Page 34 of Starfall

Elias

A ri and I said our goodbyes to Liv outside of Madame Catriona’s shop.

My friend’s face had paled as she trailed behind Ari, who trained her attention on her boots—new ones, by the shiny quality of the leather.

Before I could ask how much of my money Liv had spent, she tossed me the coin pouch and blurted out that Darren needed her back at the club: an obvious lie, as she rarely worked weekdays, and certainly not so early.

I barely said goodbye before she rushed off. It wasn’t like I was keen on discussing my interaction with Grace. Liv loathed her.

Ari didn’t take my offered hand this time before we wormed our way back into the crowd, and she didn’t ask where we headed.

She didn’t say or ask anything at all, not even when we passed a talented street performer belting out a melancholy northern song, his voice an eerie melody that attracted quite the crowd.

Something horrible must’ve happened back at the shop. That was the only reason Liv would’ve raced off, and why Ari now walked in a daze at my side. Maybe she’d share once we rested in the safety of my apartment.

Located in the Ivy Quarter, my single room apartment with a private bath sat on the second story in a marble building a mile away from Darren’s club.

The quarter’s name arose from the hungry ivy leaves that clung to the walls of homes and shops, the foliage so thick and quick to grow that it often covered the doors and windows before the owners had the chance to trim it.

“Through here.” I ushered Ari through the main entrance of my building and past a simple stone courtyard overflowing with wild leaves and blooms. Her eyes never left the ground.

I sighed through my nose, frustrated by her sour mood, and uncertain how to change it.

I didn’t much care for this version of the star maiden.

She hadn’t teased me once , and Eternal below, I needed her to tease me now.

I…I wanted her to say something . Anything would do to change the way my stomach knotted, confusion and unease working together to make my skin crawl.

Ari diligently followed me up a winding staircase to the second story, where my apartment waited for us at the very end of a long hall. I untucked the small brass key that hung from a thick chain around my neck and slid it into the lock.

I nearly burst with curiosity when Ari shuffled inside and took a seat on one of the mismatched chairs set up to the left of my tiny kitchen.

If she reached behind her, she’d be able to touch the bed.

I waited, expecting a quip about the size.

A snarky comment about being able to cook from bed.

A critique regarding my minimalistic design.

All she did was scan my space with a detached look.

There wasn’t much to it; a double mattress, a second-hand wooden table and chairs, and an empty side table I’d saved from the rubbish.

Not even a tapestry hung on the wall. In fact, the only thing of value was the red ribbon tied around one of the iron bedposts.

Grace gave it to me one morning before she snuck back into her quarter.

“So you’re never not dreaming about me,” she’d said with a sly smirk.

Over the next months, she’d become exceptionally territorial.

She said it was because she cared. Now, gazing at that ribbon, my heart sank into my stomach; I saw blood when I looked at it, the color too stark in my simple home .

A part of me—the one heartsick from looking at a piece of what we used to be—wished to snatch it off the post and toss it aside. Not surprisingly, I let it be.

Ari gradually turned her attention to me, dark circles below her eyes. I forgot about the damned ribbon.

“You haven’t spoken a word since we left the shop.

” I bolted the door shut and took my place at the table.

She didn’t look up. Eternal below, her apathy grated on my last nerve.

Why couldn’t she just tell me what ailed her?

“What’s wrong?” I asked, flinching at the harshness of my tone.

I just wanted her to talk. There was a chance that I could help.

Fix something for once, even if it wasn’t my own life.

Slowly, her eyes lifted to mine. Fuck . That single, heartbroken look robbed me of air, my breath hitching audibly in the small room.

“Tell me, lass.” I leaned forward, studying her every twitch, inhale, and delicate swallow. “I know something happened. I’ve never seen Liv so quiet. She would’ve been bragging about her fashion expertise. The woman loves to spend my money.”

Not a word.

I reached across the table before I could think better of it.

The second my hands enfolded her small ones, a jolt passed between us, a shock of electricity that had her silver eyes flashing.

I stopped breathing properly, my hand continuing to tingle.

Just touching her turned my body into a living spark.

“Ari,” I whispered, her name coming out softly, the soothing quality surprising even myself.

Her hands were so smooth in my callused ones, and my thumb rubbed tiny circles meant to calm.

Touching her this way felt intimate, yet I couldn’t command myself to stop.

I had to comfort her, right? She was my way to get to Grace and to all the unanswered questions.

Grace. Who rode off on you without another look. Just like she did the night she told you about her wedding…

The ugly thought lingered; a dark cloud that gave me pause. If Grace wanted to contact me, she would have found a way. I would have.

And there it was—reality. I hadn’t permitted myself to face it, but Grace turning her cheek today and riding off, barely reacting to my presence…it was an answer. Maybe not the whole answer, but it hinted at a semblance of a truth. And how I had responded?—

That confused me even more.

“Men came for Liv,” Ari murmured, jerking me from my thoughts. Fury ignited her eyes. “Something to do with a debt. Liv said she needed more time, that her rent had gone up, but she’d have the money soon. They left soon afterward.”

I bit into the side of my cheek to force down a growl. Darren paid his workers next to nothing, let alone a living wage. Liv should’ve known I’d cover any debts she might have accrued. I always had in the past. But I hadn’t been here at the time she needed me; I’d been in Clarine.

You weren’t there for her , either, I thought, my mother’s face flickering like a weak flame.

I needed to go to the ring, and soon.

“And these men, did they do anything to her? To you ?” I asked carefully, seconds away from allowing my temper free rein.

As it was, I barely held on, my muscles tensing with the urge to hunt down those fuckers.

I’d barge into enemy territory if they harmed Liv.

She was decent and kind, and one of the few I’d ever allowed to see me shed a tear.

And if they’d hurt Ari…

I gripped the table with my free hand, my teeth grinding together. I’d make sure no one found the pricks again. At least not with all their limbs attached.

“Ari…” I warned, waiting to see if I was about to ruin lives. The need to protect her had intensified, shifting into an obsession. It had grown worse with every second since she nearly drowned.

Ari’s nostrils flared, her eyes briefly squeezing tight in frustration. “I stopped them before they could hurt her. I used my power.” She let out a weak laugh. “Apparently, it works here in the mortal realm. My ability to control. They parroted every word I said right back to me.”

Relief flooded me. She hadn’t been hurt, and I hadn’t let her down.

It looked like I didn’t have to commit murder after all. Then again, there was always tomorrow.

“It works?” I asked. Ari just nodded in reply.

“Then we can use it to our advantage against my opponent.” Who Darren had yet to announce.

He had to be formidable if we were paired for the championship fight, and I wasn’t above cheating to win the coins I’d need to start a new life.

I’d win and get to Grace, and… shit , was it closure I sought now?

My mind warred with itself, overanalyzing every detail, arguing if I held onto false hope or if Grace still wanted to be free of the marriage.

If I still cared as much as I had days before. That last part concerned me the most.

With Ari’s magic, I would find out everything.

She’d simply tell the fighter to lose the match, and then it would be almost too easy to get into the Bleeding Hearts’ Tent.

“There’s more…” Ari swallowed thickly. I tracked the movement, alarm bells ringing in my ears.

“Yes?” My fingers squeezed hers, wordlessly lending her support in the best way I could think of. I enjoyed how cold her fingers were; it made a rush of energy run up my arms.

Ari glanced at our hands, her brow furrowing. When she slipped hers free, crossing her arms, an odd sort of throbbing took up residence in my chest. The tingling that had spread up my hands vanished, along with that bolt of pure energy. I curled my fingers together when they twitched.

“I saw something else today.” She shook her head and rubbed at her temples. “A man appeared to me. I wanted to think I’d been having dreams of him, and that he wasn’t real, but he showed up in the dressing room. He?—”

“A man approached you in your dressing room?” I leaned back and held onto the seat’s armrests to keep from jumping up. I never should have left her alone without my protection. Who the fuck would dare?—

“Calm yourself, brute,” she said, a hint of a smile showing before her lips tugged down. “It wasn’t a normal man. But he didn’t act like the Eternal either. He presented himself in a mirror, actually.”

A mirror?

“So, he’s another powerful entity?” I asked. Using such magic had to mean he wasn’t some average mortal.