Page 31 of Starfall

“Ha!” Liv nearly choked on a breath of air, her gorgeous curls bouncing down her back like perfectly coiled ribbons.

“I’m surprised he hasn’t talked your ear off about it.

He’s Darren’s top fighter, which is a double-edged sword.

” Liv’s features grew solemn. “Boss isn’t the easiest, and if Elias has a bad night or the match doesn’t end the way he wants, he’ll take it out on him.

The last time was a few months ago when Elias didn’t throw the fight, and Alecks McGinnis had a lot of money riding on his loss.

Darren lost his shit and almost killed Elias for it. ”

I shivered, and it had nothing to do with the chill wafting in from outside.

“What did he do to him?” My words were coated with glass, and my chest gave an unexpected squeeze. It had to be the soul bond making me protective over him.

Liv avoided my stare. “Broke three ribs, nearly fractured his jaw. His eyes were sealed shut for days.”

I wanted to meet this Darren and deliver my own method of divine punishment. Elias might vex me, but he didn’t deserve that . No one did. I despised bullies. I’d observed far too many dreamers who took sick pleasure in belittling and destroying the flames of hope in their victims.

“Why doesn’t he leave? Why take the abuse?”

“Because men like Elias need the fight, Silver. When a person carries so much rage inside of themselves, they have to release it somehow. Fighting is Elias’s way. To him, dealing with Darren is worth it.”

His father. What he confessed beneath the fallen trees.

All that guilt had twisted him.

Liv cleared her throat and plastered on a smile that strained at the sides. “Let’s try these on and see if I was right about the color,” she said, a little too cheery. “It will make your hair pop.” Her amber eyes narrowed. “I’ll get the secret to your hair color by the end of the night.”

“I promise, it’s natural?—”

Liv wagged her finger at me, stopping my protest. I sighed in defeat, following the glamorous woman to the dressing rooms. On the way, I snagged one of those fancy tailored brocade suits I’d spotted a few women wearing out on the streets. I tucked it to my chest like a prize.

Liv unceremoniously shoved me into a curtained room with a silver floor-length mirror. “Come out when you’re done,” she insisted, hanging up her selections on metal hooks. “And don’t be shy.” With a wink, Liv slipped past the curtain.

Left alone with an armful of dresses and my chaotic thoughts, I scanned the dusty pink walls and the leaning mirror. Only a single gas lamp illuminated the space.

I took myself in for the first time in days.

Eternal above, I was a mess. My hair hung about my face in a tangled mess, the ends stiff and dry. I’d have to bathe. Soon .

My eyes were equally foreign.

I gasped when I brought my nose to the mirror’s smooth surface, taking in the strange blue flecks lining the silver. Anxiety washed through me at the sight, and no matter how hard I prayed the color away, it remained.

Was the change a result of being here on Earth? Or perhaps I saw things that weren’t there in the dim, gloomy dressing room. But it wasn’t just my eyes that churned my panic.

The mirror…

I jumped back, my heart hammering against my ribs.

The silver mirror— moved , a fine mist swirling across its smooth surface. I blinked, both transfixed and terrified by the sight.

Hello again, little star.

A scream lodged in my throat when a silhouette of a man took shape. But unlike the other times he haunted me, his face was free of shadows.

Him . The man from my dreams.

“You,” I muttered, my hands shaking at my sides. I staggered back, my boot catching the end of the curtain. My arm flung out as I sought the wall’s support, and the world rocked dangerously as the man trapped in the mirror grinned.

He was the most stunning person I’d ever beheld. And how his canines poked into his bottom lip in a wickedly victorious smile, he knew it.

Impossibly tall, he cut a lean figure clothed in all black.

My eyes trailed up from his polished boots to his cuffed shirt, his crossed arms exposing his rippling muscles.

And his face… The man was all angles and cutting edges, his eyes the shade of gold that contrasted with his hair, which shone a sh ocking white.

His straight, regal nose wrinkled at my appraisal, and his full lips screwed up into a cunning smirk.

There wasn’t a single soft thing about him, and all of his severity trained on me.

I told you not to come here, he chastised with a grin, as if he’d expected me to defy him and enjoyed my rebellion . Still, I knew you would. Can’t say I didn’t goad you into it, either.

My lips thinned at his audacity. Whatever he was, he knew nothing of me. Not truly. Watching someone wasn’t the same as knowing them.

His striking eyes sparkled like liquid gold as he appraised me. I’ve never seen such a brilliant soul before, he mused. You’re perfect. His last words echoed, his stare darkening.

I tried to focus on what he’d said, but he’d thoroughly undid me with the way he observed me. It was too intense, too much . Seeing his face—so cruelly beautiful—rendered me almost speechless.

Little star? He asked, his brows pulling together.

I tried to shuffle away, to escape the dressing room, but my legs didn’t seem to work. I knew what he’d done before I asked.

“What is this?” I hissed, my heart dropping into my stomach. A mortal curse slipped free when I attempted to lift my hand. Physically, I couldn’t move so much as an inch; it had to be the same magic he’d used to hold me in place during his first visit.

I need your attention, and I didn’t want you to run , he said simply by way of explanation, his stare dropping boldly down my form.

He paused for longer than necessary on my curves before lifting to my face.

My powers should be enough to convince you I’m not from the mortal realm, but I suspect you want more.

You don’t seem like the type to settle for anything less than everything .

“Let me go,” I seethed, clenching and unclenching my fingers; they were all I could control. Bile rose and my throat tightened. Black spots clouded my sight, and a wave of dizziness made me feel faint.

The man’s smirk fell, and I swore the phantom weights holding me down lightened.

I won’t hurt you, he said firmly. It’s just been difficult to get you alone, and stealing into dreams has never been an easy task for me. He reached out like he could slip through the glass. I watched as his fingertip struck the invisible barrier. You still seem upset .

A delirious laugh escaped me. “Upset? Obviously, I’m upset! I can’t move, and you’ve been following me for days, spewing lies.” Why couldn’t he find someone else to stalk?

The man peered to the side, away from me. I watched the thick column of his neck bob.

I’m trying to save you, Ari. All I ask is that you aid me with my own undertaking. He sobered, finally turning his head to face me. I shivered at how easily his gaze turned to ice.

“Then at least tell me who and what you are. You want me to trust you? That might be a good place to start.”

At that, some of the sparkle in his gold eyes returned. I’m the end of all things. The beginning of death. The end of it. I am everything humans fear, and yet, know nothing about.

I swallowed hard, beads of sweat trickling from my brow. I cursed how my heart raced, the thudding of panic evident in my chest. It beat so loudly I swore he heard.

Does that scare you, little star ? He asked, studying me intently. A few wisps of shocking white slipped across his ethereal eyes, making him appear almost boyish. You asked for the truth, and it is who I am.

I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs that he didn’t scare me, but I’d be a liar.

“The Eternal is who you’re d-describing,” I argued, grimacing at how weak it sounded. There weren’t many texts available about the Eternal and death. Just the knowledge that he ruled over our souls when our mortal bodies died.

I shouldn’t be surprised you believe that.

He straightened, rolling back his shoulders as if irritated by my devotion.

A muscle ticked in his jaw, those sharp eyes turning into weapons all on their own.

The Eternal — he growled out the title— is a liar and a murderer, and I’m going to expose him.

You and I will expose him. He only needs one more star maiden and their power to ? —

“Silver!” Liv’s voice shattered the illusion .

I jumped in place, stunned by my freedom. He must have released me.

With my heart in my stomach, I whirled around to grasp the curtain before she could whip it back. She wasn’t a part of whatever fight this stranger wished to bring to the world. To me .

“I’m almost done!” I shouted, my heartbeat wild. “Give me a second!”

“Well, hurry up! I’m starving.”

Slowly, I turned back to the mirror.

Our time is up. For now. He quirked one corner of his lush mouth upward. He appeared almost saddened by the words. But before I go …

This time, when he reached for the glass, his hand slipped through.

The shock of the act froze my limbs better than any dark magic. I fixated upon his hand, which he slowly closed into a fist. My first gift to you, Ari . You’ll know exactly when you need it.

“Hurry!” Liv demanded, about to pull the curtain back and expose me—talking to a man in a fucking mirror. I angled around to hold the curtain in place.

I planned to tell my stranger to get the hell away from me, but when I gazed upon the mirror’s silvery surface, I saw only myself.

He was gone… But he’d left something behind.

On the floor lay an oval onyx ring, the gemstone modest but gleaming.

My hands shook as I picked it up and brought it before my eyes. The simple silver was smooth and polished—all except for the two words that were etched on the inside of the band in fancy, looping script.

To Burn