground, I feel Slade's presence beside me as he grabs hold of my hand, "You're ok Auren, you're with me-"
-My eyes shudder open and all I see is the pitch-black of the bedroom as Slade closes his arms around me, murmuring gently, "You're ok, you're with me. I've got you Goldfinch." I take several deep gulps of air as I come to my senses, I am here in Brackhill with Slade. I am not back in Fifth Kingdom with Midas. I can feel the heat of my power flaring in my body, it must have awoken in response to the memory turned nightmare that I just had.
"I'm alright, it was just a dream," I whisper to Slade as I bring my hand up to run it through his tousled hair. I can't see him, but I can feel his lips close to mine as he captures my mouth in a gentle kiss.
"That's your third nightmare of the week," Slade whispers and I can hear the pain in his voice. I know that he is worried about the trauma I endured after my time with Midas in Fifth Kingdom. "I don't have to go to Deadwell, I can put it off for a little while longer." I shake my head in the dark, I don't want Slade to keep putting off his kingly duties for me. I want to adjust to life after Midas, I need to be able to heal and find my own strength.
"I'll be alright while you're gone, after all I have my friend Alanna to keep me company." I don't want Slade to feel like he can't leave me alone lest I fall apart with out him. I know how overprotective he can be. Instead I decide to find Slade's lips in the dark, and this time I let my kiss deepen. Slade groans and I take that as all the invitation I need to rise up and straddle his hips, letting the heat of my magic settle in my core and turn into the flames of desire instead.