Page 53 of Fallen Star

“Thanks for the concern,” I snap under my breath, even though I don’t have the energy to put much bite into it. My legs tremble from hours on Nyx’s back, and every muscle in my body aches.

“Move,” Aerix commands, jerking his head toward the open doors.

Given that escape from here would be futile—I have zero interest in crossing the blood-filled moat and running through the fae-infested town where everyone wants to eat me alive—I follow reluctantly, stumbling after Aerix as he leads the way inside.

The grandness of the foyer makes my jaw drop.

The ceiling soars so high it disappears into shadows. Huge crystal chandeliers float in mid-air, moving like constellations in the night. And mirrors with ornate, silver frames line the walls,reflecting the black marble floors veined with crimson, creating patterns that shift and dance like shadows.

It’s such a stark difference from the gritty town surrounding it that it feels like stepping into a nightmare.

As we pass through the main hall, more fae linger in the shadows, their gazes following us. I feel their eyes on me, their whispers barely audible but sharp enough to cut.

“Another one,” someone murmurs.

“Hopefully she’ll last.”

“It would be a shame if she didn’t. She’s lovely.”

I press my lips together and fix my gaze on Aerix’s back, refusing to give them the satisfaction of knowing how much their words get to me.

Nyx, thankfully, stays by my side.

Aerix guides us through a series of corridors, each more beautiful and unsettling than the last. What looks like servants bow as we pass, their eyes lingering on me with that same hungry curiosity as all the rest.

We turn down a narrow hallway and stop in front of a set of wooden doors. They’re smaller than the grand ones we entered through—and the material doesn’t fit in with anything I’ve seen here yet—but they’re still beautifully ornate.

“This is the human wing,” Aerix says curtly, pushing the doors open.

Two fae women wait in plain black dresses, each beautiful in that sharp, dangerous way that seems standard here. And they have their wings retracted, unlike Aerix, who has his out on full display now.

“See her to a room,” he instructs them. “And make sure she’s cleaned up. She smells worse than Nyx after hunting in the bog.”

I flinch, glaring at him. “Sorry I didn’t have time to freshen up between almost drowning, being kidnapped, and thenparaded through this creepy town,” I say, and I swear one of the women smiles slightly.

His hand shoots out, fingers wrapping around my upper arm.

The touch sends a jolt through me—part fear, part something else I refuse to name.

“A word of advice?” His voice drops low, meant for my ears alone. “I highly recommend that you behave yourself better here than you have so far around me. And if you try to leave this wing, the guards will teach you exactly why your kind fears the dark.”

His midnight eyes bore into mine, and the weight of his threat settles over me like a suffocating blanket.

I want to lash out—to fight back. But the rational part of me knows it’s pointless.

It’s clear after that march through town that the fae here want to rip me to shreds, drain me dry, and do God knows what else.

“Understood,” I say instead, strained but steady.

He smirks, clearly satisfied with my response, turns on his heel, and sets down the hall.

Nyx follows him, her sleek form disappearing down the corridor with a flick of her tail.

Something inside me feels empty as I watch them go.

Alone.

Like a speck of dust in a court of blood and nightmares.

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