Page 69 of Golden Star

“Just making sure he wasn’t about to come after us to finish off what the wind started,” I say.

“He’d never,” she replies, and even though her back is to me, I can practically see the smile that I know is on her face. “Not with the twisted, icy version of a crush he has on you.”

“Riven doesnothave a crush on me,” I say, exasperated and still focusing on crossing the bridge, despite thewind calming down and sort of getting the hang of it. “He’s using me. And he’s using you. Because that’s what he does.Usespeople. He already told us this. And he’s fae, which means he wasn’t lying.”

Zoey’s laugh is shaky, but persistent. “So, you don’t think he’s a little bit into you?”

I grit my teeth, crunching the ice spikes on my boots harder into the snow. “I think he’s exactly what he appears to be,” I say. “Cold, ruthless, and very willing to watch us suffer.”

“Keep telling yourself that if you want to,” she says with an annoyingly entertained giggle. “But I see the way he looks at you. If that’s cold-hearted, I bet it’ll gethotwhen he warms up.”

I huff, seriouslynothaving the energy to deal with her chatting on top of trying to stay alive.

“Could you maybe think about surviving for two minutes instead of matchmaking?” I snap, a little sharper than I intended.

“If I think about what we’re doing too much, I’ll fall,” she says simply.

“That literally makes no sense.” I roll my eyes, even though she’s not looking back at me.

“It makes perfect sense,” she says. “Isn’t that how you make your drinks at the bar? Chat with the customers while letting your hands do their thing?”

“That’s different,” I say.

“Why? Because it’s magic?”

There’s challenge in her voice—something that sets me even more on edge than I already am.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“You’re good at making those drinks because you’re a natural with your water magic,” she explains. “But just because I’m good at things thataren’tmagic doesn’t make what I can do less important than what you can do.”

“I never said you weren’t important?” I ask, confused about how we got here.

This isn’t like Zoey.

She’s never been… well, I suppose she’s actingjealous?Of the fact that I have magic, and she doesn’t?

“You implied it,” she says.

“I absolutely didnotimply it.”

“Yes, you?—”

Crack.

Wood splits, the plank in front of Zoey gives way, plummeting into the ravine.

One a few feet ahead follows in its wake.

My chest tightens, fear rising in my throat.

We have to get off this bridge.Now.

“Run!” I grab Zoey’s hand and leap in front of her, pulling her with me across the weakening planks.

Every inch of me is wired with magic, every nerve in my body sparking as I hurry us forward. I push with all Ihave, ignoring everything except the need to reach the other side.

Finally, with one giant leap, we land on solid ground, crashing into it so hard that it knocks the air out of my lungs.

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