Page 37 of Starfall

Ari

I gnoring the lingering heaviness in the air after Elias bolted for the bathroom, I ruminated over another…problem.

I would have to face Liv at some point today. After the disastrous encounter in the shop where I all but exposed my secrets, I’d bolted for the door, Liv hot on my heels. She’d called my name, but I ignored her, needing air.

Or, that was the excuse I told myself. In truth, after the high of the fight left me, the brand I’d left on the thug’s arm imprinted in my mind. I still smelled the burnt skin if I closed my eyes.

I had done that. And I couldn’t help but think it wasn’t only because of my magic.

The power I experienced was stronger than the few times I’d used it on Maldia before Lina banned me from practicing.

The energy that had surged within me just before I marked the man forever had been…

infinite. Like I’d just dipped my toe in an endless sea.

The idea that there could be more was terrifying. Only the Eternal had such influence. Not a mere star maiden.

I focused on the soft morning light creeping through the lone window. It spread across Elias’s home, painting the empty counters and shelves in the new day. He displayed nothing of sentimental value; no portraits or color or life. It made me feel hollow and cold.

Colder than I had last night—right after I grabbed his shirt and ran into the bathroom to hide.

Shit . I tried my best to wake up this morning and think about anything other than the ecstasy I’d experienced at his hands. How he’d growled in my mouth as pure pleasure wracked my body.

How many times had I secretly envied the dreamers I watched? I never lingered in such private dreams, but the glimpses I caught heated my cheeks and made my core pulse. Finally finding that release with Elias made me hungry for more.

Which would be impossible.

I only kissed him when the gentle slaps to his face hadn’t worked to free him of his spell. His eyes had glazed over, and his features had gone completely slack, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. The whole thing sent me into a spiraling panic, and I just…reacted.

It began with me climbing into his lap and grasping his jaw. And then I saw his full lips?—

Ugh . I wanted to hide in the bathroom some more, but the bastard had taken it first. No.

I had to adopt a facade of nonchalance. The breakfast I cooked this morning had been me trying.

Elias had quickly agreed that last night was a mistake, and while I smiled and joked with him since he woke, he still didn’t seem like his usual self.

I had to get dressed and as far from Elias as the bond would allow. First, I would see Liv and explain. She hadn’t screamed in horror at the shop, so I hoped I could convince her I was harmless.

The bathroom door opened, and Elias sauntered into his space with a scowl. Dressed in his usual worn trousers and button-down shirt, he stared just over my shoulder as he said, “The bathroom’s free.”

This was going to be a long day.

I sighed heavily and picked myself up. Snagging the brown bag from yesterday’s shopping, I slipped by him and into the bathroom. My chest heaved as I locked the door and rubbed at my temples.

What was wrong with me ?

Resting my hands on the counter, I stared into the mirror, taking in my flushed face and red ears. My silver hair was a tangled mess, and the top few buttons of the borrowed shirt were undone, exposing the swell of my breasts.

I hissed and covered my face with my hands.

If the soul bond wasn’t in place, I would happily stay in this room all day.

A throat cleared from behind the thin door. “We need to leave in half an hour.”

“All right,” I called out, far too chipper. My body was acting obnoxiously human, and I worried my thudding heart would pound right out of my chest.

It’s normal , I thought. It was a physical reaction that will go away soon enough. You don’t actually care about him, not in that way. He was just exceptionally good with his fingers…

“Get yourself together, Ari,” I chastised, glaring at myself in the mirror.

I splashed cold water on my face before eyeing the bag. Trousers and a plain shirt would do—I wasn’t here to impress Elias.

Before I slipped off his shirt, I reached into the breast pocket, brushing the ring my dark stranger had left me. I hadn’t been able to part with it, and my fingers clutched it tightly before I shoved it into my trouser pocket.

My little secret would stay a secret.

On the walk to Darren’s club, Elias’s obvious glances were incessant.

He’d look away whenever I turned, glancing at his shoes or the crowd bustling around us, but I knew he continued to analyze me. For someone so dedicated to Grace , he liked to watch me. A lot.

I grumbled some foul curses beneath my breath, utterly irritated with not only him, but with myself. His attention thoroughly confused me.

“Move!”

Hands shoved into my side, and I let out a yelp of surprise as I plummeted to the cobblestone street. My right palm scraped against the stone, and I scented blood in the air.

When I lifted my head, Elias whirled toward a lanky lad adorning a scuffed-up brown cap.

I gaped as he grabbed the back of the stranger’s collar and yanked him back around.

Elias released him only to fist the front of his shirt, a ferocious rage darkening his eyes until all the yellow flecks vanished.

I sat there on the ground, frozen, staring up at a giant with pure murder in his gaze.

“I think you owe my friend an apology.” Elias seethed, his teeth bared.

I barely felt my body as I fumbled to my feet, wiping the grit of Persh from my hands.

“And I’d make it good, because I swear to all that is holy, I will take delight in ruining that cocky face of yours for ever daring to hurt her. ”

“Elias,” I coaxed, slowly approaching. “Let him go. It’s not worth your energy.” Gently, I grabbed his shoulder, hoping my steady presence eased him off the prick he held aloft.

It had been a bad stumble, but already my scraped palm worked to heal. I felt the skin knit itself back together, the tingling sensation almost like an itch.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t s-see her.” The man’s legs dangled in the air and he sputtered, whimpers leaving his open mouth. Elias didn’t loosen his hold.

“No,” Elias snapped, lifting him higher, his shirt stretching as his muscles rippled with unbridled fury. “Apologize to her .”

Now, the man turned his wild gaze to me. “I’m sorry, all right. S-sorry!”

“Again,” Elias demanded, his teeth almost bared. “I think she deserves better.”

The man’s face grew frighteningly white, but he managed a weak, “I’m sorry.”

Elias dropped him onto the streets with a growl. He didn’t spare me a glance as he marched back into the bedlam, the tendons in his neck straining. I pumped my legs in order to keep up.

What the hell was that? He couldn’t just go around terrifying anyone who pissed him off.

“You have a serious anger problem, you know that?” I called at his back some minutes later. He didn’t turn around. “If I wanted to retaliate, I would’ve. I don’t need you to scare the living daylights out of strangers.”

In one move, I could’ve had that man pleading for mercy. I didn’t need Elias. The fact that he thought he needed to rescue me was absolutely absurd. Not to mention insulting.

He spun around, his face emotionless. “Do you know how many times I’ve witnessed the people of this city hurt or abuse those they deem weaker than them? This might’ve just been a shove, but he meant to knock you over, and he did so because he could . And he didn’t think twice about it.”

My bubbling frustration simmered.

“Yes, I have an anger problem, but I’m still my father’s son in some respects. And I’d like to think he would’ve done the same, if only to discourage that bastard from doing it to someone who’s not as strong as you.”

I thought of what Liv said at the club. She’d told him the girls missed him. At the time, I assumed there had been another meaning behind those words, but now, I understood?—

Elias was their…protector.

I was speechless, torn between berating him for using his imposing strength, and for doing what he thought would make this city safer for the vulnerable citizens who walked its streets.

Maybe Elias’s actions would make the man who shoved me think twice before he lashed out at someone he thought to be weaker.

Not that I particularly enjoyed Elias’s use of violence.

His methods were crude, but where did one draw the line between right and wrong? Not everything was so black and white, and sometimes, people were just a little bit gray.

“Elias…” I stepped into his space, noting the way his chest rose and fell unevenly. He stared down at me, his cold expression slowly morphing, turning softer. Brazenly, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around his arm. His eyes fell to my hand, a muscle in his jaw feathering. “I?—”

“We need to go. We’re already late,” Elias cut me off, twisting away from me before I could protest. He strode down Senna Street, the tips of his ears poking out from beneath his unkempt curls.

They were red, from anger or something else, I didn’t know.

But the way he’d eyed my hand on him spoke volumes.

I affected him.

And not just because of last night.

Following his shadow, I used his bulky frame as a shield against the throngs of people. Everything had turned into a mess, and I switched between glaring at the back of his head to chastising myself.

I couldn’t stop thinking about his hands on my body; how solid and warm they’d felt. How safe I had felt. And that was a serious fucking problem.

When we reached the bakery leading to the secret entrance to Darren’s club, the anxiety of facing Liv overwhelmed my traitorous thoughts of Elias and his wicked touch.

Had Liv told someone what I did? Would I be arrested…

or worse? I pictured the men who had assaulted her.

I could handle my own, especially with my power, but it still didn’t soothe my frayed nerves.

I’d kept the part about branding the men from Elias, mainly because I worried he’d fear me or deny me my opportunity to fix the ritual. Taking that chance felt too risky.

Elias greeted Billy at the back door, though my companion didn’t smile or address the guard with the same friendliness as he had yesterday.

“I need a few minutes to discuss the fight, and then we’ll be off,” Elias said after we’d woven our way through the arena and up to Darren’s office door.

The flames surrounding the arena blazed, and a few men and women who worked the club were busy sweeping the floors in preparation for opening.

I searched for Liv, anxious to get the confrontation over with, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Elias lowered his voice and whispered, “Just wait out here. I’ll be quick.” He wrapped his fingers around the handle, but then went rigid, freezing in place. “Please, don’t talk to anyone. Some people may seem nice, Ari, but you’d be surprised by the ugliness that lies underneath a pretty smile.”

“I can handle it,” I assured him.

He hung his head, his features hidden. “You like me, don’t you? That should tell you that your judgment isn’t sound.”

“Elias, wait—” I rushed to close the distance, but he flung open the door and shut it directly in my face.

My hand fell on the heavy wooden door, slowly sliding down and into a fist. He truly thought so little of himself. I suspected any sort of affection someone offered him would be met with suspicion. I wondered how Grace had gotten through.

At the thought of her, a wave of adrenaline and something foreign washed over me. From what I’d learned, which wasn’t a lot, she hardly seemed his type. She was practically a princess in a tower, a beauty that twisted Elias around her little finger.

It hit me then, the realization?—

Did it make Elias feel worthy that she, of all people, professed her love?

Leaning against the nearest wall, I tapped my foot, wishing I could meet the woman myself. Maybe I’d hate her. It would be worse if I liked her.

I bit the inside of my cheek and tried to focus on the workers, observing as they’d occasionally laugh at a joke the other said. Grace and Elias would be gone from my head soon enough. I would be gone…

Fuck. That stung.

I. Would. Be. Gone.

My breath caught in my throat, and a prickling sensation burned my eyes. Hopelessness tore at my insides, and I struggled to maintain my breathing. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I attempted to blend into the damned wall, to hide from everyone passing. Their eyes on me were too much.

My finger grazed something cold.

The ring.

I shouldn’t be carrying it with me, I knew that. Hell, I never should’ve touched it. Lily would’ve smacked me over such foolishness. But she wasn’t here, and I’d taken it.

I absently traced the stone’s facets.

To Burn.

The man had given me an enchanted ring, the engraving vague and hardly helpful. I shut my eyes while tracing the words, and a peculiar flow of calm soothed my frayed nerves, relaxing my muscles.

It didn’t feel evil. If anything, its presence was a gift. Especially at that moment. If only the white-haired bastard would reveal himself again, but this time, actually tell me what I needed to know.

A great thud shook the wall I rested against, and my eyes shot open. All the peace I found clutching the ring vanished.

Twisting, I craned my neck to peer up at Darren’s window, which reflected the arena floor back at me. The glass had to be some sort of trick mirror.

Another bump, and then Elias’s voice screaming, “Stop!”

I didn’t think. I just burst into motion.

Opening the door before I considered the consequences, I bolted up the steep flight of stairs leading to Darren’s office. The panic in my gut twisted my insides with every inhale and with each step. When I reached the landing, I found myself in a small but luxurious office of gold.

Six pairs of stunned eyes turned to greet me.

Including a brilliant pair of blue eyes, overflowing with tears.

Liv.