Page 20 of Until the Stars Fall

“Lieke!” a voice I didn’t recognize called from the fires, and a young woman stepped out from a group of people and trotted over, her long dark hair bouncing against her shoulders. I held my hand out in greeting, but she brushed it aside before wrapping her lean arms around my shoulders and pulling me into a hug. I stiffened, unsure what to do with my arms.

“You must be Raven?” I choked out the question, and she finally released me with a giggle that would have probably been infectious had I not been so caught off guard.

“That’s me,” she said, beaming. “How’d you sleep?”

I lifted my shoulders to my ears. “Could have been better.”

Raven pursed her lips and nodded. “You get used to it, so I’m told.”

“You don’t know yourself?” I asked.

“Been here since I was a baby. This is all I know.”

“I know what you mean,” I mumbled.

Raven’s brown eyes widened as she donned a crooked smile. “Mama said you’ve lived your whole life in the palace. What was that like? Were there lots of parties? I bet the food was amazing. Speaking of which, you should eat.”

Grabbing me by the elbow, she half-led, half-dragged me toward the cooking fires, not seeming to notice when I tripped several times on tufts of grass and my own toes. She loosened her grip and pointed to a thick log lying on its side.

“Sit here. I’ll grab you a bowl.”

Silently, I obeyed, clasping my hands together as I leaned over and placed my forearms atop my knees. A moment later, she returned with two bowls of what appeared to be a thick, rich porridge. She offered me one, and I eagerly accepted it, my stomach growling away. I blew a cooling breath over my breakfast, marveling at how Raven gobbled up a steaming spoonful without hesitation.

Swallowing loudly, she swiped the back of her hand across her lips. “So the palace. What’s it like?”

I lifted my spoon and glanced past it to meet her gaze. “It’s big, I guess.”

She bumped her shoulder into mine. “I asked you about the palace, not the prince.”

My face warmed, and I braced myself for some teasing remark about my blushing. She said nothing but simply raised a brow at me, urging me to expound.

“I wouldn’t know about the prince, honestly,” I said, immediately wishing I hadn’t.

“Really? Not even rumors? I mean, even I’ve heard he’s rather…impressive.”

“Well, rumors are hardly reliable,” I said, scooping up another bite.

“Why are you trying to ruin my fantasies here?”

I raised my empty spoon toward her. “You know, he could have started those rumors to compensate.” My skin warmed again.

Raven flashed me an incredulous look. “Oh, please. Even the smaller fae outshine any human, and you know it.”

“I know nothing of the sort,” I said, shooting her an innocent look.

She studied me for a moment, squinting her eyes. “Liar,” she finally said.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Swear to the stars,” I said, raising my hand as if this were some solemn vow I was making.

“You lived your whole life around fae, and not once?” she asked, her shock written plainly on her features. She jabbed a finger into her own chest. “You mean, I—a lowly human who’s been hiding out in the forests my entire life—have been with a fae before you, someone who grew up with them?”

I shrugged. “Obviously you weren’t hiding yourentirelife if that’s the case.”

Smacking my shoulder with the back of her hand, she scoffed. “You know what I mean.”

Dropping my spoon into the now empty bowl, I faced her. “Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I haven’t.”

She stared at me blankly before her lips slowly dropped into a frown. “If anyone’s disappointed by this, it should be you, not me. You don’t know what you’re missing, Lieke.”

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