Page 104 of Until the Stars Fall

“But you’re the prince.”

I swiveled my chin around to face her. “Yes, but I’m also the general of the armies. Not the kind of general who carts around feather mattresses and luxurious bedding with me into battle.”

“Are you saying this”—she gestured to the room around us—“is like going to battle?”

Her question gave me pause, and it took me a moment to decide how to answer. “In a way, I suppose it is. Convincing everyone that a human queen is good for them will be a harder fight than I’d originally thought.”

“What?” she asked, a stoic expression on her face. “You mean the fae who want all humans gone aren’t keen on having a human on the throne? How odd indeed.”

“Stop mocking me,” I said flatly, kicking off my boots before sitting down on the floor.

“Then stop being stupid,” she said around a smile. “Why did you think this would ever work?”

I ran my hand over my face and sighed. “Foolishly hopeful, I guess.”

“But how? The fae hate—”

“Not without cause,” I blurted out and immediately regretted it.

Her features twisted with curiosity. “Because of the attacks?”

“Among other things,” I said. “Their anger dates back to well before the attacks began.”

“Since when?”

My mind flooded with images of blood and death and screaming, memories from the war—a war started by the humans. I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to blot it all out, but still I whispered, “Since the war.”

“Was it that bad?” she asked, and I turned to look at her. She couldn’t be serious, yet her eyes stared back at me with innocent concern.

“It was war, Sapphire. War is alwaysthatbad.”

“My father fought for your family, you know.” Averting her eyes from me, she focused on wringing her hands in her lap. “I was just a baby when he died, and by the time I was old enough to understand where he had gone, I could never ask my mother about it.”

Leaning back on my hands, I studied her as she spoke. What was it like to not know war? To grow up in the aftermath but never to be haunted by the memories of the bloodshed?

“Could I ask you about it?” she asked meekly. The images flickered to life again in my head, and I winced so obviously that she immediately muttered, “Never mind.”

“Maybe another time,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t push the matter and ask why.

When she dropped her legs over the side of the bed and slid off, my stomach tightened. But she didn’t approach me. Rather, she moved around the bed to where her pack sat on the floor. I relaxed as she retrieved a simple nightgown from the bag.

She gave me a sideways glance and a small smile. “Do you mind if I change for bed?”

“Of course not,” I said.

She cleared her throat, widening her eyes. “Were you just planning to watch me?”

My cheeks warmed at my mistake. Without a word, I lay down and rolled onto my side to face the fire. Staring into the flames, I tried to concentrate on the popping and crackling of the wood instead of the rustling of fabric being pulled across her skin. I managed to not peek over my shoulder and didn’t turn away from the fire even when the bed creaked under her weight and the blankets whispered over her as she pulled them up.

As uncomfortable as this floor was, sleeping here would be worth it to avoid any complications between us. This was going to be difficult enough without blurring any lines. I could handle a few nights of discomfort.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep up here?” Lieke’s question floated through the space. “There’s plenty of room, and I promise not to bite.”

I scoffed silently to myself. Biting was the least of my worries with her.

“Go to sleep, Sapphire.”

CHAPTER 50

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