Page 51 of Starfall

Ari

W ith Liv scheduled to work at Darren’s well into the early hours, Elias and I were on our own.

Before we could steal inside the festival and avoid Darren, Billy, and a gathering of well-dressed men huddled before the arch, Billy flagged Elias down. We’d been so close to sneaking inside without incident. Elias ground his teeth before forcing a strained smile.

“Get some chai tea,” Elias murmured in my ear before setting off for his boss. “I have a feeling you’ll like it.”

By the time I looked around and back, Elias was halfway to Darren and a group of men whose tweed suits and buttoned-up collars reminded me of those I’d seen on the train from Clarine.

I didn’t care to follow Elias around all night, but the café he’d pointed at was rather nice.

He’d been distant since I revealed Xavier’s ongoing…

presence in my life, and I understood why things were tense between us.

It stung, him pushing me away even before I was gone, but if that helped him cope, I couldn’t stop him.

Hell, I probably should start distancing as well.

I loathed the idea.

I had two days, no, less, on Earth, and I wanted to be happy—as foolish as that sounded .

The café hummed with life as I took a seat by the long table at the window, sandwiched between two men wearing matching siren costumes. When they held hands underneath the table, the redhead brushing his thumb over his lover’s, a pang of jealousy crept up.

I tore my gaze away.

You’ll never experience love. Accept it. Move on.

How I would have laughed at myself weeks prior, wishing for affection.

Yearning to know that the person I chose cherished me for who I was, and not what I presented to the world.

I’d begun to understand the emotion since coming here, and I realized love wasn’t always pretty.

Yet, to be appreciated and embraced for your soul—no matter how gray it was or had been—was more valuable than gold.

I forced a smile when the server came to take my order. The woman wore a sequined silver skirt and matching top, tiny gems glued intricately around her big blue eyes. Another star maiden? There were so many of them, all decked out in silver or white.

Ordering a chai tea, I watched through the window, waiting for Elias to conclude his business. I prayed the tea tasted better than the coffee Elias had made.

I was about to settle in and people watch when Elias and the group of men he spoke to caught my eye.

The largest thug wearing an impeccable black tweed suit, handed Darren a velvet coin purse.

Darren’s eyes practically glowed with greed while Elias just stood there woodenly, his attention aimed ahead like some prized mare under inspection.

Bets. They had to be placing bets on the match for tomorrow.

Elias had told me his boss took many, and I assumed that was how he accrued so much of his wealth.

But to have Elias right there while they either chose him or decided he wasn’t worthy?

How could he not crack? Especially when they ogled his physique and motioned to various parts of him as if he weren’t actually present.

The urge to rip their thin mustaches right from their upper lips swelled.

“Here you go, miss.” The server placed a steaming cup before me, the sides decorated with the wild waves of the sea .

“He’ll be paying,” I said smugly, pointing to Elias. The server startled when her eyes landed on the infamous Elias Carmichael and the club boss.

“Oh, it’s on the h-house,” she muttered, backing away. “Tell Darren he and Elias are welcome here anytime.”

“Wait!” That wasn’t what I meant, but the server had clambered away. Darren and his reputation were more fearsome than I’d believed.

Cursing myself for even bringing Darren into the picture, I brought the mug to my lips and took a hesitant sip. To my surprise, I enjoyed the taste far more than coffee—not that I’d tell Elias that. I drank it as I waited for his return, though my attention shifted elsewhere.

After tucking Xavier’s package under my coat on the walk here, I laid it on the table, my fingers itching to open the lid. We hadn’t had time to go back to the flat, and much to Elias’s dismay, I insisted I bring it along.

Well, he’s going to be a while, anyway , I reasoned . I might as well test it out.

Carefully, I revealed the mask and picked it up, surprised to find it was unusually light in my hands, especially since it appeared like solid gold. The pads of my fingers tingled, and my ears perked up, the barest hint of a song ringing in my mind. A lullaby. Soft and sweet.

Magic. Again .

Bringing it up to my face, I tied the satin strands into a bow behind my head. Anxiety pulsed in my blood at the feel of the cold material pressing against my skin, the magic imbued in the metal causing my cheeks to tingle.

Widening my eyes, I peered through the twin openings, expecting to see some sort of dastardly enchantment at play.

Nothing looked different with it on; the streets were overflowing with rowdy townspeople, their drunkenness reaching new heights on the festival’s second day. The mask gave off the impression of a simple disguise. But I knew better.

I just had to discover what magic it contained.

I finished my drink at the same time Elias headed over to my table. He stared at my new mask with obvious disdain, his left eye twitching. Nonetheless, he offered me his hand, his lips pulled down, utterly devoid of the deceptive smile he’d worn for Darren. He didn’t have to pretend with me .

“I don’t like it,” he murmured when I accepted his hand. “For all we know, that thing could kill you. And he gave it to you. All wrapped up in a pretty bow.”

“It won’t kill me. Xavier wants me alive.”

Elias tilted his head, jaw clenched tight. “Xavier. The way you say his name is like you trust the prick.” He slowed his pace. “What does he look like, this Xavier ? You never told me.”

“Why does that matter?” I snapped, taken aback by his brusque tone. “And I don’t trust him. I want to learn about him and see what he’s up to.”

Elias pulled us past a cart making what appeared to be fluffy pink clouds.

I opened my mouth to ask, but Elias led us off the path and past the tents.

I called his name, but he backed me up against the wall of a closed-down tailor shop, his chest rising rapidly.

Placing his hands on either side of me, he caged me in.

I couldn’t help but think of how Xavier had me in a similar position days before. Then, I’d been equal parts fearful and…thrilled. Something I hadn’t wished to admit—and still didn’t. With Elias, my heart beat wildly, his piercing stare and scowl only making my core heat dangerously.

“Arina,” he uttered, his face lowering, his lips practically moving against mine.

“No matter how this entity presents himself, don’t listen.

Don’t let him trick you. Hurt you.” One of his hands went to my cheek, cradling it as he breathed heavily.

“These immortals may act like they want to ‘save’ the world and the people in it, but they have their own agendas in mind. You don’t even know for certain what Xavier actually wants from you.

If he has any plans to help you, as he claimed. ”

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, with my own hopeful naivety.

Elias was correct on accounts, but I couldn’t give up, even if I had a day left to uncover the truth.

How could I ascend if the Eternal was, in fact, lying to us all?

“Xavier told me I somehow defied the Eternal,” I whispered, staring up into Elias’s eyes.

“He told me that because of that defiance, I’m the only one who can give him what he needs.

Whatever that means. Xavier left before he could explain, telling me he was being hunted. ”

Elias dropped the hand on my cheek and pressed himself flush against my chest. Breath to breath now, I felt the fire burning in his soul, his heart beating madly beneath his skin.

“If anyone is hunting him, it’s the Eternal.”

I stiffened at the truth I’d tried to avoid. I wasn’t ignorant of the hints Xavier had left. They all pointed to the mystical being I had prepared to sacrifice my life for. But when Elias said the words out loud, I choked on a breath. It made it real. My life , a lie.

“I know,” I managed, gnawing at the inside of my cheek. “I suspected.”

Elias’s hand moved higher up the wall, the movement shifting his body. My cheeks grew even more heated when I felt the hardness of him press into my stomach. My core throbbed with need, regardless of the conversation.

“They’re both evil,” Elias said, eyes turning hard. “The Eternal uses his creations and kills them, and this new immortal seems selfish. He wants a war, and he wants you to be at the center of it.”

He lifted my mask and placed it on the top of my head. I had nowhere to hide now.

“I don’t want to be a part of anything ,” I said truthfully, hating myself for my cowardice. “If I had a choice, I’d choose to stay. I’ve enjoyed the places I’ve seen. The food I’ve eaten. The people I’ve met…”

A rumbling noise shook his chest when I lifted my hand and placed it over his heart.

“Then I won’t win the match.”

“You have to,” I whispered, wincing. “If you don’t, then my family will be trapped forever. Unless Xavier finds a way to tell me if there’s another way, we’re stuck with one option that I know will work.”

“Fuck, Ari.” Elias shut his eyes and threaded a hand through my hair, his fingers gripping the strands. “I didn’t think I’d like you this much.”

“You finally admitted it,” I said, speaking against his lips. Enjoying the warmth he exuded.

“Not funny,” he replied, shaking his head. “I’ve been so lost, barely living. Hell, I felt like I’ve been walking around without a heart. But then a vexing star fell from the sky, and it was like my heart started up again.”