Page 35

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

N arissa was trying to contain her bubbling anger.

Twenty minutes.

It was twenty minutes past the hour and Solarius was nowhere to be found.

The coach would be arriving any moment to carry them to House Galefell and if he didn’t hurry, they would be late.

Either that, or she would be forced to go without him.

She knew she should have reminded him this morning or at least gone to check on him—she hadn’t seen him since he disappeared after breakfast, claiming he had to go look for something.

Then he’d never returned.

She bit back on the urge to expel a most unladylike sigh.

If she was in her own company, she might have cursed his name.

But alas, Sarelle had opted to join her while she waited for him, and though she was furious, Narissa refused to belittle him in front of his family.

No matter how deserving of it he might be.

She paced the grand hall of House Celestine, her heels clicking softly against the dazzling Faerie Star inlaid in the center of the floor.

Every so often she would twist her fingers together in a show of nerves, then pretend to smooth the pleats of her gown instead.

At the slightest noise, her gaze darted up to the length of hall stretching between the two curving staircases, but Solarius failed to appear.

Impatience gnawed at her and the gruff snorts and whinny of Eponians in the distance warned her she was running out of time.

Narissa knew Solarius was still somewhere within House Celestine.

The bond continued its lazy hum, but each time she reached for him, she was answered with placid silence.

Granted, she could have gone in search of him, but breaking tides, she was not his keeper.

He was a lord of Aeramere, and he should’ve been more than capable of managing his time without her assistance.

It wasn’t her duty to remind of him of when he should be where or ensure he wasn’t tardy.

Besides, he was blatantly ignoring her at this point.

If he truly cared about her traveling to House Galefell on her own, then he would’ve shown up for her as promised.

“I’m sure he’ll be along soon enough.” Sarelle’s soft encouragement did little to ease Narissa’s growing frustration.

“Would you like me to travel with you in his stead?”

The massive doors to the grand hall groaned open just as two ashen gray winged Eponians touched down on the cobblestone drive.

The sound of their hooves echoed across the smooth stone, and though the carriage they pulled was svelte black with gilded edging, it was the skies beyond that drew Narissa’s eye.

Dense winter clouds blanketed the sky, shrouding the tops of the mountains in the distance.

A howling wind whipped through the trees, the whisper of their branches a harsh cry against her ears.

Narissa’s heart plummeted into her stomach.

She hated flying.

“Narissa?” Sarelle asked again, stepping into her line of vision, the blue of her eyes filled with concern.

“Would you like me to go with you?”

“No, I wouldn’t want to trouble you.” Narissa adjusted the pin of her fur-lined cloak, fastening it at the base of her throat.

“It’s only Lady Aria. It will be a quick trip for tea, nothing more.”

She’d had just enough dreamshade to concoct a sleeping draught last night since her personal box of potions had yet to be found.

It would have been easier to give Lady Aria one from her own collection since her supply of dreamshade was dwindling.

The dose she crafted last night was less than what she usually made, but given the circumstances, it would have to do.

“If you’re certain.” Sarelle dropped into a small curtsy, her indigo skirts fanning out around her.

“I shall be waiting for your return. And I will be certain to reprimand my brother for his abhorrent behavior.”

Narissa offered her a pleasant but tight smile.

“You’re a gem.”

She left and did not look back, carrying herself out of House Celestine like a lady whose husband had not just trampled across her heart.

Straightening her spine and lifting her chin to disguise the swell of fear pressing down upon her chest, Narissa took the driver’s proffered hand and stepped into the waiting carriage.

She sank onto the cushioned bench, tucking the edges of her cloak around her for warmth.

The minute the door closed behind her, Narissa’s glossy composure failed.

She rolled her lips, clamping them together to keep the threat of tears at bay.

There was nowhere to keep the damning pearls that would inevitably fall, and Solarius wasn’t there to catch them.

The past few days replayed in her mind, and she analyzed every second, every conversation, determined to figure out how she could have possibly gotten it so wrong.

How could she have been so mistaken?

As of late, Solarius’s actions aligned with the idea of loving her, of protecting her.

Surely he hadn’t changed his mind.

After all, he’d been intent on accompanying her.

They both knew the chances were slim, but there was always the hazard of running into Calfair, especially considering Narissa would be in the city center of Galefell.

She chided herself for being so forgiving, for being too willing to accept him and his flaws.

Her life was far less complicated when she hated Solarius.

When she assumed no good would ever come of their union.

And perhaps she’d been right.

Too often he’d not held true to his word, and too often she believed each time would be different from the last.

For not the first time, he’d chosen something else over her.

Solarius continued to make decisions and live his life without fear of repercussions, while she was left with all the pain of his promises.

Narissa sniffled, squeezing her eyes shut, holding her own hands tight in her lap to keep from crying.

She would not waste any more tears—or pearls—on him.

He at least could have had the decency to tell her he wouldn’t make it, instead of making her look so foolish for waiting for him.

To make matters worse, the flight to House Galefell was horrifying.

While Narissa told herself she had complete faith in her carriage driver, her body’s reaction told her she was one more patch of bumpy air away from plummeting to her doom.

Just like her parents.

The coach jostled through the heavy clouds, each rise and fall on the currents sent Narissa’s pulse racing.

Sometimes it felt as though her heart was stuck in the back of her throat, other times it seemed like it dropped into the pit of her stomach.

She gripped the sleeve of her cloak in her hands, twisting the fabric between her damp palms.

Every inhale was pained, a sweeping agony through her lungs that gave her pause, made her question if this was the perilous, helpless feeling her parents suffered before their carriage tumbled from the sky.

It had been years since their tragic death, and though she could mostly recall their faces, the edges were blurred and the sound of their voices had long since faded from her memory.

Though she missed them fiercely, and often, she was not quite ready to join them among the stars.

Eventually, the thick embankment of clouds dispersed and the skies opened to reveal slivers of icy blue pierced by golden sunlight.

Narissa’s breathing calmed.

Her heart settled.

And by the time the coach touched down on the wide landing streets outside of Galefell, she no longer felt as though she was waiting for death to claim her.

Though apparently how she felt was nothing compared to how she looked, considering Lady Aria’s amber gaze widened in shock the moment Narissa walked into the bustling cafe.

“Lady Narissa,” she breathed, placing a hand to Narissa’s clammy cheek when she sat down across from her, “are you quite well? You look as though you might be ill.”

“It was a rough carriage ride from House Celestine.” She tucked a few fraying waves of hair behind her ear and took another deep, centering breath.

“The winds were rather vicious today.”

“Here.” Lady Aria handed her a pale pink confection that resembled a fluffy cloud topped with a glazed berry.

“I find that sweets often settle my nerves better than any tonic.”

“Thank you.” Narissa bit into the dessert and immediately thought that perhaps she should start carrying a variety of sweets with her for just such an occasion.

The delicate confection had a slightly crisp outer shell, but the insides were whipped magnificence, melting across her tongue and tasting lightly of sugary lemon.

“This is wonderful.”

“It’s one of my favorites.” Lady Aria’s head bobbed in agreement as she sipped a frothy lavender drink.

“I do apologize for the short notice of my invitation. I put the serum I previously purchased from you to good use, though now I’m regretting my decision.”

She lifted two fingers, signaling for another purple drink, and when she faced Narissa again, there was a distinctive shadow in the depths of her rich eyes.

“I fear I may have learned too much about my brother. About how truly merciless and monstrous he is, despite presenting himself as a proper lord of Aeramere.”

The dessert Narissa ate was suddenly too sweet, and her stomach turned, roiling with nausea.

If anyone else found out Calfair drugged Narissa, then bedded her, it would stain her marriage to Solarius.

They would never escape the plague of his misdeed, it would follow them like a shadow the rest of their days.

And Narissa didn’t know if Lady Aria was one to keep secrets—or spread them.

“I…I should have warned you that a truth serum can be incredibly potent.”

She danced around the subject, careful to not appear invested in Calfair’s doings.

But Lady Aria waved off her concerns as another frothy lavender drink appeared before them, this one topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

“Potency is neither here nor there. Did my brother admit he planned on marrying me off to one of the Starstorm brothers? Yes. Did he tell me which one or when? No. But before I could even ask, he started droning on and on about his pets.”

She shuddered, twirling her straw around in her drink while Narissa’s remained untouched, a dollop of cream dripping over the rim.

Narissa had heard rumors about Calfair’s pets, as he called them.

The humans he collected against their will.

Men.

Women.

It made no difference.

He kept them delirious on a concoction of herbs so they no longer knew their own minds, and locked them in rooms in the lowest levels of House Galefell for his own personal entertainment.

Though sometimes other lords and ladies took part in the pleasure the mortals unknowingly provided.

The entire affair was sordid, with Calfair more or less heading a secretive operation where Aeramere’s nobles could partake in wild revelries, releasing their inhibitions for a night of debauchery.

While Calfair claimed his pets were in Aeramere by choice, that they’d agreed to be kept , Narissa knew better.

She’d seen the glazed look in their eyes when they wandered aimlessly throughout the ballroom of House Galefell, she’d witnessed the slightly slack-jawed, dazed expression they wore as though they’d lost control of their minds.

He stripped them of their morality until they were shells, walking husks suitable for an evening of amusement and nothing more.

It was appalling.

Lady Aria dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a napkin, covertly muffling her words.

“I should have known those poor humans weren’t there voluntarily. He admitted as much after ingesting the truth serum. No wonder one or two mortals always mysteriously vanish right before Queen Elowyn closes the Veil at Midsummer.”

The Veil was nothing more than a common glamour put in place by the queen to give the citizens of Aeramere a false sense of security.

But as far as Narissa knew, only the Starstorm family was aware of that well-kept secret.

At least Lady Aria did not seem to have an inkling about the torment her brother inflicted upon her, and for that, Narissa was only slightly grateful.

“I have the sleeping draught you requested.” Narissa tucked it into a sewn-in pocket of her gown for safekeeping.

Immediately, Lady Aria’s demeanor shifted.

A newfound tension bunched along her shoulders, and her eyes flitted about the cafe teeming with Galefell nobles.

She leaned forward across the plate of confectionary sweets, her voice low and sultry.

“Would you mind terribly if we stepped outside to make the exchange?” She smiled, her crimson lips turning up, but they were pinched.

“There are a number of faces I recognize here, and I would hate for word to get back to my brother that I was pocketing potions or tonics. I can’t afford to rouse his suspicions toward me.”

A sensation Narissa understood all too well.

“Of course.” She nodded readily, tossing a haphazard glance over one shoulder to ensure no one was loitering about or pretending to mind their own business.

“Did you have another place in mind?”

“Actually, yes.” Lady Aria stood from her seat, plucking the last cloud-like treat from the plate and popping it into her mouth.

“We can slip out the back and no one will be none the wiser.”

Narissa followed her lead, shaking off the twinge of remorse for leaving the untouched lavender drink behind.

While it looked delicious, she knew a proper cup of tea would be required to soothe her nerves for the return carriage ride home.

She stayed a step or two behind Lady Aria as they wound their way through the darling cafe where the sun catchers dangling from the windows sent rainbows dancing around the space, and the plush, cushioned floor muffled the noise of footfalls.

Lady Aria nodded toward a door at the rear of the cafe, its woodwork engraved with swirls and whorls, then brushed with shimmering blue paint.

She grabbed the crystal handle shaped like matching wings and pushed it open, gesturing for Narissa to come along.

Narissa stepped out into the brilliant yet brisk afternoon when a burning pain pierced the side of her neck.

She gasped, wincing against the sudden sting.

Her balance faltered and she stumbled forward blindly, blinking against the harsh sunlight.

Without warning, the radiance surrounding her ebbed, and the entirety of her world went black.