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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

B reakfast in House Celestine was anything but boring.

The dining hall was ripe with uncomfortable tension, forced conversation, and awkward exchanges.

Narissa knew the Starstorm siblings were a lively bunch, a loyal brood who stood by one another no matter the cost.

They loved fiercely, teased one another mercilessly, and bickered amongst themselves as though it was a sport in which they all excelled beyond measure.

Which was why it surprised Narissa to find the breakfast table stifled with strained silence and wavering unease.

Ariesian sat at the head of the table, stewing over a steaming cup of tea.

The permanent scowl marring his brow was a testament to his current mood, but every so often, the steel of his gaze flicked toward his younger sister, Caelian.

And for good reason.

Caelian looked…

well…

dreadful if Narissa was being honest.

Smudges of exhaustion discolored the skin beneath her eyes, and she gnawed her bottom lip until it was red and raw.

Sarelle was beside her, quietly encouraging her to eat, to hopefully gain back some of her color, but Caelian was forlorn.

Positively lovesick over the hulking male seated at the opposite end of the table.

Kjeld Holtstrom had been the object of Caelian’s adoration since his arrival in Aeramere, and Narissa couldn’t say she blamed her.

Kjeld was all hard, chiseled muscle with summer blue eyes and mussy golden hair he often kept braided or twisted away from his handsome face.

He was an esteemed warrior.

Breaking tides, he rode a dragon .

And until recently, he’d been a human.

But in a twist of events, Caelian’s magic turned him fae, and in doing so, only enhanced his rugged beauty tenfold.

Something he’d never forgiven her for doing.

And Caelian had paid the price.

Dearly.

Solarius pulled out a chair for Narissa, seating her next to Tovian, while he took the chair on her opposite side.

Nyxian was across from them and he flashed her a roguish smile.

“Morning, Lady Narissa.” Nyxian grabbed a honeyed roll and slathered an absurd amount of butter on top.

“I trust you slept well?”

His grin widened and Narissa flushed.

She dipped her head, unable to meet his knowing gaze.

“Quite.”

Oh, but Nyxian was relentless.

“I imagine. It certainly sounded as though?—”

“Nyx!” Sarelle scolded, her eyes widening like sapphire orbs at the same time Solarius kicked him from beneath the table.

“Mind yourself,” Solarius warned.

His hand found Narissa’s thigh and he squeezed, possessive, as ripples of caution rolled off him in dense waves.

Nyxian bit off a hunk of bread and raised both his hands in surrender.

“What? I was only going to say it sounded like?—”

“Narissa, I must say,” Sarelle interrupted her brother’s antics smoothly and without hesitation, “that dress is positively lovely. Wherever did you find it?”

Narissa glanced down at the navy velvet gown that was a smidge too small and shoved her bosom up to her chin.

It swept low with flowing ripples and was embellished with sparkly moons and stars made of diamonds.

She met her friend’s brilliant smile with one of her own and said, “Your closet.”

“Nice save, Sarelle,” Tovian murmured from beside her.

He propped his elbows on the table, his swath of deep blue hair falling across half of his face, and turned in Narissa’s direction.

Whereas Solarius’s eyes were a molten silver, Tovian’s held a glimmer of iridescence.

“Tell me, Lady Narissa, do you have any inappropriate brothers or infuriating sisters?”

“Unfortunately, I only have one cousin who is annoyingly right most of the time.” She thought of Reif and his panache for always knowing exactly what she needed to hear.

With a small smile, she poked at the pile of fluffy cakes drizzled with honey on her plate.

“Though I’ve always wanted a sibling or two.”

Solarius scoffed and took a hasty swig of orange juice.

“Be careful what you wish for.”

As soon as he said it, Kjeld slammed his fist onto the table, rattling all the glassware and dishes.

He muttered something about baby dragons and cursing stars as he stormed from the dining hall without a backward glance.

Caelian, however, looked as though she might burst into tears at a moment’s notice.

She sniffed and blinked furiously, her bottom lip trembling as she slowly scooted her chair back.

Her gaze never strayed from her shoes, never lifted to meet the heavy stares of those around her.

She looked frail.

Weak.

And it broke Narissa’s heart.

She watched in silence as Caelian padded from the room—in the opposite direction of Kjeld—without making a sound.

“Blessed stars,” Nyxian groaned the words out, shoving a hand through his unruly hair.

“I hate it when the two of them are in a room together. It’s fucking uncomfortable.”

Ariesian’s head snapped up and his gaze darted from Sarelle to Narissa.

“Language, Nyx.”

“Right,” Nyxian muttered, tugging on the collar of his crisp violet shirt.

“Apologies.”

Narissa had the distinct feeling that he didn’t mean it.

“Aries, are you certain you can’t marry Caelian off next?” he asked, grabbing a fistful of sugared berries.

He tossed one into the air and caught it in his mouth.

“Her eternal pining over Drake’s general is pitiful.”

Narissa sat up straight, she was quite well-versed in the art of pining.

“Lady Caelian and General Holtstrom would make a fine match.”

Solarius leaned in close, as though he were about to spill a dark secret.

“Except he wants nothing to do with her. Wish magic is dangerous, and Caelian made a foolish mistake.”

Narissa was considering questioning Solarius further on the matter when Ariesian spoke once more.

“I’m afraid I’m busy securing another marriage for our family.” The eldest Starstorm leaned back in his chair, his hands gripping the curving arms until his knuckles whitened, and for a brief moment, it looked as though he was preparing for battle.

“Is that right?” Nyxian’s mischievous gaze landed on Sarelle.

“Whose?”

Ariesian didn’t even blink.

His face was the epitome of calm neutrality when he said, “Yours.”

Nyxian choked on a berry.

He pounded his fist against his chest, then let out one barking cough that closely resembled an incredulous laugh.

“You cannot be serious.”

“Oh, but I am.” Ariesian’s fingers methodically tapped against the glossy wooden armchair.

“Tov is returning to the seas in the spring, and you chose to remain here, in Aeramere. Sarelle is garnering the attention of Prince Aspen.”

He paused then, because everyone at the table knew Sarelle’s interest in Prince Aspen to be a ruse.

“And Caelian expended too much of her power. She’s not allowed to court until she makes a full recovery.” Ariesian notched a finger in Nyxian’s direction.

“That leaves only you, dear brother.”

Narissa wasn’t entirely sure what she expected, but it certainly wasn’t watching Nyxian Starstorm explode on his eldest brother.

“I am not playing into your hand, Ariesian.” Nyxian stood abruptly.

His chair flipped back, and the echo of wood slamming against polished stone reverberated throughout the dining hall.

Anger simmered beneath the surface of his usually carefree facade, and the scar marking the left side of his face only served to make him more menacing.

“You don’t run my life. You are not our father and you never will be, so drop the fucking act.”

Sarelle clamped one hand over her mouth, and it was as though Nyxian’s word cracked his brother’s icy exterior, because Ariesian faltered.

“Nyxian,” Sarelle whispered, her voice a plea as her wild eyes darted between her brothers.

But he ignored her and bolted from the room, a volatile storm of emotions brewing in his wake.

Tovian cleared his throat and calmly set his napkin down on his plate.

“I’ll take care of it.”

He stood and bowed slightly.

“Brothers. Sister. Lady Narissa.”

Then he, too, left, and the dining hall fell eerily silent.

Solarius clicked his tongue and popped one of the sugared berries that rolled across the table into his mouth.

“See, Rissa love? Having siblings isn’t so great after all.”

But he squeezed her thigh, nonetheless.

Ariesian followed Tovian’s suit, his expression solemn, his demeanor stiff and excessively formal.

He offered them a curt bow.

“If you’d excuse me.”

The moment he abandoned the dining hall, Sarelle blew out a breath that sent her star-kissed midnight hair fluttering.

“I am so sorry, Narissa. Their behavior this morning was inexcusable.”

Narissa waved a hand flippantly through the air.

“Think nothing of it.”

In truth, she was almost grateful for the experience.

It pleased her to see that the beloved Starstorms weren’t perfect.

That they were real and raw and sometimes even vulnerable.

But perhaps what she loved most was that they’d chosen to not curb their behavior, her presence had not made difference.

It was almost like they saw her as one of them.

As part of their family.

“Are you staying with us long?” Sarelle asked, drawing Narissa’s attention away from her sentimental thoughts.

“As long as you’d like,” Solarius murmured, his voice a balm to her soul.

“For a while, I believe.” Narissa finally took a bite of her honeyed cakes that had now grown cold.

Sarelle beamed, and the brilliance of her smile was near blinding.

“Lovely! I’ve missed your company.”

Again, Solarius squeezed Narissa’s thigh, his touch now becoming a comfort.

“You have?” Narissa regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

They sounded disbelieving and uncertain.

They made her appear timid and doubtful.

“Of course!” Sarelle didn’t seem to notice.

Instead, her bubbly, if not slightly quirky, personality only seemed to shine even more.

“We are going to have the best time now that you’re here. It will be as though we’re proper sisters.”

Narissa ducked her head.

“You already have sisters.”

“But you do not. Besides, we’re all quite keen to have another female around.” Sarelle licked the last of her pudding off her spoon and stood from the table.

“I hate to leave so soon, especially after the absolute catastrophe that was breakfast, but I do have some errands to run before the ball tonight.”

Now it was Solarius’s turn to choke.

He coughed hard, and Narissa patted him roughly on the back.

“Ball?” he rasped.

“Sol…” Sarelle’s shoulders dropped, and she rolled her eyes to the decadent chandelier above.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten? It’s Winter Solstice.”

Solarius’s head tipped back, and he rubbed at his temples.

“It slipped my mind.”

Whereas he seemed mildly perturbed about the matter, Narissa was attempting to disguise her growing dread.

She had nothing to wear for House Celestine’s yearly Yuletide Ball.

All she had in her possession was the day dress she borrowed from Sarelle.

“All of my belongings are at House Azurvend.” She worried her bottom lip.

It was one thing to not be noticed at balls and dances, it was something else altogether to be entirely underdressed for the occasion.

“Come with me to Celestine! We can go shopping and find you a dress for tonight.” Sarelle’s deep blue eyes glittered with excitement.

“I was going to purchase new gloves, anyway.”

Solarius grabbed Narissa’s hand and pressed a kiss to each of her knuckles.

“Go shopping, Rissa love. I need to speak with Ariesian.”

Narissa stood, but then Solarius caught her by the elbow and dragged his lips over her ear.

“Purchase another pair of those stockings for me while you’re out.”

Her cheeks heated.

“Yes, my lord.”

Sarelle grabbed Narissa’s hand and linked their arms together.

“Don’t worry, dear brother. I shall take good care of your lovely wife.”

“See that you do.”

“So,” Sarelle whispered conspiratorially as they exited the dining hall.

“What color stockings are you going to buy?”

An unexpected bubble of laughter escaped Narissa, and when she tossed a glance over her shoulder, she found Solarius watching her, a well of longing harbored in the depths of his silver eyes.