Page 30 of Heavenly Bodies

CHAPTER THIRTY

Elara traversed one of the dimly lit corridors, Enzo behind her. She pushed away thoughts of their kiss, of her desire for him, the way it had nearly consumed her.

Sofia was all she could think of now.

Her eyes caught on two figures pressed into a shadowy alcove, a man and a woman writhing passionately. Her eyes widened as she glimpsed white, feathered wings protruding from the male, twitching with life. She caught a glimpse of smudged glitter on the man’s cheek and the scent of sandalwood before Enzo fell into step with her.

‘So predictable,’ he muttered, pulling her past the otherwise preoccupied Star.

‘I thought Lias’s wings were a myth,’ she whispered as they rounded the corner.

‘No, and neither is his penchant for fucking anything with a pulse.’

Elara chuckled. ‘And I thought Torra was supposed to be the Star of lust.’

Enzo’s returning smile didn’t quite seem genuine. ‘Like mother like son.’

Elara led Enzo on a sharp right, a shortcut that would take them to the throne room without having to walk through the ballroom once more.

There was only a guest or two milling through the grand corridors, everyone else still within the ballroom, but still they stuck to the shadows, prowling carefully until she reached the throne room doors.

Upon them the carved draguns’ maws stretched open, spewing shadows across a starlit sky, all carved in black and silver relief. The doors would soon be gone, replaced by new doors with renderings of Lukas’s gloambats.

She pressed a hand to the doors.

‘El,’ Enzo said.

She paused, turning. His face was halfway between pleading and an emotion she couldn’t quite identify. ‘Are you sure about this? What if Ariete waits beyond these doors? What if it’s all a trap?’

‘Then it’s a trap. His starlight cannot kill me. And even if anything else he does can, I’ll be damned if I leave Sofia at his mercy.’ She took in his trepidation. ‘You don’t have to come with me,’ she said. ‘You should never have been a part of this, anyway. I promise I won’t think less of you if you go.’

His laugh was empty. ‘I’ll leave you when the Deadlands freeze over.’

Elara tried not to ruminate on his words as she pressed the sapphire jewel clasped in the dragun’s claws, and the doors swung violently open.

Like the ballroom, it was exactly as she remembered. Two thrones sat at the end of the room, the floor a glossy black obsidian that reflected the throne room’s surroundings. A familiar shrouded mirror still leaned against the wall. The only differences now were the black banners that hung from either side of the thrones, with silver gloambats stitched into them.

And at the end of the room were two figures.

One was bound, kneeling, their hands tied.

Elara had already hitched her skirts and drawn her dagger. She started to run, a snarl on her lips.

Because the other figure was reclining on a throne, a black crown upon his head.

She heard flames crackle behind her, and felt a surge of relief at having Enzo at her back.

As she approached, she took in Sofia’s wide, grey gaze, the gag at her mouth, her torn ballgown.

And then Lukas’s bright black eyes, so much darker than she ever remembered, wide in delight, as the shadows on the wall around him swelled into monstrous shapes.

‘Lara. You look more ravishing than ever.’

Her childhood love was unrecognizable. The purple shadows under his eyes were sunken, the black of them bright—almost maniacal. Something wicked pulsed around him, something that her own magick shrank at.

‘Sof,’ she said, rushing to her, ready to cut her bindings. But Lukas snarled, and a shadow wrapped around her wrist. Elara yanked at it, but it remained firm.

Enzo tutted behind her. ‘I’d remove that if I were you,’ he said.

Lukas’s eyes flew to Enzo’s, his nostrils flaring. ‘And who are you?’

‘I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.’ Enzo sauntered forwards, ignoring Elara as he extended a hand to Lukas.

‘King Lukas,’ he replied. ‘You may kiss my hand.’ He held his palm out, slightly downturned.

Enzo smiled, bending forwards, before his own hand flew out and grabbed Lukas’s wrist. In one swift move, the usurper was on the floor, with a dagger that Enzo had concealed beneath his suit jacket unsheathed and at his throat.

‘So this is the betrothed who always left you unsatisfied?’ he said to Elara in a stage whisper. She gave a tentative smile back, before focusing on Sofia once more and giving her shadow-bound wrist another tug.

‘Release her,’ Enzo commanded, his blade pressing in.

Lukas’s hate-filled stare didn’t stray from Enzo’s, but he raised a hand and the tendril of shadow released its grip, immediately drifting away from Elara.

She was instantly at Sofia’s side, embracing her. ‘It’s okay, Sof. We’re getting you out of here tonight, you—’

Enzo relaxed his dagger, and Lukas’s shadows lunged, wrapping around Enzo’s throat. Elara should have known, should have warned him.

But Enzo only gave an amused snort as a flash of light, so bright it lit the whole throne room, blasted the shadows into tatters.

Lukas paled, a truly disgusted look coming on to his face.

‘Oh, Lara. You really chose Helion scum to keep your bed warm?’ His voice dripped with revulsion, and despite her new strength, her stomach coiled.

‘I thought you had better taste.’ He spat at her feet from where he lay sprawled. ‘Lightwhore.’

Enzo lunged before Elara could blink. Lukas flung his magick out, to no avail as it met a sizzling shield of Enzo’s fire.

Enzo’s fist smashed into Lukas’s nose, blood pouring as the Lion became a beast unleashed, his blows finding their mark again and again.

He paused, only to shove his hand in her ex-betrothed’s mouth. Lukas clamped his teeth upon Enzo’s fingers, but Enzo didn’t so much as flinch as he gripped Lukas’s tongue with a hand and pulled it taut.

‘If you ever so much as utter Elara’s name again, I swear to the twelve fucking Stars that I will rip your tongue from your throat and feed it to you.’

Lukas wept, strangled noises coming from his mouth until Enzo let go.

‘You are no king,’ he hissed, raising his dagger once more to commit the final blow.

‘ Stop ,’ Elara implored. And she hated her stupid soft heart and the panic it felt in that moment. Despite how Lukas had betrayed her, what he’d done to Sofia, her kingdom, despite it all she still saw a glimpse of the boy she had once grown up with, and couldn’t watch him die.

Enzo halted instantly. She pressed a hand to his arm, her other arm still around Sofia, who had watched on silently. ‘He’s not worth it.’

Enzo’s shoulders tensed, and then a moment later, he let them slump as he released Lukas.

‘No, you’re not worth it. But you’re marked now, shadowmancer.’ He spat at his feet as Lukas lay there, clutching his bloody nose. ‘And you will let us leave safely.’ He looked behind him. ‘Come on, El. Let’s get out of here.’

Elara heaved Sofia up, her body so weak and fragile, and the two began to move her, when Lukas started to laugh.

It was a cold, terrible laugh, and Elara stilled.

‘What?’ she demanded.

But he only continued to laugh, staring at something behind them.

‘It worked,’ he said, mouth fashioned in a bloody grin.

Elara turned slowly, as Sofia screamed, shaking against her.

And Ariete, the King of Stars, the god of wrath and war, swaggered into the throne room, red starlight trailing behind him.

He gave a wolfish grin as he laid his crimson eyes upon Elara.

‘Hello, lover.’