Page 50 of Starfall

When he visited me the first time, he claimed the Eternal had lied to me all my life, and that only he could help save me from this ritual gone awry. This visit, however, he had seemed softer, his aim solely on getting me to drink whatever concoction he’d brought.

Using so much of my power hurt you.

The words assaulted me, the blurry memory of him speaking them returning in a rush.

And I drank from the vial. Without question or a fight.

I squeezed my eyes tight, attempting to remember what else he said. Something about the Eternal hunting him? About me being special, what the Eternal needed to…to what? I couldn’t recall the details, and I had a feeling Xavier held much back.

All this mystery seemed rather unnecessary. If Xavier desired my help, he could choose a time when he could relay all the information. I grew tired of guessing.

I flexed my hands and stretched out my legs. They felt normal, my head surprisingly clear. If that vial had been poison, then surely it would’ve killed me by now, not made me feel better .

“Ugh.” Sinking to the ground, I scooted until my back pressed against the wall. I brought my hands to my face and blocked out the world and the reminders of my own naivety.

In truth, I was naive. How could I not be having grown up on Maldia, secluded from the world? Yet if I was to survive long enough to finish the ritual, then I had to develop some sort of sense. And quickly.

Easier said than done .

“He could’ve killed you,” I mumbled. But he hadn’t. He could’ve slit my throat right then and there with sickening ease. He wanted me alive and well, but he also had an ulterior motive.

I had two options, and I didn’t like either.

Xavier could be a demon in disguise, a test placed before me by the Eternal, or he might not be the enemy I believed him to be. He could actually be speaking the truth.

On Maldia, there was always an answer, and it came from the lips of either the Eternal and his sacred texts or Mistress Lina. On Earth, I just had myself. And I was beginning to think I wasn’t nearly good enough.

I’d finally lifted myself off the floor, my pity party at an end. Pacing hadn’t helped, and squeezing my eyes shut, trying to recall any detail I might’ve missed from Xavier’s visit, had brought me nowhere.

Don’t think, just feel . Be like the humans. Allow your heart or gut or whatever they follow to lead you.

I placed my hands over my heart, willing it to speak. It merely thudded in reply.

Useless.

The door creaked before it swung open, the jarring sound in the quiet room nearly making me jump a foot in the air like a skittish mare.

I knew without looking who hovered over me. The hair on my nape rose, and a slight shiver worked down my body. He didn’t speak, but I heard his heaving breaths. He must’ve just finished practice.

“Elias.”

His eyes seared into mine as his every muscle went taut.

He wore his boxing shorts, the silk material clinging to his glistening skin in a way that had the tips of my ears burning red.

He noticed where my gaze traveled, and he hastily turned his cheek, allowing me to notice the bruises and scrapes marking his face.

Darren must’ve worked him hard today.

Elias closed the door behind him and ran his fingers through his damp hair. The movement exposed a small tattoo I’d never seen hiding on the underside of his biceps.

I went utterly still, frozen by the sight.

Three triangles with their tips meeting at a single point.

Just like the mark I’d left on Charlie’s men.

“You didn’t wake when I came in here to check on you a few hours ago. I thought you needed the peace,” he said, moving to the vanity and resting his weight on it with both hands. He didn’t see how my lips parted or how a cold sweat began to slick my brow.

“W-what’s that?” I couldn’t take my eyes off the tattoo. All the air in my lungs had vanished, and they strained to expand. I hadn’t been raised to believe in coincidences.

Elias’s grip on the vanity tightened, his knuckles turning white. “What’s what?” he asked, sighing deeply before facing me.

I couldn’t tear my eyes from the symbol. “Your tattoo. What does it mean?”

Elias’s brows knitted together at the question. “It’s a symbol from the north, where my father was born. It represents the mind, soul, and balance. All that nonsense.” He shrugged. “I got it a year ago when I had too much to drink.”

I took an uneasy step closer. Elias took one back. “Why haven’t I seen that symbol before?” I would have seen it at least once in a dream, right?

“The mark is older than the realm itself. My father studied history before he met my mother. Most people have forgotten the old ways.” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you all right?”

No, I wasn’t. Far from it.

I hadn’t thought much about the mark I’d left behind that day, believing it had something to do with my power. A consequence of using it in the mortal realm.

I was eager to believe anything that made sense. Truth or not.

Elias continued to stare at me while he snagged his shirt and slung it over his head, pulling it across his broad shoulders. His muscles rippled, his stomach tensing before the fabric covered his chest.

My cheeks flamed, and I hastily looked down.

“You look better,” he said once fully dressed. His tone was stiff and detached, and it absolutely crushed me. He grabbed his trousers and pulled them up and over his shorts.

“I’m not,” I said, my hands shaking. I shoved them into my pockets.

His right eye twitched. “Tell me, Ari. Please.”

Either I was a terrible liar or he was exceptional at reading people. I’d bet it was the former.

Elias cocked a brow, waiting. He wanted to know if I’d reveal what plagued me. If I would open up and let down my walls. I’d already lied to him about Xavier and the ring he gave me. Did I really want to keep Xavier’s newest visit a secret, too?

The answer came to me like a swift punch to the gut.

“I thought it was a dream,” I blurted out. “But he came to me when I was sleeping today. Or, he woke me, I mean.”

No, I didn’t want to hide from Elias. I didn’t like secrets; they led to pain, and causing such a wicked emotion wasn’t my goal. All I could do was trust the man before me and follow the path I’d originally set upon.

Then stop changing your mind . Yes, I had to remain firm from now on.

Elias tilted his head in confusion when I held out the box for him to inspect. His stare didn’t waver from mine when he reached for it, taking the package from my outstretched hand.

“A mask?” He asked once he’d lifted the gleaming piece of craftsmanship from the wrappings.

“There’s a note too,” I added gently, nodding my chin to the floor where I let it fall. I suspected Elias wouldn’t be pleased.

Bending down, the mask secured in his other hand, Elias retrieved the slip of paper. I held my breath as he read, watching as his eyes tapered into suspicious slits.

“ See the truth ? What the hell does that mean? And I’m assuming X is for the mysterious Xavier.” He tossed the box with the mask on the vanity, and I hissed at the impact. He shifted his focus to me, staring at me with such intensity, that I felt it well beneath my skin.

“I suppose I’ll find out the meaning of the note soon enough. Just like with the ring.” I eased closer, examining the gift while Elias sneered at the note. “It appears to be on theme with the festival, so I imagine that’s where he wants me to go.”

A flash of panic blazed across his eyes.

“We shouldn’t go then. If this Xavier—who I certainly don’t trust—is luring you there, the right call would be to avoid the festival at all costs,” Elias insisted, closing the gap between us.

Still, he didn’t quite look at me. “I’ll make up another excuse for Darren. ”

“ Another excuse?” I asked.

“Yeah, I told him I wasn’t feeling well, and needed to leave early today.” He swallowed hard. “I knew you were exhausted, and didn’t want you to have to wait in this room for another few hours. You could hardly keep your head up this morning.”

That was…sweet.

But it wouldn’t do.

“I appreciate that, really, but we need to go. I need to go and find out what Xavier is after.”

I couldn’t explain it and sound sane. Any rational individual would’ve run far from Xavier and his gifts , but my instincts were screaming at me, and that little voice inside of my head demanded I hunt for answers.

I deserved them, if nothing more.

Elias grunted. “Fine, but if that thing”—he glared at the box—“does anything strange, then I want to be the first to know. I don’t need another repeat of last night. For all we know you can die, divine being or not.” He opened the door, his broad shoulders tensed. “And Ari?”

“Yes?”

“Sometimes things aren’t always as they seem. Even the truth…especially the truth.”