Page 14 of Stars May Fall

I smiled and lifted my hand to the roughness of his cheek once more. I couldn’t help but touch him, thinking of the countless times I had wished to be near him despite the situation that had kept us apart. He didn’t catch my hand this time, but let it roam across his jaw and up to his cheekbone. His expression became more serious and intent.

“I love you, Kasten,” I whispered, as if it were a secret confession.

He looked down to one side and swallowed before meeting my eyes again. He seemed to stumble over his words. “I also love you. I don’t know how you’ve come to think well of me, but…I will treasure your heart above everything. I swear I’ll keep you safe from now on. I’m sorry for all the ways I’ve failed you. I’ll do better, I promise.”

I gave him a stern look. “You have never failed me, Kasten Batton.” I decided to lighten the tone before he dared indulge in self-hatred. “But I would prefer it if you didn’t spend the rest of your life avoiding me and smothering me with flowers in your stead.”

He grimaced. “No. You just needed a bog.”

I choked down a laugh before the pain spiked too sharply in my side.

Kasten leaned forward and kissed my forehead. The gesture was so sweet, it made my throat tighten.

“Anything you want in the future, you’re going to need to tell me plainly. If you hadn’t realized it yet, I can’t guess these things.”

I frowned and touched the flower pendant hanging around my neck that was also a reserve. “Nonsense. You’ve given me many wonderful and insightful presents without me saying a thing.” I entwined my hand in his. The way he was looking at me mixed with my exhaustion and made me feel emotional. “I want you to stay with me in Kasomere for as long as possible. I know you’re the general and we’re at war, but…” I looked away, blinking back more tears, before he could find me pathetic.

Kasten stroked my hair. “Don’t worry about that right now. I’m not leaving anytime soon. We’ll work it out together. Now you should rest. Sleep if you can. It will help you get better.”

I looked back at his face and the dark shadows under his eyes. “What about you? When did you last sleep?”

“I’m fine. I’m not injured. I can doze with you in my arms. And when we reach Kasomere, we can both rest together.” He smiled at my disapproving look and leaned forward. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you, remember?” His face dropped. “I almost lost you, Sophie, and it was hell. I need to be close to you. Being allowed to hold you and watch you again feels like a second chance that I am not willing to let pass me by. Not even for a second.”

I grimaced at the pain I had caused him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn't have made you worry. You were already dealing with so much.”

He shushed me, gently. “Sleep now, my love.” He leaned forward to kiss my forehead again, but I tilted back my head to meet his lips with mine. The soft restraint of the kiss flooded me with warmth and hope and the feeling of safety.

I was only just starting to comprehend how deeply I had fallen for Kasten. And somehow, he was my husband. I had been given such an extraordinary gift in this man. I, too, didn’t want to let a single moment pass me by.

VENERICK

Istartled when my candle dripped hot wax on my wrist. I pushed back my chair as the sharp pain caused me to wave my hand in the air. When had it burned so low and started to lean like that? I blew it out and lit another before it could mar the legal documents I was writing. My mind was distracted tonight, and time was passing without much progress.

I had too many questions to sleep. I had spent yesterday fulfilling Annabelle’s request to clear up the incident with Sir Halfield, which had all been tied up neatly. But now I was left with the increasingly familiar sensation of sitting alone grasping at wisps of smoke and trying to make meaning from them.

Annabelle had finally let me in—even if it had just been a sliver—and it had left me more lost than ever. I had never expected her first request to involve aiding General Kasten Batton and his wife. I had never met anyone who cared about him or his family before. Most people at court seemed to be patiently waiting for him to be dismissed or killed. And the rest were impatient for it. For my part, I had barely spared the man a second thought. I hadn’t been involved in the war with Kollenstar and had no wish to be.

But I did care about justice, and I hoped this meant Annabelle did too. No matter who somebody was or who their friends were, they had a right to be defended by the law when they were wronged. And Sir Halfield had certainly wronged his daughter. Maybe Annabelle was more like me than I’d dared hope.

But that didn’t explain how she had ended up witnessing the aftermath of Lady Sophie Batton’s late-night kidnapping, let alone how she had come to be the sole person standing between General Batton and Lord Lyrason, trying to prevent a civil war. And the object in the velvet pouch was certainly none of my business, but that didn’t stop me thinking about it.

I had always found her fascinating. Captivating. Like the most intricate of court cases that can only be solved after peeling back layer after layer of complexities to reveal the truth beneath. But I had never expected this…

She was hiding a lot from me. A lot fromeveryone…if my suspicions were correct. And people always hid things for a reason.

My fingers itched to dissect her life with a proper methodical investigation, but I knew she would see that as a huge breach of trust. So I had to wait to be given whatever morsels she saw fit to throw my way, though a part of me was worried about what I would find out.

Maybe my expectations of our relationship were unrealistic. Everyone had expected her to be engaged to Lord Lyrason after all. I had never dreamed I would be so lucky as for the king to change his mind and choose me. I had no idea why he had made such a decision, and I still had to win her over. We had barely interacted before the king’s announcement.

In contrast, she had spent a lot of time talking with Lord Lyrason over the last few years, and I wondered if some of her feelings for him still lingered. When Kasten threatened him, shehad run to his aid without thought of her own safety. She had put her life in danger for him.

Jealousy twinged in my stomach, and I suppressed it. That was unfair of me. It was normal to have feelings for the person you were expecting to marry, and normal for those feelings to take time to ebb away.

I just wished I knew how to turn her affections to me instead. It wasn’t like I had much to recommend myself.

There was a knock on the door, and I made sure nothing confidential was on display before calling for my guest to enter.

Duke James appeared carrying a dusty bottle of wine and two glasses. His blue jacket was half unbuttoned, but his slick black hair was as neat as ever. His skin had deepened to sepia, making me guess he had been spending a lot of his time outdoors recently, contrasting to my own tone that hadn’t seen the sun in days. His well exercised frame only made my own seem more spindly, but his eyes seemed tired. I leaned back in my chair and smiled, grateful for the distraction.

---