Page 28 of Starfall

Elias

I t felt good to be back in the arena.

The past few days had knocked me off-balance, and that put it mildly.

Truth be told, I hadn’t allowed myself to think of my mother and her passing.

I’d gone to Clarine to visit weeks before she died, and she’d already possessed the attributes of a ghost; her skin ashen, eyes dulled, almost lifeless.

Under her roof, I’d had rare dreams of when both she and Father had been alive and glowing with health and joy.

My dreams hadn’t fixed a thing. She’d passed, and I arranged the funeral, and not once did I shed a tear. Maybe that meant I was a monster—I probably was.

Only forward .

Forward meant Grace.

I imagined how heavenly she appeared framed in sunshine whenever she woke beside me on the days her father had business out of town. I might not deserve happiness, but I sure as hell wanted it.

Now that I believed Ari was truly a star maiden, optimism blossomed in my chest like a weed.

I’d considered breaking into Grace’s well-guarded home months before to try to convince her to flee the city with me, but that would end with me dead at the hands of one of her father’s guards.

He’d kept her under lock and key since the announcement, and I hadn’t seen her since.

That meant my only hope lay with winning the championship at the festival.

The nagging little voice inside of my head screamed that Grace would never leave. What I’d win at the championship match was nothing to what her new fiancé could provide.

What was I worth?

If I could slap myself across my face, I would—I’d already set all this in motion, and there was no going back. Not trying would haunt me.

I focused my attention on Ari, who stood frozen at my side.

Ari viewed the arena’s stairs warily, those silver eyes narrowed in suspicion.

I didn’t blame her. Since we entered the city, she’d been on edge, subconsciously curling into my body whenever the crowded streets became too much.

My chest had tightened when she sought me for safety, my pulse racing whenever she brushed against me.

Something about seeing her so lost in the frenzy urged me to protect her, and I typically didn’t feel such protectiveness toward just anyone.

And if I had to admit it to myself, she…

awoke something in me. I wasn’t proud I found her attractive, but there it was; the truth.

It didn’t mean I cared about her in a romantic way—it had to be because of her unearthly beauty and cunning mouth.

How she brought out my fire, and distracted me, making me crave our sparring as I blocked out the rest of the world.

She took up all of my attention, leaving me no choice but to focus on the here and now.

I studied her, that ridiculous heat warming my chest. She held her pointed chin high, her face blank.

Yet when I explored closer, I noticed how that chin quivered.

How the muscles in her jaw grew taut. Ari was a contradiction—both frightened and fierce, soft yet guarded when she chose to be.

I thought I’d figured her out, but truthfully, I didn’t know a damned thing about her.

It doesn’t matter. She’ll be gone soon . Why work to get to know someone who will leave in mere days? Losing yet another person would end with pain, and I was so sick and tired of pain.

“Come on, Ari, you’ll be far away from the boss,” I pressed, egging her on so I could get my meeting with Darren over with. “Where’s your sense of adventure, lass? Or are all star maidens so timid?”

She was so very easy to rile, and I enjoyed how her face scrunched in reply.

“My sense of adventure was lost in the river…the one we jumped into from a moving train,” she grumbled, her nose wrinkling.

I laughed, another easy laugh that I hadn’t experienced in a while. “You might have me there,” I admitted.

Her forehead smoothed. “At least you can admit when you’re wrong.”

“Which is rare.”

Ari rolled her eyes. “Keep telling yourself that.” She patted my shoulder condescendingly. “You need to keep that ego alive and well, after all.”

“I don’t have an ego.”

“Stop before you embarrass yourself, brute,” she cut me off, waving a hand before her. “Now, are you going to sit here and bluster? Or are we going to enter the lion’s den?”

I most certainly didn’t have an ego, and I didn’t bluster .

Fine. She wanted to enter Darren’s club? I’d grant her wish.

“Follow me, then, your divineness,” I mocked, beginning the quick march down the steep stairs, the fires on either side heating my exposed skin. The slight burn of the flames reminded me to wipe off any remaining traces of amusement. There was no room for emotions down here.

Soft footfalls fell behind me.

I never took Grace here. I preferred to keep this side of my life separate.

That, and she would have fainted if she’d seen me in the ring.

Once, I’d come home with a bloody nose, the red rivulets streaming down to my chin.

The gory sight of me had her swaying, and I had to reach out and grasp her before she passed out.

Another click sounded and gears shifted when I landed on the last step, the ring in all of its glory in front of me.

More flames sparked and spiraled around the wide circular room the size of three city blocks, the sheer extent of the space meant to intimidate.

Rows and rows of seats would be filled at the next match, though they were hauntingly empty now.

It was too quiet. Something I wasn’t accustomed to.

We stood in the center of the ring where I spent most of my time training or engaging with opponents.

Above our heads was the upper deck, where the rich gambled away their money and drank themselves into a stupor.

Most people couldn’t afford the price of a ticket upstairs, but the various politicians and entrepreneurs enthusiastically spent their coin, and they utilized every amenity it offered.

With a full bar constructed of all glass and a chandelier fashioned of glittering crystals, the lights from the gas lamps bracketing the ring made the upper deck sparkle.

Yet there was a darker, more sensual side of the upper deck.

Various private rooms lined the hallways leading to the main floor, and maroon velvet curtains separated lovers from the outside debauchery.

Those rooms cost extra coin and a bit of your pride.

I’d never partaken in the activities, but if the men or women performing had any issues, I instructed them to come to me.

Customers went too far all the time, foolishly believing something as flimsy as a curtain could protect them if their lust turned dangerous.

Another reason to add to the list of why I loathed people. I did , however, enjoy it when my fists met their faces.

“Holy hellfire. It’s bigger than I pictured.” I took in Ari’s awestruck look. Her mouth parted and her eyes grew comically wide. In the soft light of the flames, I noticed they were even bluer than usual, and my heart gave an odd tug. I hastily twisted away.

“I need to speak with Darren alone, but I know you might want some proper clothes before we head to my place,” I said gruffly, rubbing at my face, attempting to pull myself together. “You look like you’ve been seconds away from ripping it off the entire trip.”

“In my defense, it’s insanely uncomfortable,” she said, scowling.

I made myself take in the garment. It had been one of Mother’s older dresses, packed away from her early years of marriage. Terribly outdated, it weighed an absolute ton. I didn’t want to say anything when Ari complained in the forest, but I’d have cut the bottom half off ages ago.

“We’ll find you something better soon,” I promised, even if the very idea of shopping made me want to pull out my hair. Grace loved to tote me along whenever she traveled about town, and I always bit back my complaints.

I had an odd thought that clothing wouldn’t interest Ari as much as the people and places of this city would. Or sweets. She seemed keen on sweets.

“Thank you, Elias,” she said, her voice slightly raspy. The sound of my name on her lips sent another unexpected flare of warmth barreling into my chest. Eternal below, my damned body reacted, my cock twitching in my trousers.

Distance. I needed to put some healthy distance between us so my brain and…well, other areas didn’t get confused. I cleared my throat, my eyes landing on the highest window in the arena where I’d soon learn my fate. That quickly rid my head of any lingering attraction.

“No problem. A new dress will keep you from complaining,” I finally answered, averting my gaze. My tone had been harsher than I’d meant it, and I suppressed my grimace.

Ari mumbled something under her breath but trailed after as I walked up a narrow aisle of seats and to the arena’s main entrance—a grand foyer consisting of a ticket stand and a ridiculous amount of velvet lounges and chairs.

A few unsmoked cigars sat on trays atop polished wooden tables, and at the center of the space, an ornate set of stairs spiraled upward.

I swallowed thickly. They led to the upper deck… and to Darren’s office.

Ari’s boots echoed in the empty club, and I could practically feel her buzzing with curiosity as we climbed to the top floor.

I realized her silence spoke louder than any of her words.

Hidden just off to the side, a set of stairs paved the way to an arched door.

Darren’s lair—perfectly situated to keep an eye on everything happening in his club.

“Hey there, handsome.”

I twisted on a heel before Darren’s office, and a genuine smile broadened my cheeks.