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Chapter seven

Rendezvous

Zayne

It was torture, watching Ayla with the Starlit King.

Even her blast of power, thisstarlight,hadn’t been enough to stop him. Every step, every twirl twisted in my heart with the pounding reminder that I couldn’t do something so simple asbe with her.

Instead, she was inhisarms. The monster who I once trusted. It made my blood boil.

This was the fae king who had promised Eleanor and me safety only to exploit our youth at the first chance he had. And yet, the crowd gravitated toward him as if his opinion was the most important in the room. Even if Mer hosted this event, he was its leader.

She couldn’t have refused him when he’d singled her out, and I wished Iona had given her something plainer to wear, because dressed like this, she sparkled as brightly as him.

Everyone was staring.

She was young, shiny, and new. I cursed Rhett’s plan to call Ayla his Valterran cousin, because once word got out, they’d allshower her with questions about the humans. They would feast upon her beauty, her grace, and her knowledge of what fae goods Valterra would value most. They would eat her up and leave her empty, taking her for themselves.

But Ayla wasmine.

If her powers lay in starlight, so be it, we would still find our way. Our hearts were bound by a tether, our relationship forged by trials everyone refused to see.

Except I couldn’t claim her from the shadows. Not now.

Even when the music stopped and she was finally released from his dance, I didn’t unclench my fists.

With only a glance in my direction—more than she should have spared me—Ayla accepted a glass of wine and meandered through the curious fae with a demure smile and shy conversation.

Through it all I watched, I listened. I plotted our fastest way out, ready if anything took a dangerous turn.

At long last, she escaped the crowd, a glass of wine in her hand as she leaned against a pillar. Silently, I found a place beside her cast in shadows.

I lifted my voice above my darkness. “Everyone seems to like you.”

She didn’t look at me. She barely moved her lips as she held the glass to her mouth and replied, “Any other day, I might have enjoyed it. But here...” she shivered. “I don’t know who to trust.”

“You’re smart to be cautious.”

“Will there ever come a time when I don’t need to be careful?”

I didn’t have a good answer for that.

She yawned dramatically. “Is it too early for me to leave? Maybe we could sneak out together.”

My heart raced at the thought of taking her into my shadows. “I’ll gladly hide you away.”

“We can search Calindra’s rooms while she’s busy.”

“Agreed.”

Playing up the dramatics, she tilted back the rest of her drink. She handed the empty glass to a servant and waved farewell to Rhett. After a reassuring glance at Ninti, who was chasing Rimu on the outskirts of the pavilion, Ayla wandered in the direction of our rooms, as if she was truly ready to retire.

From the shadows, I trailed behind her. Unable to wait another second, I reached out, allowing my hand to brush hers.

She smiled, the sweet sight a reminder that no matter how distant the shadows placed me, she still only had eyes for me.

We walked through the courtyard, retracing our steps, and once she reached the darkest spot, I set my hand on her elbow and guided her aside. I brought her into my shadows, holding her so close our bodies almost touched.