Page 105 of Until the Stars Fall

Lieke

After the long day of riding, sleep came easily. Unfortunately, sleep brought dreams, and being here in this village summoned the worst kind.

No sooner had I closed my eyes than I was back in the forest outside the palace, scrambling backwards away from Griffin as he snarled at me. With his massive hand, he gripped my throat and squeezed. I tried to scream, but he cut off the sound with his ever-tightening fingers. The world darkened, and I collapsed to the ground. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the dim palace hallway. My knife was in my hand as soon as the fae spoke.

“Remember me?”

My feet slipped from under me, and I fell hard onto my backside. He kicked against my shoulder, sending me toppling backwards until my head slammed into the stone floor. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out—everything was drowned out by his growled taunts, my pounding heartbeat, and my labored breathing. My knife clattered to the floor, and he barked out a laugh as he knelt over me, pinning me in place. Tears pricked my eyes, but still I had no voice, no strength with which to scream or speak.

Bucking against him, I struggled to reach the knife, but it was no use. Every time my fingers grazed the handle, it would slip further out of reach. I was going to die here. This time, I wouldn’t be as lucky. This time, there would be no prince to save me and no way for me to save myself.

The fae leaned over me, his hot breath warming my face. He laughed as his eyes searched mine with the same viciousness he’d shown that night. Once more I tried to find the knife, to kill him as I had before, but I froze as his words hit my ear.

“You might have killed me, Goldie, but my family will avenge me. Maybe not here, and maybe not today, but sooner or later, I’ll get my revenge, and I won’t make it fast.” He trailed a finger down the side of my face as if he were my lover instead of a monster. “You won’t die quickly like I did. You’ll suffer as you deserve when your body is torn apart, inch by wretched inch.”

His hand fell to my throat, and when his fingernails pierced my skin, he ripped a scream from my lungs.

“Lieke,” he said firmly. I continued to scream, flailing against him, trying to get him off me, but he was too strong.

“Sapphire.” Even though he whispered the name, it slipped through my frantic shouts and stilled my limbs. “Sapphire, wake up.”

That wasn’t Griffin.

This voice was gentle, kind, and worried.

Sliding my eyes open, I found a pair of golden-brown eyes staring back at me.

“You,” I whispered.

“Me,” Connor said, his lips twitching as if he were suppressing a smile.

Sitting up, I looked around the room, half-expecting to see that I was actually in the palace hallway. But we were still in the Linley Inn. The early morning light peered in through the single window, illuminating everything with an ethereal glow.

Connor lifted a hand and brushed his fingers across my forehead to coax my hair back behind my ear. “Are you okay?”

I nodded slowly, refusing to look at him. He was sitting on the bed—altogether too close to me—with his leg resting against mine. When his fingers swept over my collarbone, every one of my nerves sparked, and my skin prickled. He didn’t want to make things complicated, yet he was willing to do things like that?

“I thought you were going to sleep on the floor,” I said, nodding to the blankets in front of the fireplace that he had obviously slept in.

“I did,” he said, his brows knitting together.

I scrunched my nose at him—yes, that was safer than a smile—and asked, “Then why are you in my bed?”

He flinched and lifted both hands in a questioning gesture. “I’m notinyour bed.”

Shrugging a shoulder, I pulled my lips tight. “If you say so.”

“You were having a bad dream—”

“Was I? Quite the convenient excuse for you, Wolfie,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “If you wanted to be so close to me, you could have just asked. No need to—”

Connor blew out a breath as he pushed to his feet and stomped over to the fireplace. In silence, he folded up the blankets and returned them and the pillow to the bed.

“You’re incorrigible,” he griped. “Get dressed and meet me downstairs. Quickly. I’d like to get to the tavern before the townsfolk do.”

My insides writhed like worms after a heavy rain, and bile rose into my throat. I covered my mouth with the back of my hand. Connor shot me a puzzled look, but I simply nodded.

From the doorway, he repeated, “Quickly” and left me to fret in solitude.

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