Page 89 of Until the Stars Fall

He ran to catch up with me. “You’re not that good of an actor, Connor.”

What was he implying? That I was interested in her? Nonsense. She was attractive, of course, but there was more to a person than looks alone. Appearance was only a minor factor in the grand scheme of things.

Just before I reached the door, I rounded on him. “What are you saying exactly?”

He leaned forward, and his expression held more concern than humor now, which put me on edge.

“I’m saying, Connor, that you’re going to fall for her yourself if you’re not careful.”

I shook my head. “That’s laughable. She drives me mad.”

Nodding, he widened his eyes. “Madly in love is more like it.”

“You’re out of your mind,” I said, turning to leave, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“Just—”

“Just what, Matthias? What do you want me to do? I’m trying my best to do what’s right for everyone!”

“For everyone except you and Lieke, you mean.”

Pulling in a sharp breath, I asked, “What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want to fight. I just want you to be open to having something good, even if it comes from somewhere unexpected.”

“You mean her?”

“Yes, I mean her, you idiot.”

“What happened toYour Highness?”

He ignored my question and continued to push the matter. “I know you, and I see what’s happening to you, whether you want to believe me or not. I’m just hoping that when you do finally fall in love with that girl, you won’t deny it because you’re holding on to some fairy-tale mate bullshit. She could be good for you, if you let her.”

“I don’t have time for this,” I muttered, and thankfully this time when I turned away, he let me go.

Matthias’s words wouldn’t leave me alone for the rest of the damn day. They left me distracted and unable to focus on the reports the healers had sent for me to review. All I managed to conclude was that they’d made some startling discoveries from Lieke’s knives but needed more time to chase down their leads.

Tonight would be Lieke’s first dinner with my family, and even without my friend’s idiotic assertions, I was on edge about how this would go. She hadn’t seen Brennan or the king since the night of the banquet, and if I was being honest, I wasn’t sure she was ready.

I bathed and dressed early, putting on the new suit our tailor had made for me after he’d completed Lieke’s new wardrobe. I’d tried to protest, but he’d refused to take it back. Apparently Mrs. Bishop had insisted I needed it. It wasn’t lost on me that the shirt was the exact color of Lieke’s eyes, the color of the night sky right before the stars came out.

In frustration, I growled. It was irritating how familiar I was with her. She invaded my thoughts far more than I wanted. But given how much time I had to spend with her, it was only logical that this would happen.

Falling onto the edge of my bed, I dropped my head in my hands, squeezing hard.

Damn Matthias.

How could he possibly think there was anything real between us? It had only been five days, and my flirting was so obviously forced that I was sure she could see my true intentions behind every lingering touch and whispered tease. But I couldn’t stop now.

Maybe you don’t have to trick her though.

I could be honest with her, request her cooperation, if only I could trust her to not sabotage this whole plan, or at the very least not undermine me at every turn. While there had been moments she’d seemed genuinely flustered this week, all of my efforts to woo her had done little. Her anger remained palpable. If I claimed not to be irked by her continued glares and snide remarks, I’d be lying. Every time I thought I was gaining some ground with her, she did something to assure me I wasn’t. She would quickly trade her smile for a scowl, hissing out insults about anything from my choice of shirt to my apparent need to protect everyone.

I hated that part of myself.

Some days I wished I could be more like Brennan and let others care for themselves.

But I wasn’t my brother. I never would be.

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