Page 47 of Fallen Star

“You’re safe—for now,” I tell him. “Poisoning someone is way too much effort before breakfast. Plus, I’m going to need some help with the dishes.”

He laughs, which sends a strange thrill down my spine.

“I think you misunderstood me as someone who takes orders,” he says. “However, I’d say this meal is only the start of what you owe me for saving your life.”

“I owe you nothing.” I glare at him, snapped back to the reality ofwhyI’m stuck in this place with him to begin with.

We eat in silence for a moment.

Finally, I break it with the question that’s been tugging at the edge of my mind since right before I fell asleep. “That person I remind you of,” I begin carefully. “Did she cook?”

“You heard that?” he asks.

“Yes. I heard it.”

“She didn’t cook,” he says after a few tense seconds, setting his fork down with deliberate precision. “At least, not well. And don’t speak of her in past tense. She’s alive.”

Just like that, his walls are back up.

I internally curse myself for bringing it up. Because apparently, he’s a minefield. One wrong step, and he completely shuts down.

Eventually, Nyx pads over and nudges my arm, her golden eyes fixed on my plate with obvious interest.

“Really?” I can’t help but smile. “The fierce jaguar wants table scraps?”

She makes a rumbling sound that’s almost a purr, butting her head against my shoulder.

“Here.” I tear off a piece of the herbed bread. “But don’t tell your master I’m spoiling you.”

She takes it delicately from my fingers, and my heart melts a little. She might be a massive, beautiful predator, but she’s still just a cat at heart.

Aerix watches the exchange with a raised brow. “She doesn’t usually take to strangers.”

“I volunteered at an animal shelter for a few weekends this past fall.” I scratch behind Nyx’s ears, and she leans into my touch. “Spent most of my time working with the cats.”

“Let me guess,” he says. “Your favorites were the difficult ones?”

“Always,” I admit, smiling slightly. “There was this one cat—Milo. Total terror. Hissed at everyone, wouldn’t let anyone near him. But I spent hours sitting outside his cage, talking to him, letting him come to me on his own terms.”

“And?” His voice is deceptively casual, but there’s an edge to it, like he’s waiting for something.

“Eventually, he let me pet him,” I say, meeting his gaze. “He’s mine now. I adopted him.”

I hope Milo’s doing okay without me. That my parents are treating him okay.

Well, more like that he’s treatingthemokay.

“You’re not the only one around here who likes a challenge.” Aerix leans forward, holding me down with those midnight eyes of his. “And I must admit—you’re far more capable than Ithought you’d be, given how much you were struggling in that water. It’s intriguing, to say the least.”

I should be angry at him for assuming I could be anything less than capable, simply for not knowing how to swim.

Instead, the air between us charges again, like the moment before lightning strikes, and I forget how to breathe.

Then, thunder crashes overhead, making us both jump.

“We need to leave.” He stands abruptly, all business now. “The storms in this area can turn deadly. But if we move quickly, we can reach the court before the worst hits.”

“The court?” My stomach drops as I flash back to the terror that was the Winter Court. “A fae court?”

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