Page 6 of A Legacy of Stars (The Lost God Legacies)

6

STELLA

O f all the impulsive choices Stella had made in her life, she hadn’t regretted any as much as coming to this godsforsaken temple.

It’s just temporary , she told herself. But the way Arden was looking at Grace like all of the light in the room glowed just because of her did not feel temporary.

Stella swallowed hard, trying to compose herself. She could see in her mind the web of decisions that had led to this moment—could retrace them back to Arden comforting her with the promise that they would be linked. Perhaps it was her own lack of faith to blame, because she hadn’t been propelled by love in that moment. She’d been bolstered by defiance. As if she already knew it wasn’t going to happen and was ready to dare the gods to try to stop her from getting what she wanted.

But this development had not changed anything. Her will was stronger than some game the gods were playing. She could weather two weeks with Arden engaged to one woman and heart-bonded to another. It didn’t matter what bindings tied him to someone else. Arden was meant for her, and this was just a bump in the road. Some day they would recall this story and laugh .

Grace was a good person, at least. Not a complete stranger. Not to mention that she’d come here with Teddy, so she had good reason not to want to stay attached to Arden.

Still, dread crept over Stella as the reality set in. Perhaps Grace would like being attached to someone so warm after spending all her time with uptight Teddy Savero.

The priestess who had bonded Arden to Grace ushered them toward the hallway through which they had entered.

Arden looked frantically over his shoulder at Stella. “ I’m sorry ,” he mouthed.

It had been his idea to come to the temple, but it wasn’t his fault that Desiree was messing with Stella.

The gods loved to meddle in human lives. Cecilia had warned her over and over—her mother had once been their pawn too. The gods are all ancient and bored, Stella. Do not gain their interest or you’ll become their new toy .

It was easy for her mother to say now. Cecilia had lived an interesting life. She’d adventured and traveled. She’d met the love of her life.

Stella was just trying to get outside of her comfort zone, and now she was paying for it.

A hand on her shoulder startled her. She whipped her head around to meet the dark brown eyes of another priestess.

“I don’t believe it,” the priestess whispered. “How curious.” She tugged Stella forward.

It wasn’t until Teddy started moving too that Stella realized the priestess had grabbed his wrist as well.

The priestess dragged them into the silver light pouring in from the opening at the center of the room.

“What are you—” Stella stopped speaking when Desiree stepped into the moonlit circle with them.

The goddess laughed heartily. “Oh, the fates do like to play games.” She nodded at the priestess. “I see what you mean.”

Two priestesses stepped up on either side of the goddess. They looked at Stella and Teddy as if seeing right through them .

“What now?” Teddy whispered.

Teddy shifted under their assessing gazes, but Stella met them with a fierce defiance in her eyes.

“Look at the threads between them. They’re woven in gold. How interesting,” Desiree said.

“It’s very curious,” said the priestess who had dragged them into the circle.

“Curious indeed,” Desiree said. “It’s hard to believe they aren’t here together. These two are meant to be.”

Teddy let out a choked sound that sounded like a laugh.

Stella wrinkled her nose. “Surely you’re joking.”

Teddy looked offended that she thought he wasn’t good enough for her .

Stella scoffed. Desiree was just trying to teach her a lesson about running off to do impulsive things. This was some sort of godly entertainment.

“You’re mistaken,” Teddy said. His deep voice brought the entire temple to a halt.

The humor disappeared from the goddess’s face in an instant. “ Excuse me .”

Teddy bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What I meant is that we’re not at all well-suited. I would never be with someone so—” He gestured to Stella broadly.

“So beautiful you’re at a loss for words, Your Grace ?” Stella taunted.

“So irrationally emotional,” Teddy snapped.

Stella crossed her arms, jutting her chin out. “And I’d never be with someone so heartless.”

Desiree’s full red lips twisted into a smirk and her eyes glowed. The air filled with the scent of crushed rose petals.

“Love is an untamed thing, as strange to me as it is to all of you. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my many years of existence, it’s that not even I can understand the mysterious ways in which it moves us,” Desiree said. “I can see these threads that connect people, but I’m wise enough not to presume to understand why they connect certain loves. My job is merely to interpret what I see.”

Stella shook her head violently. “But I’m here with Arden.” She gestured toward the hallway, as if she had any control here.

Desiree eyed Stella. “Did you not bleed into the sacred bowl? That magic is binding. You promised to accept the outcome.”

Teddy shifted beside her. He had clearly mastered his shock much better than her. Of course he had. Teddy Savero was as emotional as a stone. He had no feelings to turn off.

“If you truly think you have nothing to fear from each other, then the bond will fade in a few weeks and you’ll be no worse for the wear,” Desiree said.

Stella’s heart thundered, pumping raw panic through her blood. She wanted to thrash around in the trap she’d been caught in, even though she knew there was no way to shake herself free. She glanced toward the exit, wishing it was as simple as leaving. She’d bled into that bowl and promised to accept the outcome.

Desiree smiled deviously as she turned Teddy and Stella to face each other.

Teddy regarded Stella with disdain, but Stella stared at him as if she’d be able to see the strange magical thread between them if she looked longer.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had looked at him up close. Teddy was tall and broad, the lean muscle of his chest and arms evident beneath his finely cut tunic. His dark brown hair had a soft wave to it and fell over his forehead in an annoyingly perfect way. His face was clean-shaven, revealing a sharp jawline and high cheekbones, and his light olive-brown skin was flawless except for a faint pale scar on his bottom lip that gave his smile a roguish sort of charm.

She’d always thought his eyes were just gold, but in the silver moonlight, she could see they were light brown in the center surrounded by a ring of amber with golden flecks all throughout. Loath as she was to admit it, Teddy was striking .

He refused to meet her eyes, which left him awkwardly looking straight over her head.

Stella gave Desiree one last desperate pleading look, but her aunt was looking through them, her hands moving through the air like she was stitching an invisible tapestry.

The goddess placed one palm over Stella’s pounding heart and the other over Teddy’s.

The bond hit Stella like a rush of blood to the head. Goosebumps raced along her skin. The intensity of it was almost enough to make her knees buckle. She would have gone down, but Teddy caught her arm.

He was finally looking at her, studying her with a clinical sort of appraisal.

Everything tingled from the tips of her toes to her scalp, but she held his gaze as her chest warmed. Her rib cage felt all at once too full and not full enough. She wanted to draw more in, to never stop the feeling, and also she was afraid too much would make her faint.

It reminded her of the first magnificent breath after she’d stayed under the sea too long. The air felt fresher, full of the citrus and cedar scent of him, and that was all she wanted to smell.

The tingling faded, but the full feeling in her chest remained and she could not look away from Teddy. Her eyes burned, and she had the unnatural impulse to hug him and sob.

After a long moment, Teddy looked away. “Now what?”

Desiree arched a brow. “Now you thank your goddess for her blessing.”

Teddy smiled tightly. “Thank you, Goddess Desiree, for this tremendous blessing.”

Desiree patted his cheek. Then she clapped her hands in delight. “I knew you would see it my way. Now, go to your suite for the night.”

A priestess stepped forward and took Stella’s arm. Stella let the woman guide her back down the hallway to one of the guest suites. Teddy’s soft footsteps followed behind them.

It wasn’t until they were ushered into the suite and the door clicked closed behind them that Stella snapped out of her daze .

A large bed with pale pink linens was at the center of the room. Red rose petals were sprinkled from the doorway to the bed and across the sheets. Candlelight cast jumping shadows on the white marble walls, and large sliding glass doors on the far end of the room looked out to a private bathing pool that reflected the shimmering moonlight.

Vases of flowers covered almost every surface of the room. It was so beautiful and romantic, but Stella was meant to be here with Arden. This was the room where they were supposed to spend their first private night together ever. She’d planned out exactly how she was going to tell her parents in the morning. Of course, they would be upset. Her mother had a terrible temper, but she was also a romantic. Cecilia and Rainer would understand why Stella had been so desperate. After all, they had both done crazy things for love.

Now she was hoping that her lie about sleeping over at Kate’s held up so she could wait it out until her new bond with Teddy faded and she’d never have to admit that she’d done something so stupid.

The connection felt strange. Was this how her parents felt? A heart bond differed from the fated soul bond her parents had—it didn’t run as deep—but Stella felt all at once like the bond was too much and not enough. She felt too aware of Teddy’s presence—overstimulated by the sudden sharpness of this new extra sense that was entirely focused on him. She wanted to get as far from him as possible, and also she wanted to sit on his lap.

“We should strategize how we’re going to handle this,” Stella said, brushing her fingers to her sternum.

“I don’t want to strategize. I want to go to bed and wake up and forget this nightmare ever happened,” Teddy said flatly. “You can take the bed. I’ll sleep in that chair.” He gestured to a small red chair in the corner. He looked like a giant when he sat down in it, but he pulled off his boots with determined frustration and grabbed a throw pillow for his head.

Stella’s chest was too tight, the strange pulsing of the bond too unsettling to rest. It felt like she was angry, but really Teddy was, or maybe they both were .

“Calm down. You’re going to give me a stomachache,” she grumbled.

Teddy turned his furious gaze on her. “I hope you’re happy. You’ve managed to ruin the most important thing in my life.”

“ Me ?” Stella shook her head in disbelief. “How could I have possibly known that you were going to be here, or that you had a relationship? It’s not as if you show that poor woman any affection publicly.”

“As if I could?” Teddy snapped. “I’m a prince. I lack the freedom to be as reckless as you.”

Stella rolled her eyes. “Sorry. I’ll leave you alone to your pity party.”

“I’m not having a pity party. You have no idea how much pressure is on me on a regular basis. Grace is the one person who makes it manageable. She’s so clever and?—”

“Too good for you?” Stella suggested.

Teddy’s face crumpled. He seemed to cave in on himself, shoulders bowing forward. “Yes, she is, but gods bless her, she still came to this stupid temple with me anyway. Now I have no way of proving to my parents that we are meant for each other. I have no case to make to them and they are so set on me marrying some politically advantageous princess.”

Stella was stunned into silence, having never heard him speak so much or so openly. “I’m sorry. Arden was hoping for the same thing. I had no idea this was even a possibility or I never would have come.”

Teddy kept his gaze on the floor. “I have no recourse now. Without this kind of godly blessing, I have no path forward. Forgive me for needing a moment to resign myself to this fate.”

Stella slumped to sit on the bed and kicked off her silk slippers. “I wish I had a solution, but this was also my last resort.”

They were quiet for a long moment.

“Why do you even want to be with Arden?” Teddy asked. “Is it just the fairy-tale idea of being queen? You know being royal isn’t just wearing pretty dresses and having people write songs about you, right? ”

Stella bristled. “Poor, tortured Prince Teddy. It must be so hard to have people listen when you speak. To have respect without in any way earning it. To be so handsome and frigid?—”

“Frigid?”

“Frigid,” she snapped. “I think I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen you smile.”

“I smile plenty when I’m not in such dreadful company.”

Stella scowled. What a pompous prick . “What have I done to you to make you hate me so much?”

Teddy winced. “I don’t hate you. I just…don’t…like you.”

Stella blew out a breath. “Oh, that’s much better.”

He hesitated, looking suddenly embarrassed. “You were mean to Juliana once.”

Stella frowned, racking her brain for a time when she’d been anything but perfectly nice to his little sister.

“When you were—” He cleared his throat, his skin flushing dark pink in the candlelight.

“Oh my gods, the new year celebration? When I was fourteen? Teddy, honestly, you must be joking. I was an idiot child .”

He jutted his chin in defiance. “You made my sister cry. You told her that she was an average beauty and would never outshine Alexandra. Alex didn’t stop bringing it up for months.”

Stella crossed her arms. “Well, it’s hardly my fault that Alex likes to gloat.” She wanted to argue more, but she still hadn’t forgiven Layleen Davis for making Rosie cry when she was six. She wrung her hands in her skirt and met his gaze. “You’re right. Is that what started our prank war?”

Teddy nodded.

“I’m sorry I made Jules cry. She’s sweet.”

Teddy’s lips twitched. “No, she’s not.” His mouth tipped into a full smile. “She’s kind of full of herself. Too pretty for her own good and too proper. She could use an occasional humbling. I’d just prefer to be the one to do it.”

Stella choked on a laugh. “You’re awful. But she is a little too perfect. ”

Teddy sighed in agreement. He stared out the large windows and fell into pensive silence.

“You know, I’ve been so busy with traveling to Olney and trying to figure out this marriage problem that I’ve hardly spent any time with Grace in the past three weeks,” Teddy said. “The ride here tonight was the first chance I’ve had. Do you think you can be homesick for a person?”

Stella stared at him, a strange lump of envy rising in her throat. “That’s a shockingly romantic sentiment coming from you. Is that how you feel about Grace? What makes her feel like home?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking suddenly apprehensive. “She’s so steady. She’s much smarter than me and, honestly, it makes me feel safe because I know she’s thinking of things I won’t.”

He wasn’t looking at her as he spoke. It was almost like he forgot she was there.

Tears pressed against Stella’s eyes, and she tried to blink them away. She didn’t know why his words made her feel so emotional. Maybe because she’d never felt that way. Maybe because she was feeling everything he was feeling.

When she didn’t say anything, Teddy turned to look at her. “Are you crying?”

She brushed the tears away with a violent swipe.

“For me?” Teddy asked. He didn’t look disgusted so much as bewildered.

Stella shook her head and blinked the burning from her eyes. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure if she was feeling pity for him or herself.

His face was the picture of baffled shock. “But you don’t like me.”

Stella huffed. “Well, yes, but it’s easier not to like you when I don’t know how sad your life is.”

He looked suddenly outraged. “My life is great. I’m the heir.” He crossed his arms and glared at her. “Are you always so?—”

“Intense? Emotional?” She shook her head and met his gaze. “ Sensitive ?”

Gods, did she hate that word. Her parents had always been careful not to label her that way, but the rest of the world hadn’t been so kind.

Teddy pursed his lips but didn’t say anything.

The silence stretched on awkwardly. Stella stared up at the ceiling, trying to push away the fear that she was going to lose Arden.

“You’re lucky you have godly relatives. At least you have someone who can go over your parents’ heads to do favors for you,” Teddy said.

“You got a glimpse at the kind of favoritism I receive tonight, Your Grace,” Stella said, tapping her chest. “It’s not all roses having goddess aunts. Trust me. As far as I know, the only way to get real favors from the gods is to enter the Gauntlet Games.”

He adjusted the pillow behind his head for the fourth time.

“You don’t look very comfortable,” Stella said. “I can make room in the bed. It’s plenty big. You won’t even know I’m here. I promise not to tarnish your honor.”

Teddy leaned his head back. “I’m fine over here.”

“Suit yourself, Your Grace.”

Stella stilled as an idea took form in her mind. She’d said it off-hand, but it was true. The tournament was meant to channel the post-war violence into a contained event to stop the spreading rebellion, but it was also a reminder that the gods were watching. The competitors fought hard every year because the prize was from the gods, and there was nothing in the two kingdoms more valuable.

If Stella won, she could ask the gods to bless her marriage to Arden and no one in the two kingdoms would refuse her. Better yet, the entire kingdom would have seen her triumph in the Games and would want her to be queen. It would be a different path than what she expected, but she felt empowered by the idea of fighting in the tournament to win the hand of her prince. All great love stories started with a little adversity. It was the opposite of all the fairy tales she read, but she’d spent her life training for a battle that had never come. Perhaps this was the purpose of all of that work.

Besides, the Gauntlet Games were about more than just brute strength. They were about understanding the main tenets of Olney culture: Wisdom, Memory, and Magic .

Stella could admit that, after the past few days, she hadn’t shown abundant wisdom, but she’d always loved solving puzzles with her father, and she had plenty of memory and magic.

She took the first deep breath in hours and closed her eyes to sleep with the comfort of a new grand plan.