Page 9

CHAPTER NINE

T he sun was bleeding across the sky, smearing hues of gold with indigo as nightfall approached, and Solarius was keenly aware that he was breaking his promise to Narissa.

Shit.

He was going to be late and there was no way he would be back in time for dinner.

Guilt swarmed him.

It wasn’t as though he was proud of being unable to keep his word.

On the contrary, he usually held himself to exemplary standards, most specifically in terms of loyalty, honor, and respect.

But he was currently with his brothers—Ariesian, Tovian, and Nyxian—and the three of them hadn’t had this much fun together in what felt like years.

Add in a few bottles of spiced whiskey and they were having a damn good time.

Solarius’s breath misted before him as he loosed a heavy sigh, the biting winter wind slapping at his face while he stood on a ledge of the Moonfall Peaks overlooking Celestine.

The fading sun sparked off the high mountains, casting them in a sheen of golden violet, their sharp peaks coated in a heavy layer of snow.

His thick woolen coat blocked most of the chill, but he’d long ago lost most of the feeling in his fingers from gripping his bow.

He twirled the bow once, admiring its exceptional quality.

The limbs were curved and crafted from midnight stars, solid in form yet shimmering like the night sky.

Its string was a thread of glittering starlight and each arrow, though navy in color, looked like they’d been forged from a sea of stars.

Tovian had absolutely outdone himself.

He possessed the rare ability to create anything from the stars, a gift he’d inherited from their father, and his aptitude for his magic had only increased with every passing year.

His designs were masterful works of art, fabricated from celestial ribbons of wonder, and woven together to form anything born of the imagination.

Solarius wondered if Tovian harbored a more powerful magic as well, much like his other siblings.

Perhaps he could control another aspect of the starstorm, similar to Novalise.

He debated asking him about it when Nyxian’s jovial voice dragged him back from his thoughts.

“Come on, Tov!” Nyxian shouted, a wide grin stretching across his face as he raised a glass of whiskey in one hand and his bow with the other.

“Give us another one!”

Tovian laughed, smoothing back his sweep of deep blue hair.

“Alright, alright. Let me think.”

He rolled his neck once, his breath puffing before him in the frigid night air.

Clamping his palms together, Tovian slowly stretched his arms apart, an arc of chaotic stars and streaks of fire expanding between his hands.

Angling one elbow back with his fingers splayed wide, he catapulted the explosion of stars into the open night sky.

The tiny sparks of fire and magic swirled and raced throughout the darkening heavens, taking the shape of a magnificent raven.

The bird-like constellation fluttered between wispy gray clouds, swooping and soaring around the mountain peaks.

Ariesian stepped up beside Solarius, a look of determination cut across his brow.

He notched his arrow of stardust and took aim, his gaze unwavering as the glittering raven glided over a canvas of ink.

“Mine.” He loosed the arrow with perfect form and it shot across the pitch, striking the raven’s heart.

A cascading waterfall of dark teal and golden stars tumbled toward the earth, the sparkling remnants of a fallen constellation.

“Better make a wish.” Tovian jerked his head to where the stars were fizzling and burning out before they reached the jagged mountaintops.

Ariesian scoffed, slinging his bow over one shoulder.

His gaze scanned the night sky once more, watching as the last star burned out completely.

“I never make wishes on fallen stars.”

No one mentioned that was Caelian’s area of expertise, especially not after the situation involving Kjeld Holtstrom.

Their second youngest sister had made a grave misjudgment by putting her wants and desires above the hands of fate.

It was a terrible error and one she would pay for…

dearly.

Kjeld Holtstrom was Drake Kalstrand’s former general and closest friend, and he’d willingly sacrificed his life to save Solarius’s youngest sister, Creslyn.

Yet instead of allowing Kjeld to claim a warrior’s death, Caelian stepped in and saved his life by making a wish upon a falling star.

Or rather…

multiple wishes.

Caelian’s magic was the ability to grant wishes upon stars, and she had used her power for selfish reasons, caring not for the soul subjected to her bidding.

It would have been manageable if Caelian had only wished for Kjeld to live, but she sought more than just his survival.

She wished for many things and not once did she ask for Kjeld’s consent in the matter.

Her brazen assumptions altered the course of his destiny—Caelian had single-handedly changed the man’s entire life, and he was in no rush to forgive her for it.

It was a sore spot of discussion and disappointment for Ariesian, so Solarius cleared his throat in an effort to redirect the somber nature of the conversation.

“You never were the hopelessly romantic one.” He jabbed Ariesian in the ribs lightly with his elbow.

“That title has always belonged to our Tov.”

Tovian’s face fell, his easy smile fading into a faint scowl.

“A lot of good it did me.”

Nyxian slung his arm around Tovian’s shoulders, his carefree grin widening.

“Go easy on yourself, Tov. It’s not as though you were jilted for a fae of common birth. She chose a prince, for star’s sake.”

Tovian summoned his magic, gathering more stars between his palms.

They burned brighter this time, flaring with the rise of his emotions.

He launched them overhead, the twinkling orbs shifting into the constellation of a prancing fox.

“What use is romance if it ends in heartbreak?”

Solarius shifted his weight, shuffling his feet over the rocky terrain of the mountain’s ledge.

“We’ve all had our hearts broken, Tovian.”

“Not me.” Nyxian positioned his arrow on the notch of his bow and steadied his aim.

In the next moment he set it loose, turning away from his mark to face them.

“I break hearts before they can break mine.”

The arrow pierced the leaping fox and gleaming stars of emerald and copper spilled toward the rigid line of mountains.

Solarius rolled his eyes.

Show-off.

“What about you?” Tovian asked Ariesian, collecting another cluster of brilliant stars in his hands.

Ariesian stiffened and adjusted the sleeves of his coat, flicking away an invisible fleck of dirt.

He cocked his head to one side.

“What about me?”

Tovian shrugged then, his teeth scraping along his bottom lip as he considered his words.

He launched the bundle of stars into the swath of darkness overhead.

“Ever had your heart broken?”

“No,” Ariesian answered, his tone devoid of any emotion.

Solarius cracked a smile and smacked Ariesian soundly on the back.

“That’s because he doesn’t have one.”

His eldest brother shot him a hard look.

“Har har.”

The dazzling constellation above them took the shape of a siren diving through waves of starlight.

Solarius hesitated, stepping away from Ariesian, and Tovian clicked his tongue.

“Might want to catch her before she swims away.” He nodded toward the stunning display.

As if on his command, the siren constellation arched backward into another crashing wave moving across the sky.

Shit.

Solarius plucked an arrow from the quiver at his back, blowing out a low breath as he carefully notched it on the bow.

Magic danced along his near-frozen fingertips as flickers of Tovian’s power skated over his skin.

He could feel the intensity of his younger brother’s gaze upon him, watching him as he took aim.

Solarius gripped the arrow, pulling his arm back, tracking the siren as she leapt and dove through the sky.

The moon gleamed like an orb of silver, shrouded behind wispy veils of clouds, highlighting her every move.

It would be easy to summon his own power, to use the strength of the moon to outshine the constellation, to blast it into oblivion until it was all but forgotten.

But he could do nothing of the sort, not with all three of his brothers watching.

Solarius released the arrow, holding his breath as its sharpened starlit point pierced the siren’s heart and an explosion of gold and turquoise tumbled toward the earth.

He let the quiver slide from his shoulder and dropped the bow gently onto the ground.

“I have to go.”

“Already?” Tovian’s brow pulled together, and he glanced to where the remnants of stars burned out completely.

“But we’re just getting started.”

Solarius grabbed his gloves from a nearby pile of rocks and pulled them on.

Almost at once, the fur lining them warmed his frozen fingers.

His breath misted before him as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Yes, but seeing as I’m the only one of us who is married now, I’ve been saddled with other duties.”

Nyxian strolled toward him, his loud, full laugh echoing through the mountains.

“Because fucking Lady Narissa Seaborne is such a chore.”

Something dark twisted inside Solarius and he closed the distance between them in one stride.

He matched Nyxian easily in height and met his youngest brother with a murderous glare.

When he spoke, his voice was rough, like he’d swallowed a handful of gravel.

Low and dangerous.

“Mind your tongue when you speak of my wife.”

Nyxian threw both hands up in innocence.

“I didn’t mean any harm, I simply?—”

Ariesian swatted him on the back of the head, a scowl marring his face.

“Just because Mother claims you’re star-touched, does not mean you can act like a complete ass.” He gripped the front of Nyxian’s collar and jerked him forward, his expression one of practiced malice.

“You are a lord of House Celestine and you will conduct yourself as one. You treat Lady Narissa the same way you would one of your sisters, with respect. As you would defend them, you defend her. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Aries. Of course.” Nyxian ducked his head, his unruly dark blue hair tumbling across his forehead, hiding his scarred eye from view.

Ariesian released him, and he sheepishly adjusted his coat, then tucked his hands behind his back like a scorned child.

“Apologies, Sol. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t.” Solarius softened, unable to be too furious with any of his brothers for long.

“Otherwise I’ll tell every female in Aeramere that you’re in the market for a wife.”

Nyxian’s jaw dropped and the slash of sapphire cutting through the silver of his left eye darkened.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Solarius grinned, rolling his neck from one side to the other.

It had been quite some time since he’d found himself in a brawl with one of his brothers, and his fists were ready.

“Try me.”

Ariesian chose that moment to step between them, folding his arms across his chest.

“Solarius, go home to your wife. I’m sure she’s patiently awaiting your arrival.”

Tovian and Nyxian snickered, but Ariesian’s head whipped in their direction and he cut them down, silencing them both with a single look.

“Do I need to arrange marriages for the two of you as well?” His voice rumbled like menacing thunder and the stars trembled.

“I hear Lilith is on the hunt for a husband,” Solarius added to the impending threat.

Tovian blanched, all color fading from his face.

“Absolutely not.”

Nyxian, on the other hand, looked slightly more perturbed about the matter, a prominent scowl sketching across his brow.

“Over my dead body.”

Lilith Vylera was a well-known succubus whose notorious bedroom activities had gifted her with a reputation, one that touted her incredible skills behind closed doors.

She’d been eyeing the brothers of House Celestine for quite some time, but she’d yet to snare one of them in her sultry clutches.

In truth, they were all slightly intimidated and terrified by her as she lacked social decorum and was constantly flooding conversation with sexual innuendo.

“That’s what I thought.” Ariesian clapped Solarius on the back, turning him away from Tovian and Nyxian in a casual manner that suggested they had more important matters to discuss.

Solarius dipped his head slightly and lowered his voice.

“Are they aware to take care regarding their conversations around Mother?”

Ariesian nodded once.

“They are indeed. I informed them both of our suspicions. Nyxian was more than concerned when he learned Mother botched Novalise’s star reading and lied about her power. They both agreed to keep quiet and play the part of proper lords of Aeramere in her presence.”

The matriarch of House Celestine, Lady Trysta Starstorm, had roused Solarius’s guard last Midsummer when she’d failed to conduct a proper star reading for their sister, Novalise.

It merely confirmed that Trysta had been manipulating star readings over the years.

On the surface, such an act would appear harmless, but when coupled with the fact that Trysta blatantly tried to hide Novalise’s true magic and was actively working to pair their other sister Sarelle with the duplicitous Prince Aspen, it cast their mother in a less than complimentary glow.

There was hardly anyone Solarius trusted less at the moment than his own mother.

There were other reasons from the past as to why he was skeptical of his mother, but those came with painful memories.

“Good.” Solarius cast a backward glance over his shoulder to find Tovian and Nyxian already preparing for another round of starshoot.

“Is there anything else I should know?”

“Not yet.” There was an edge to Ariesian’s tone, a sharp kind of coldness like the bitter wind sweeping through the valley of Celestine.

“It’s been unusually quiet.”

Never a good sign.

They’d grown accustomed to the rumors, to the rising swells of unrest throughout Aeramere calling for Queen Elowyn’s removal, much of which was believed to be circulated by her own son, Prince Aspen.

Solarius supposed the celebration of Winter Solstice could be cause for the sudden stretch of peace across the realm, but he wouldn’t allow such a feigned sense of respite to cloud his judgement or slip through his defenses.

If war was coming to Aeramere, they would need to be prepared, and given the current state of affairs in their realm, they stood no chance of victory.

Every house had blindly stood by Queen Elowyn, believing her promises of safety and everlasting peace, thinking they were protected by a shield of immeasurable power, only to uncover that the Veil enveloping Aeramere was nothing more than a common glamour.

They were, in a word, fucked.

Perhaps this unexpected length of quiet was a blessing.

“If you require my assistance, you know how to reach me.” Solarius offered Ariesian a mock salute.

“That I do, though you should be enjoying these next few weeks with your new bride.” Ariesian’s dark brow arched in silent question.

He would never speak the words, would never verbally humiliate Solarius, but the unspoken inquiry left him shifting his weight from side to side and his gaze slid to the uneven ground beneath his feet.

At some point, he and Narissa would have to consummate their marriage, otherwise the contract between their houses would not stand.

“I see.” Ariesian tucked his hands behind his back, his chest expanding.

“Perhaps you and Narissa need some time alone. Together. Away from everyone else.”

A honeymoon, a fortnight of forced marital bliss, where they would have to spend every waking moment with one another.

Where they would have to do absurd things other couples conquered long ago, like getting to know each other, figuring out one another’s likes and dislikes, learning their habits and hobbies.

But talking to Lady Narissa Seaborne was like trying to trek across the jagged mountaintops of the Moonfall Peaks—dangerous and oftentimes a promise of death.

Solarius rocked back onto his heels and tiny rocks slid beneath his feet.

“Seems like a rather daunting challenge when expectations are so high.”

Ariesian’s brows quirked again.

“The Yuletide Ball. This.” Solarius gestured to their brothers and the vast sky.

“Why call me away from House Azurvend only to bid me to spend time with Narissa?”

The corner of Ariesian’s mouth lifted in what could almost be considered a smirk.

“To see if you would actually show up.”

“Of course I would.” Solarius shoved his hands into his pockets, stiffening against another frosty gust of wind.

“You’re family.”

Ariesian’s fraud of a smirk faded as soon as Solarius spoke, and the faint shadows of disappointment haunted his eyes.

“Narissa is your family now, and she should be your priority. Your duty is to her, not to me.”

Solarius stared at his brother.

“But?—”

Ariesian lifted one hand.

“You will always be a lord of House Celestine.” He angled his head so his sleek silver hair fell across his face.

“You still are, but now you also have Lady Narissa Seaborne Celestine by your side. She is as much a part of this family as you are, but she deserves more from you, Solarius. More than you’ve given her.”

Solarius’s temper spiked and he clenched his fists.

His jaw popped.

“You don’t even know the half of it,” he muttered.

“Pardon?” Ariesian asked, leaning closer.

“Nothing.” Solarius shook his head.

It was incredibly difficult to be kind and caring to someone who couldn’t stand to even share the same air as him.

“She hates me, you know? And I don’t even know what I’ve done wrong.”

Ariesian shrugged with the nonchalance of a lord who cared for nothing and no one, a far cry from his usual demeanor.

“So, make her fall in love with you again.”

Solarius almost choked.

“It’s not so easy.”

Ariesian brushed off his concern with a wave of his hand.

“Falling in love is the easiest thing in the world, Sol. Staying in love, however, is far more difficult. It requires work and effort from both parties, every hour of every day. And marriage is about finding new ways to show you love someone, especially if you want it to last an eternity.”

“Damn you for being so wretchedly brilliant,” Solarius mumbled, his previously ill temper fading into something that felt more like remorse.

“Damn you for expecting anything less from me.” Ariesian cocked half a smile, then turned on his heel and headed back toward Tovian and Nyxian, who were shooting dozens of starlit arrows into the sky with reckless abandon.

Solarius watched them for a moment longer, then expeditiously made his way back to House Azurvend armed with a new outlook regarding his recent marriage.

He was going to make his wife fall in love with him.