Page 99 of Until the Stars Fall

Shit, she was. I’d gone to help and done exactly the opposite.

But I would deal with that later.

“I can handle her,” I said, immediately wishing I hadn’t when my brother waggled his brows at me. I shook my head and said, “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

His shoulder shifted against the cushions as if he were trying to shrug. “I am. I know.” He was silent for a few moments before he finally glanced up at me. There was no humor in his expression now. “She doesn’t love me anymore.”

Seriously, how could he think she would? Before I could ask him that though, he was speaking again.

“I knew she wouldn’t, but I had to at least try. I needed to know for sure.”

“And you thought the best way to do that was to sneak into her rooms and…what? What did you do, Brennan?”

My body tensed as I waited for his answer, worried over what Lieke had just endured from him.

He waved his hand in the air, shaking his head. “It was just a kiss.”

A kiss. It could have been worse, but still, the thought of him forcing his lips onto hers was maddening. He deserved to be pummeled again, but when I looked down at him, his eyes had fallen closed, and his breathing was gradually slowing.

Leaving him there to sleep off the alcohol and poor decisions, I returned to Lieke’s door and knocked softly, half-hoping she’d also be asleep.

But I was not so lucky. Almost immediately she yanked the door open. She was still wearing the maroon dress from this evening…and still displaying the scowl she’d graced me with earlier. Her eyes flashed down to my chest, and I cursed silently when I realized I hadn’t put on my shirt before storming across the hallway.

“Can I come in?” I asked, running my hand over the nape of my neck.

She cocked a hip out to the side and dropped her hand onto it. Her dark eyes burned like a cold fire, so sharp I could nearly feel them piercing me.

“So you can be an asshole again? No thank you,” she said.

Fine. If she wanted to have this conversation in the hallway, I would oblige her.

“I’m sorry about my brother,” I said, immediately realizing those were the wrong words.

Her brows shot up, and her jaw tightened.

“About your brother,” she said quietly. “And what about you?”

“I’m sorry about me too. I shouldn’t have acted so rashly.”

“You should have let me handle it, Connor. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but I need you to trust me. Youhaveto trust me.”

I swallowed hard, genuinely impressed by this woman’s resolve and confidence. She might have a penchant for bad choices, but her nerve, her guts? These made her more attractive than any fancy dress could. My eyes wandered down to the low neckline of her dress and then snapped back when I realized I’d been staring. She was still glaring at me, though not as intensely as before.

“Do you need help with…” I gestured to her dress.

She shook her head slowly and offered me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “No thank you. Gretchen should be here soon.”

I nodded quickly before spinning on my heel, but I didn’t want to return to my room just yet.

I banged on the door three more times before it finally opened. Matthias, bleary-eyed and visibly annoyed, took one look at me and ushered me inside.

“Trouble in paradise?” he asked around a yawn. “Need a drink?”

“I guess, and yes, I do need one, but I’d better not,” I said as I stepped into the apartment. While he normally split his time equally between living here above the palace’s training center and staying at the barracks with the army, he had remained here for the last couple weeks to oversee security during the Vaels’ visit.

Against the far wall of his living room, underneath the large window that offered a clear view of the back of the palace, was a small table that held several bottles of varying sizes and shapes. Matthias grabbed two glasses and, shaking his head at me, proceeded to pour a generous portion of brandy into each. After handing a glass to me, he took a long draught from his before saying, “Yes, you’d better. Take it and sit down.”

I didn’t bother arguing with him, not when I’d just woken him up in the middle of the night. Taking a sip, I let the liquor slowly singe my throat on its way down, and then I settled into the chair closest to his small fireplace, which was currently dark and cold. Matthias didn’t sit but stood next to the chair opposite me, leaning against its high back.

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