Page 67 of Fallen Star

In actuality, I’m not sure I want to know. Not yet.

The walk to the dining hall is silent, although every few steps, Victoria shoots me a glare that could freeze hellfire.

“Here we are,” Sophia says as we approach a set of ornate double doors.

She pushes them open, revealing a dining hall with soaring ceilings, floating gold chandeliers, and six ornate round tables spread throughout the room, each one with three seats around it.

But it’s not the room that makes me stop dead in my tracks.

It’s who’s sitting at one of the tables.

“Matt?” The name tears from my throat as I stare at him, shocked.

Matt Larkin. Sapphire’s ex-boyfriend who tried to make her give up bartending to live with him. The one who proposed to her on New Year’s Eve—ten days ago—and then left her alone in the woods when she said no.

“Zoey?” He jumps up so fast his chair nearly topples over.

I race over to him, ignoring Sophia’s surprised gasp. “What are you—how did you—” The questions tumble out as I grab his arms, needing to confirm he’s real.

Needing to confirm that I’m not alone here anymore.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he says. “When you and Sapphire disappeared...” Pain flashes across his face. “They tried to find you. But they couldn’t. They kept questioning me. I think they thought…”

“They?” I ask.

“The police.”

Right. Of course the police were involved. I assumed as much.

“But how did you gethere?”I motion around the dining hall, in the Night Court, in an entirelydifferent realm. “What happened?”

“No one could find you two,” he says, and his eyes go distant, as if he’s experiencing the pain all over again. “They were trying to pin it on me. Iknowthey were. They were trying to find evidence to make it look like I dragged both of you into the woods and killed you or something. So, I got in my car and kept driving, as north as I could get. But the roads were icy. I thought I saw something in the woods—a light, or... I don’t know. Lost control of the car. Went right off into a ravine.”

My heart pounds. “How did you survive?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “There was the impact, and then I woke up, andshewas there.”

“One of the night fae?” I ask, since it would track with how I got here.

“Not justoneof them,” His entire demeanor changes, his eyes taking on a dreamy, unfocused quality. “Ravenna.QueenRavenna. She saved me, Zoey. She gave me the potion herself—the one that healed me. I’m alive because of her.”

The way he says her name—as if he worships her—makes my skin crawl.

“You’re on first name basis with the queen,” I say, having a sinking feeling where he’s going with this.

“You should see her,” he continues. “The way she moves… it’s like she’s an angel. And when she speaks, it’s like nothing else matters. Nothing but her.”

I watch him carefully, more on guard than ever. Because this isn’t the Matt I know. The ex-quarterback who’s been worn down by endless hours toiling away in the garage, who’s been desperate—and way too pushy—to keep his relationship with Sapphire going, even though we all knew it was falling apart.

“Matt,” I say slowly. “Are you okay?”

He blinks, focusing on me again. “Better than okay. After Sapphire said no to my proposal, I thought something broke in me. Forever. Then the police blamed me. And after the crash… I should have died. But Ravenna saved me. Shelovesme. I’m alive because of her.”

One of the other guys at his table snorts. “She said she loved me, too,” he says, looking at Matt like he wants to drive a fork into his eyeballs. “But then she forgot about me. Just like she’ll eventually forget about you.”

Matt’s expression darkens. “It’s not like that with us.”

“Sure, it’s not,” he says, quickly switching his focus to me. “Welcome to the Night Court. I’m Elijah.”

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