Page 34 of Until the Stars Fall

Wait. That wasn’t my heartbeat. It was an actual horse. Someone was approaching. Surely the guards heard it, but they didn’t let it distract them from their search.

Evan had my skirt lifted to my knees when the thumping of hooves stopped. Someone called from behind me, “What’s this? My guards having fun without me? Why wasn’t I invited?”

Brennan.

That voice. I’d know it anywhere, no matter how much time had passed since I’d heard it last.

The guard paused, dropped my skirt back into place, and rose. I dared not move.

“Just a human trying to break into the palace, Your Highness,” Willem said.

Brennan laughed. “Seriously? Even a human would know not to use the front gate if they were trying to break in.”

The guards mumbled something I couldn’t hear, but by the way they bowed their heads and stepped back, I assumed it was an apology.

Brennan came into view as he stepped around me, handing his mount’s reins to Willem. I forgot how to breathe. He looked even better than I remembered, with his face freshly shaved and an unruly lock of his brown hair falling into his green eyes. I chided myself for being so ridiculous, like some young girl with her first crush.

He is your first crush though,I reminded myself. My cheeks dared to warm at the thought.

“And who exactly is this supposed infiltrator?” he asked. Humor graced every syllable. His eyes roved over my face and body, and I waited for him to recognize me.

With curiosity flashing through his features, he leaned toward me slightly. “Well? Are you going to answer my question, or are you expecting me to guess?”

“You don’t recognize me?” I sounded like an idiot, but he smiled.

He smiled at everyone though.

“Am I supposed to?”

My heart sank. I hadn’t changed that much, regardless of what Raven and her parents said.

Evan cleared his throat, and Brennan turned to look at him sideways. “We haven’t finished searching her yet, Your Majesty.”

Brennan swung his attention back to me, his eyes dancing with mischief. “I’ll take over the searching from here,” he said. He stepped to the side and gestured for the guard to bring his horse. “Shall we, Lieke?”

My eyes widened.

“Oh, don’t look so shocked,” he said around an intoxicating smile. He leaned in again and whispered, “You don’t really think I could forget you, do you?”

CHAPTER 17

Connor

I pulled the pocket watch from my waistcoat, checked the time, and frowned.

He should have been back by now.

Maybe he’d gotten hung up somewhere.

Maybe he had become distracted.

Maybe he had been attacked.

The rhythmic pounding of horses’ hooves pulled my thoughts out of their downward spiral and had me spinning on my heel and heading for the courtyard. At first, relief swept over me that Brennan had made it home before the royals had arrived, but I heard two horses. Not one.

If it was my brother, he wasn’t alone, and that was undoubtedly bad news.

I didn’t want to think about what my father would say—or do—if Brennan mucked everything up after all.

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