Aurelia woke up with a feeling she had never experienced before, a mix of complete peace and an overwhelming sentimental warmth around her heart. The feeling seemed to burn into her soul.
Noxus watched her in his arms, waking for the day. As Aurelia peeked at him, she saw his dark eyes hidden through his dark lashes. The look made her squirm and clamp her legs shut.
“Good morning,” Aurelia said, snuggling closer to him, “How long have you been awake?
She asked this question in hopes to find out if he slept at all. She had never considered the possibility that he may not sleep, or possibly hibernated at times, like other creatures. The concept of Noxus sleeping seemed strange to her.
“For a few hours. I enjoy watching you sleep,” Noxus responded, hoping it didn’t come out creepy. “I normally sleep a few hours each night. Sometimes that’s a struggle. Basilisks aren’t known for their ability to sleep, but rather, ability to stay awake.”
He had slept well for as long as he could. When his eyes fluttered open, and he smelled her scent while holding her close to him, he couldn’t get up. He felt frozen in place, holding her, feeling her every breath.
Aurelia couldn’t get close enough to him. She questioned if what she was feeling was the ethereal mate bond. Was that possible since she was a human?
Slinging her leg over his abdomen to snuggle closer, she felt the hardened good morning sticking up. Her eyes lit up as she hopped out of bed for the shower.
“I think I’m going to shower. Would you care to join?” She asked.
Shower sex was something she had always longed for. She strutted to the bathroom, swaying her hips, and looked over her shoulder. Noxus’s eyes narrowed, watching her, wanting to take her in the shower.
“Do you enjoy cold showers?” he asked.
“I’ll enjoy it if you’re with me.”
With that, he was out of bed and in the bathroom.
Aurelia bent over to turn the shower handle and asked “Do you dislike warm water?” and as she came back up, she expected to see a look of lust, instead he looked pained.
She stepped closer to him, and he tried to hide the look on his face and play it off. “Well, I’m part serpent. Cold-blooded and all.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his chest.
The sudden fear that he was no longer interested in her overwhelmed Aurelia. She didn’t understand why his mood had changed so suddenly.
She stepped into the shower and encouraged him to follow by signaling with her index finger to come.
As he stepped in, he kept his eyes plastered to the marks he had left on her hips. She noticed the gaze and looked down at herself.
Where his hands had been the day before was now covered in small – to medium-sized bruises from his hands and fingertips.
Looking up at him in surprise, she understood his look of distress.
“I’m so sorry, Aurelia.” He said as he slammed his eyes shut.
“It was worth it,” she said as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips. “Plus, it’s hot that you wanted me that bad.”
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Noxus took her in his arms cautiously and held her there, cool water running over both of them.
Grabbing the soap, he washed his body and then turned his attention to Aurelia.
He started with her hair, sending pleasure through her body. Then, he moved onto her upper body, working down. When he reached her bruised hips, he knelt and kissed them.
The moment was beyond intense. He showed her how much she meant to him by washing her and caring for her injuries.
He flipped the switch and water began pouring into the bath as he plugged the drain, letting the water fill the large tub. He gently pushed her to sit and positioned himself behind her. She leaned back and rested her head on his chest.
“Tell me about you,” he said as he rubbed his hands along her arms.
“What would you like to know?”
“Everything.” His voice was hushed and sincere.
Aurelia thought long and hard about this. No one had ever asked about her past before. Bryn was the only one who was aware of it, and they hadn’t talked much about it. It had been off-topic, a secret they seemed to both want to be rid of.
“My parents died when I was young. Car accident…,” she started. She could feel him tense up behind her. “That is the first real memory I have. It happened when I was in 3rd grade. My sister and I had been in an orphanage or a foster home until she turned 18, and I was 16. We moved in together, and she worked so that I could complete school. I focused on school or work, and Bryn, my sister, was really the only person I had in life.”
They sat in silence for a moment when he placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her head up so she could look at him behind her. He didn’t say any words, but his eyes said it all. The sorrow he felt for her. Leaning his head down, he kissed her lips gently.
“You are a strong woman, Aurie.”
A tear streamed down her face and she wiped it away before he could notice. She rarely cried. It made her feel weak, but the situation brought all of the feeling to the surface.
“I need to be stronger. I need to be a leader who is fit to be by your side,” she said.
His gaze was hard as he looked into her eyes. “You are everything you need to be and more,” he said before planting another kiss on the lips.
Sitting in silence, Noxus thought of just how strong she was. Everything she had gone through at a young age had made her into the person she was today. Her ability to shoot down a Sylvan stag on her first try. This woman was more than strong. He understood why she was his ethereal mate. She was everything he ever wanted and needed.
“Do you know what your name means?” he asked.
She shook her head. It had never occurred to her that her name might have a meaning.
“It means golden and signifies radiance and nobility.” He planted a kiss on top of her head. “You were always meant for me, Aurelia. We were meant for each other; you were destined to be my queen, the gold that I guard.”
The thought of his words filled her heart and jostled her stomach into a knot. She had never felt wanted before, and here, this man was professing that they were meant for each other. He felt the connection as strong as she did.
“Do you want to marry me?” The words slipped out of Aurelia's lips as she was lost in her thoughts.
“I do. I want to marry you. I want you to bear my children. I want you to rule by my side forever,” Noxus said.
“I am a mere human. Forever isn’t in the cards for me.”
She knew from her research on the basilisks that they lived forever unless they were murdered. She felt another kiss on the top of her head and was once again overwhelmed by his ability to make her feel so special.
A knock on the bedroom door tore them from their thoughts. They stepped out of the tub and put towels over their important parts. Aurelia waited in the bathroom as if she wasn’t supposed to be there while Noxus opened the door.
Opening the door, Noxus saw Orin. He had known Orin since they were young. He held a letter.
“This was delivered just moments ago,” he said as he pushed the letter toward Noxus.
Noxus nodded his head and shut the door.
Opening the letter, he saw the paper from the elders. He needed a meeting as soon as possible.
Aurelia could see the awkwardness in his eyes as he read the letter.
“I have to go speak with the elders, I should be back tomorrow, I plan to use my basilisk form to get there and get home, it will be faster than last time.”
She nodded her head. “Why didn’t you do that the last time you went?”
Noxus put his hand on the back of his neck. “To be honest, I needed the time to think.”
Another nod from Aurelia allowed him to see her worry. He walked to her and wrapped her in his arms. She looked up to his face as he leaned down to kiss her lips.
When she first agreed to come here, she thought she would be walking on eggshells the whole time, worried about appeasing Noxus. She found the opposite to be true. He was doing everything in his power to appease her and make her happy. She could feel herself falling for him deeper than what she pictured a mate bond could. She knew he felt the same by the way he looked and her and touched her.