Page 21 of Frozen Star (Star Touched: Fae Bound #7)

The doors to the human wing are a warm wood, and they’re already open, revealing similarly lighter halls with bright tapestries along the walls.

No bodies are scattered about like in the rest of the palace. Still, I continue onward, calling Zoey’s name and stopping at each open door to see if anyone’s inside. A library, a dining hall, a billiards room, a foyer… all of them are empty.

Finally, a winter knight emerges from a side corridor, bloodied sword in hand, ice crystals gleaming along the blade. “Your Highnesses,” he addresses Riven and me with a brisk salute. “The humans are secured in the courtyard.”

I tighten my grip around the Star Disc. “How many?”

“Ten,” he replies. “Seven females and three males, all in their teens and twenties. They were frightened when we arrived, but unharmed.”

Seven females.

The number echoes in my mind as we follow the knight to the courtyard and burst through the open doors, sunlight washing over us.

Like the rest of the palace, the space is beautiful.

There are multiple fountains spread throughout it, each one bubbling with blood.

Round stone tables serve as places to eat and socialize.

There’s even a garden plot off to the side.

The tall stone walls are the only reminder that this place is a cage for the human pets who are currently huddled together near the central fountain.

They’re wearing silk nightclothes, and they look shell-shocked, their eyes wide with fear and confusion.

My stomach drops immediately. Because Zoey isn’t among them.

“She’s not here,” I whisper as bloodied water from the fountains churns and rises, spiraling upward. “Riven, she’s not here.”

His arm wraps around my waist, frost spreading beneath our feet. “That doesn’t mean she’s dead,” he says, but I can hear the fear threading his voice and feel it through the bond. “There could be other places?—”

“No.” I shake him off and step forward, scanning the courtyard as if Zoey might step out from behind a tree or pop out of the garden plot.

She had a phase where she obsessively took care of a garden she forced her parents to put behind their house. But, as was typical of her, she lost interest before the vegetables ripened enough to eat.

“I’m looking for someone,” I tell the humans gathered at the fountain. “Zoey Madison. She’s my best friend. I need to find her.”

The humans exchange uncomfortable glances, some stepping back as if my presence terrifies them.

Which, to be fair, it should. A few look genuinely confused, but others have that careful blankness I recognize from the time I spent in the Winter Court before Riven’s father drank the potion that restored his sanity.

It’s the look of people who know something important, but are afraid to speak.

Riven steps forward, his voice taking on the formal authority of his royal training.

“I’m Prince Riven Draevor of the Winter and Summer Courts,” he announces, his eyes sweeping over the group.

“This is Princess Sapphire Hayes Fairmont Solandriel Draevor of the Summer Court, the Winter Court, the New York Vampire Clan, and the star touched warrior of Celeste. We’ve ended the Night Court’s reign and are freeing you from captivity. ”

“We’re here to help,” I add, softening my voice despite the panic clawing at my throat. “If you know anything about Zoey—dark hair, hazel eyes, about five feet four inches tall—I’m begging you to tell me. She would have arrived here a few weeks ago.”

Assuming Aerix took her straight here and didn’t do who knows what with her in the woods before then.

I swallow down the thought, unsure which possibility would be worse.

Finally, a young girl with dark hair and intelligent eyes steps forward and meets my gaze without flinching.

“You know Zoey?” I ask hopefully.

“I do.” She barely moves as she speaks, her gaze locked on mine.

Something about her makes me uneasy, but I push the feeling aside, since I can easily defend myself if she’s stupid enough to attack.

Another girl moves to stand beside her. Beautiful and blonde, with aristocratic features, she could almost pass as a fae. But from the way her body is angled toward the smaller, younger girl, it’s clear who’s in charge between the two of them.

“Is Zoey alive?” I ask the younger girl, desperate for her to tell me something. Anything. If she doesn’t, then…

The Star Disc hums in my hand.

If this girl refuses to speak, I’m going to have to make her speak. I don’t want to do it, but I will. Anything to get to Zoey.

“She is,” she confirms, not breaking eye contact.

Relief rushes through me, and for a second, I nearly stumble. Because Zoey’s alive. But the relief is quickly replaced by confusion and caution.

“If she’s alive, why isn’t she here with the rest of you?” I ask.

The dark-haired girl tilts her head, studying me with those unnervingly intelligent eyes of hers. “My name is Isla,” she says, steady and clear, even though I hadn’t asked for an introduction. “And Zoey isn’t here because she doesn’t live in the human wing anymore.”

Ice spreads beneath my feet as my magic responds to the spike of fear in my chest. “Why wouldn’t she be in the human wing anymore?” I ask, the ice melting and sizzling as it boils into the air.

Isla exchanges a meaningful look with the blonde, then returns her focus to me. “Prince Aerix claimed Zoey as his consort,” she says, as if it’s a perfectly normal thing to tell someone.

“What do you mean by consort?” A dangerous edge creeps into my tone, and some of the boiling bloody water in the large fountain bubbles over the ledge and onto the ground.

The humans closest to it step away, but I barely pay attention to them, since Isla is clearly the most willing person here to share information.

“Is Zoey with Aerix right now?” I press.

“Possibly,” Isla says, her body barely moving as she speaks. “I can’t say for sure where he is, but I do know where Zoey is.”

“Then tell me where I can find her.” I raise the Star Disc, and finally, Isla has the sense to flinch and step back.

She recovers quickly, lifting her chin and meeting my gaze again, defiant and calm. “She’s somewhere safe,” she says, although her tone suggests there’s more to it. “But before I tell you exactly where that is, I want to discuss terms.”

“Terms?” Riven’s voice drops to a dangerous growl, frost spreading outward from where he stands. “My wife threatened you with a weapon forged from starlight, and you want to negotiate?”

Despite our current predicament, it’s impossible to ignore the way my heart beats faster every time Riven refers to me as his wife. My cheeks warm, and given the heated look he shoots my way, I know he can feel it through the bond.

Focus, I tell myself.

I can melt at Riven’s feet after we rescue Zoey and bring her to safety.

Isla straightens, even as some of the other humans shift nervously behind her.

“I want to negotiate because I have something you need, and you have something we need,” she says, sounding more fae than human. “We’re not your enemies. In fact, I’ve offered Zoey kindness and help since she’s arrived. She’d want you to trust me enough to hear me out.”

“It’s true,” the blonde standing next to Isla chimes in. “Isla helped Zoey when she needed it most.”

I step closer to Riven, my Star Disc raised. “Continue,” I say to Isla, not taking my eyes off her.

“I know where Zoey is,” she repeats. “I can take you to her. In exchange, I want safe passage and sanctuary in the Summer Court for all of us.” She gestures to the group of humans huddled by the fountain.

“We want to live as free citizens under Queen Lysandra’s protection—not as pets of the Night Court or prisoners of the Winter Court. ”

A few of the humans exchange worried glances, and a young man with sandy hair speaks up, his voice shaking.

“We don’t know anything about the Summer Court,” he says to Isla.

“What if it’s just another kind of prison?” adds a beautiful, curvy blonde girl.

“I know about the Summer Court,” Isla cuts off the chatter. “They don’t lock humans in barns and palace wings. And given that the winter knights told us the Night Court has been obliterated, I think we’d be far better off in the Summer Court than staying here.”

“Back up.” I blink, holding up a hand to stop her. “Did you just say barns? Is that where Zoey is? In some sort of barn?”

“Yes, barns.” Isla gives me a small, chilling smile. “But Zoey isn’t there. She’s somewhere else. Somewhere protected. Somewhere special, where she’s been elevated above the rest of us.”

I can’t take her smug, secretive attitude anymore. I just can’t.

So, I release the Star Disc at an angle that leaves inches between it and Isla’s bicep as it flies toward the fountain and buries itself in the stone.

Isla releases a startled gasp and feels her arm for injuries, even though there are none.

The beautiful blonde steps to her side, as if she could actually protect her friend from me.

“How about this for a deal.” I call the Star Disc back into my waiting palm, smiling from the impressed gasps the humans release. “Bring us to Zoey, and we’ll let you live.”

Riven smirks, his gaze locked on Isla. “When Sapphire starts throwing sharp objects, agreeing with her is the smart move,” he says. “Although by all means, keep testing her patience. Watching her terrify people is one of my favorite forms of entertainment.”

I can think of a few other forms of entertainment he enjoys far, far more, but those will be saved for later, when we’re back home.

Home, the word echoes through my mind. Because what even is home anymore? It’s certainly not Presque Isle. So, is it the Summer Court? The Winter Court? Somewhere else entirely?

One glance at Riven’s heated gaze is the only answer I need. Because my home isn’t a physical place.

My home is with him.

Which technically means I’m home right now. But this isn’t the time or place to play mental semantics. So, I step closer to Isla and call on my ice magic, allowing a thin sheen of frost to crawl from the ground where I’m standing toward her feet.

Isla’s controlled expression cracks, fear flickering across her features as she stares at the Star Disc in my hand.

The blonde beside her takes another step back, her face pale.

“All right.” Isla raises her hands in surrender. “No need for more demonstrations. Stand down, and I’ll take you to Zoey.”