Page 97 of Until the Stars Fall

This was only a game.

I couldn’t afford to lose my heart again, not after what had happened with the last prince I’d foolishly fallen for.

I needed to stop thinking about this and do something else.

Pushing away from the door, I focused on getting ready for bed.

To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that all the lanterns had already been lit, and a bath had been prepared behind the screen where I had dressed earlier. But my delight lasted only a few moments. I stopped and frowned, silently cursing. I couldn’t get out of this dress by myself.

“Gretchen?” Please let the girl still be here.

Only silence answered me. There was no way I was going across the hallway and asking Connor to unfasten my buttons. I’d need to call for Gretchen. My bath would have to wait until she could arrive.

I reached for the cord on the wall to ring for her, but before I could pull it, a voice startled me.

“I can help,” Brennan said. I whirled around to find him seated on the edge of my bed.

My initial shock gave way to anger. Who did he think he was, entering my room without permission? I was about to admonish him when he stood and walked toward me. In the low light, I could barely make out his expression, but as he got closer, I smelled wine on his breath and noticed the slight sway in his gait.

“You’re drunk,” I said, scowling and raising a hand in front of me to hold him at bay.

That was a mistake, though, because he grabbed my hand and placed it on his chest, holding it against him as he leaned in.

“Of course I am,” he slurred. Then his lips curled into a sneer. “After having to watch my brother pawing you all night.”

Yanking my hand away from him, I stepped backwards. “All night?” I scoffed. “Did you forget you left like a big baby before the main course? And since when is holding someone’s hand the equivalent of pawing? You act like he was undressing me at the dinner table.”

Brennan threw his arms out to the sides. “He might as well have been with how he looked at you.”

This was ridiculous. It had to be the wine talking.

Wait. Was he seriously jealous? What right did he have to be jealous?

I stomped toward him and rammed my finger into his sternum as hard as I could, ignoring how it sent a jolt of pain through my joints.

“Why do you even care, Bren? You couldn’t be bothered to care when I was about to be killed, but now? Now you think you have some sort of claim on me?” My voice was quickly growing louder than was prudent, but prudence be damned.

He tried to grab my hand again, but in his drunken state his movements were sluggish, making it easy for me to evade him. He dropped his arms to his sides, and his eyes softened with what might have been sadness or regret, but I’d been wrong about his emotions before. I wasn’t going to assume anything now.

“I couldn’t stand up to my father. You have to believe me.”

“Funny, because your brother had no trouble with it.”

“I thought you loved me,” he said quietly. He was probably trying to manipulate me, but the gloom in his voice gave me pause.

“I did,” I whispered. “I do. I don’t know anymore. I loved you for sosolong, and for years you acted like I had died alongside your mother.”

“I’ve already apologized for—”

I raised my hand to silence him. “That pales in comparison to what you did that night. It was inexcusable. Who just stands there and lets their frienddie?”

He flinched at the wordfriendand dropped his head. He was silent for a long time, staring at the floor between us. My feet ached. My body whined with fatigue. I needed rest. I needed him out of my room. When he still hadn’t said anything, I turned around and reached for the pull cord again. But this time, I stopped myself.

Everyone on staff was a horrible gossip. As much as I liked Gretchen, the likelihood that she would be able to keep Brennan’s presence here a secret was near zero, and that could put this entire engagement charade at risk.

“You need to leave,” I said gently, but he didn’t budge.

“And if I don’t?” He glanced up from under his brow.

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