Page 46 of Flame and Starlight

“I don’t think you want everyone to see my eyes glow,” I murmured against his lips. I was satisfied when I saw a tinge of my red lipstick left behind there. He nipped my nose, and I laughed, settling into his side.

When I turned my attention back to the table, a bright flash of wild auburn hair streaked across the window opposite us. I jerked up and out of his arm, suddenly alert.

Aoife?

“What’s wrong, princess?” A few people near us scoffed at the nickname. I was too distracted to wonder why.

“I swear I saw someone,” I said, trailing off as I stood to walk outside, the chair scraping like nails on a chalkboard. It had to be her. I was sure of it. He stood up next to me and leaned in so only I could hear in a room filled with Fae hearing.

“Who’d you see?”

“I swear I saw Aoife,” I said, matching his tone. Any relaxation he had gained over the past couple of days disappeared in the moment. His muscles stiffened, and his eyes went grey, all the warmth in them leeched out by how alert he was. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room and into the cold night. People were filtering out around us and mingling as they made their way down the sidewalks.

He took me around the building and down the little alley where the windows were, searching for any sign someone had been there. There wasn’t a single footprint. The snow lay smoothly on the ground. He walked all the way down the length of the building, and gooseflesh prickled over my arms. Something was not right. His shadows swirled nervously around me.

“I know what I saw,” I said, but I could hear the doubt in my voice. He made his way back to me and took my face in his hands. He held my face there, inches from his, so gently, but I could feel the power rolling off him in waves.

“They will not touch you.”

“I know you believe she wants to hurt me. But I just can’t think like that, Asher. She was my best friend. If she’s here, I don’t think she would be here to hurt me.”

One of his hands slipped into my hair, and he fisted it at the base of my skull, tugging it just enough that I felt it pull against my scalp. “She may not want to hurt you, Alyssandra, but I can guarantee that she wants to take you. And I will not let her take you from me.” His voice came out in a growl, and I shivered against him.

“Look,” I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “There aren’t any footprints out here. I obviously just made a mistake. I’ve been on edge since we got here. It’s nothing.” He ran one of his thumbs over my bottom lip, and I took it between my teeth. He growled, and it vibrated through my body.

“I will take your ass home right now,” he said, slipping his hands down my body and in between the fabric on my thighs. He squeezed the flesh there.

“You will not,” I murmured against his mouth. “You will take me dancing.” He groaned into my kiss, making me laugh. “Come on.” I tugged him out of the alley and down the sidewalk, following the groups of Fae making their way down. “What better way to show off your plaything than dancing with her?”

I decided not to tell Asher that I swore I saw Aoife’s flash of red hair again at the end of the alley as we made our way out of it. I was either seeing things, or she was here, and neither option was comforting. I knew Asher wouldn’t let her near me if that was what she came for. It was cemented in his mind that I would leave him for her.

I stumbled at the thought, and Asher gripped my elbow. He smiled down at me. I had come to cherish those smiles that he seemed to only share with me. Would I leave him for Aoife? For my family? He swung his arm around my shoulders and pulled me flush against him.

No, I knew I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t leave him for the world.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Three drinks in and Aoife was standing in the shadows of the corridor, watching me dance with Asher. When we locked eyes, she slinked back fully into the darkness. I turned in Asher’s arms and made the excuse of needing the ladies’ room. He kissed my hair and made me promise to be quick.

His shadows clung on my skin as I made my way across the floor, squeezing between the bodies. My heart was pounding in my chest, making me light-headed, but I knew I had seen her. And I knew she wanted me to follow her. My Fae eyesight adjusted in the darkness quickly, and I slowed my steps.

I didn’t know where she had gone, and there were darkened doorways on both sides of the corridor. Multiple places she could be hiding and waiting for me.

“Alys?” I jumped and spun to my right. And there she was, her copper hair looking more like fire now that she had released her glamor. A dark red at her roots flowed orange and then yellow at the tips. Her eyes shone like emeralds even in the low light of the room she was standing in.

“Aoife,” I breathed and ran into the room. I grabbed her and crushed her against my body. She smelled like wet leaves and bonfire smoke. Her arms wrapped around my waist, and I felt her release a breath into my hair.

“What the fuck happened, Alys?” She pulled back, eyeing the tiara on my head. “Why are you acting like a High Lord’s consort?”

“It’s a long story,” I started before she cut me off.

“You have to come with me.” The shadows around me began to stir. Aoife eyed them and took a step back. My stomach dropped. “He’s marked you,” she whispered. My hand instinctively went to my neck, where his dust lay restless.

“Look,” I said, dropping my hand back to my side, “he did that when I was still human to track me. He was trying to keep me safe, Aoife.”

“Not the dust, Alys. That’s a minor tracking bond.” She waved her hand. “His shadows follow you.” At her statement, they curled around my arms, causing my hair to stand on edge.

“And?” I asked her, not sure where she was going with her train of thought.

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