Page 1 of Flame and Starlight

PROLOGUE

“Once upon a time, a baby was born.” I settled further into my bed and pulled my fluffy pink sheets up to my nose and inhaled the sweet lavender scent of them. “This baby was a gift to the world, and her mother was given the charge of keeping her safe.”

“That’s me!” I whispered with delight as my mother smiled down at me. She brushed some stray hair out of my face and continued.

“This baby was born with magick in her blood. She was born with fire in her fingertips and starlight in her eyes. Those eyes shone so bright, they lit up the world and banished the darkness. Her fire lit the world aflame with warmth and happiness. That magic in her veins ran wild and free, just like she would one day.”

I hugged my teddy closer to my chest as her smile faded to a frown. I knew this part too well.

“But this little baby was in danger from the moment she was born. There were creatures called the Fae that wanted her power for themselves. They wanted to hunt her down and take her from her mother.”

I shook my head and sank deeper against my pillow.

“These Fae were so powerful that they made the Earth shake and the sky tremble as they searched for her. But her mother was clever and snuck her out of their world and into a new one. One that was void of magic and power. And in this world, the baby would be safe and hidden.”

“They won’t get me!”

She smiled and tucked me in tighter. “They will not get you, sweet one. I will be here to protect you for as long as I possibly can.”

“At least until I’m seven,” my four-year-old self said. My mother threw her head back in warm laughter.

“At least. And who knows,” she said. “Maybe one day, that little girl will grow into a strong, clever woman. Maybe she will embrace her power and the magic of her birth. Maybe,” she said with a smile, “she’ll decide to go back.”

PART ONE

ESTERIA

CHAPTER ONE

I was going to be so very early. I didn’t know what it was about my special brand of anxiety, but if I wasn’t twenty minutes early everywhere, I was late. I needed to give myself something to do— something to hold—while I waited outside the classroom like the eager beaver I was. I turned into the coffee shop, pushing down the butterflies that instantly gurgled up into my throat. I hated going in someplace new.

I sighed with relief when there was at least one person in front of me. This would at least give me time to look at what I wanted and not have to fumble for words. I heard the door jingle and felt the looming presence of someone walk up behind me. I ordered and went to wait at the end of the counter. Feeling very much aware of every person in the shop, I pulled out my phone and scrolled to pass the time.

My phone buzzed. It was Aoife. “EE-fa” in my phone. When I first met her, I had put her in my phone like that so my American brain could remember how to pronounce it. Two years later and she still wouldn’t let me change it, finding it hilarious.

Meet you on the corner? Should be there in a few.

Sounds good. Just getting a coffee.

I would forever love that girl for knowing I would be early and showing up to make sure I wasn’t

alone.

“Alys?” I looked up and smiled.

“Ta!” Over the two years I had been in York, I had developed quite the Yorkshire accent. My

friends at work had made me practice daily when I first arrived, and after a few months of that, no one could tell I was American anymore. The lilting up-and-down cadence of the Yorkshire accent made me fall in love with anyone that spoke to me. I picked up the paper cup off the counter, turned, and stepped right into someone. I held out my cup to keep it from spilling.

“Oh, sorry,” I said without fully looking at him and veered to the left. All I caught was black hair, pale skin, and tattoos. Out of my league, I couldn’t help but think. I pulled my sunglasses down off my head and back over my eyes as I stepped back out into the rainy sunlight. I loved England. There was always a smell of rain in the air, and sometimes, due to the chocolate factory in town, that sweet smell drifted through the streets as well. I watched my black heeled boots as I stepped down onto the old cobblestone street leading to the uni. I walked past an old Roman wall, or what was left of it, and then down another street until I curved under the Viking wall that was still surrounding the city.

“Hiya!” Aoife said as I rounded the corner. Strands of her copper hair blew into her face. “Shitting wind,” she swore as she pushed the strands back into her beanie. She always looked so effortlessly cute in her Vans, cuffed jeans, and big sweaters that all but swallowed her small frame.

“Good morning,” I laughed as she fell into step next to me. “Many of the things you dislike about England are my favorite things about England, you know. If you want to trade citizenships, I will happily trade lives.” We walked across the big expanse of concrete and pushed through the glass doors into the uni.

“You know I would never say no to living in America.” I rolled my eyes at her and opened the door for her into the hall. “What is that? You’ve got something on your neck.” She brushed at something I couldn’t see on the right side of my neck as she passed by me into the small corridor.

“I dunno, I don’t see anything.” She crinkled her nose and shook her head. I followed her down the hallway of pale blue carpet. “Anyway,” I drawled. “You off to your job after this? I’m working until close tonight, and I think we are all going out afterwards if you fancy it. You can stay at mine.” We stood off to the side and waited for the lecture before us to filter out.

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