The Alpha Emperor’s Resurrection

25: Aurelia

The enormous old country manor house that had been converted into a luxurious destination spa looked intimidating to me as I approached it from the inconvenient drop off point my taxi had deemed appropriate.

I was wearing loose fitting grey sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt that was far from designer, and I stared at my feet when I got to the main entrance because I knew that everybody in that place was going to think I was trying to scam them or that I didn't belong there.

I knew that Robin was there - his scent was all I could focus on, and my heart was beating so wildly that I was shaking.

"Fully booked," one of the young women working at the reception cast me a dismissive glance and made me feel like I was worthless.

"I'm not-"

"-fully booked," she repeated, and turned away from me to talk to her co-worker.

I had no bag with me, no wallet, no purse, and I had spent my money on the taxi… I didn't even have my f*****g phone, which would have made everything a lot easier.

"I'm looking for someone," I stood taller so she couldn't ignore me, even though I wanted to shrink away.

"We don't-"

"-tall, black hair, tattoos," not even remotely interested in a young human woman, but she knew who I was talking about and she was disappointed that he wasn't staying on his own.

"We never disclose anything about our residents, and we're fully booked," her co-worker spoke up, but neither of them knew what I did. He knew that I had arrived.

"Aurelia…" the gold elevator doors opened on the other side of the lobby and revealed Robin, in a cloud of clove cigarette smoke, shirtless, and wearing torn black jeans with combat boots. It was entirely unsurprising that the women had been drooling over him when he had given them a taste of the image he projected online.

He waved me over, put the cigarette he definitely shouldn't have been smoking in the hotel out on the bin beside the elevators, then leaned casually against the elevator door so it wouldn't close; I left the receptionists to fantasize about him calling them over like that one day.

He let the doors close behind us and he scanned a card against something, then hit the top floor button, before we had even spoken.

When I looked at him my lips parted slightly but I didn't know what to say. He took a step closer to me, but I stepped back so I was pressed against the faux marble wall of the elevator and stared at the floor.

"You didn't have to do this," I murmured, and I noticed his shoulders sink from the corner of my eye.

"Yes, I did."

The doors opened revealing a huge, elegant room.

The penthouse. Apparently, he was feeling particularly guilty.

"I…" I was going to tell him I was sure about the pregnancy now, and that I didn't know what I wanted to do, but he didn't need to be told that, and he tugged my hands gently to get me out of the elevator before I said anything.

"Are you hungry?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"Have you eaten today?"

"No, but-"

He let go of my hands and practically pinned me to the wall to hit the call button again.

"-there's a restaurant downstairs."

"I'm not hungry, Robin."

"That doesn't matter. It's going to be exhausting for you to end this; if that's what you plan to do, you need the energy."

If that's what you plan to do…that was the first time anybody had made it seem like I had a say in the matter - that it was my decision, and not a foregone conclusion.

"What if it's not what I plan to do?"

"I thought about that a lot on the way here."

"And…?" my heart fluttered as he looked at me, then walked across to the window and picked up the room service menu as if I hadn't said anything.

"If you want to talk about that, we should order food to the room."

I sighed, and sat down on the enormous white couch against one of the walls. I was tired, and upset - an emotional wreck- but I wasn't hungry.

"I'm fine, really."

"Aurelia…" the way he said my name caught my attention, and I held my breath as I watched him walk slowly over to me. "I'll support you either way. You know that, right? When I told you I've thought a lot about this, I was being serious. I know it's not simple, but I don't think you will be happy if we brush this off as a mistake without at least talking to each other. And you need to eat something - I promise your body will thank me for it later."

He held the menu out to me and I looked down at it without reading it.

"I don't–"

"–please?"

He sounded so desperate that my chest tightened and I tried to focus on the words printed on the thick ivory card in my hands.

It was all just food to me, and I shrugged and passed it back to him.

"You decide. I'll eat what I'm given, I'm too old to care much about these things."

The elevator door finally opened again, and he left me alone rather than calling for the food.

He was acting far more composed than he felt - I could feel the nerves radiating through him, and yet he had managed to hold himself together for me.

I looked around the room now that I was alone, then got up to explore it properly.

The main room was a large living area and I noticed a vase of fragrant red roses on the side beneath a huge window overlooking the Italian countryside - he had probably not requested that romantic addition on my behalf.

The decor was the sort of high end modern stuff that made it impossible to find what you were actually looking for, but I found a television concealed behind a panel in the wall opposite the couch, and I turned it on to kill the uncomfortable silence.

There were four doors; an enormous bathroom, two double bedrooms, and a balcony with another table and chairs.

I didn't get as far as exploring the rooms, because Robin's stuff was tossed onto one of the beds, and I wasn't sure whether I would be sharing it with him, or sleeping alone in the other room.

Not really alone, though. Not yet, anyway.

"You're back," I smiled weakly when the elevator opened again.

For some reason I didn’t want him to know that I had been looking around while he was away, and I made a show of looking casually at the television rather than acknowledging him properly.

He sat down next to me and I stiffened when he moved closer, but he didn't seem angry at me and, mercifully, the silence wasn't uncomfortable. We just didn't know what to say.