Page 261 of The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King

“Careful where you wander unannounced out here,” I said, approaching her. “There are at least a dozen couples fucking somewhere in this maze.”

She laughed a little as she turned to me. A bit of my concern eased when I saw the overflowing plate of food in her hand. If she’d been empty-handed, I’d know we were really in trouble.

“Surprised you’re not one of them,” she said.

“Yet.”

That thought distracted me briefly. I was joking, but also, it wasn’t a bad idea.

She scoffed, then took a bite of a pastry. “That went well,” she said, through a mouthful. “The ceremony. The party, too. I haven’t seen anyone die yet.”

I wasn’t sure if that was the measure of a successful royal vampire party or an unsuccessful one.

But that thought faded away as I watched her. She was now carefully avoiding eye contact, looking very interested in the flowers.

“Thought you were done keeping secrets from me, Mish,” I said.

She stopped mid-chew. Then turned to me, wide-eyed, dismayed.

“Shesaidshe wouldn’t tell you!”

She?

My eyes narrowed. “She?”

Mische’s eyes widened more. “Fuck,” she hissed.

“Right. Fuck. Who’s she? Oraya?”

“I’ve got to go look at the—”

She started to turn away, but I grabbed her elbow.

“Mische. What the hell is wrong?”

She let out a long sigh, then turned back to me. “I just—I didn’t want to do this here.”

“Do what?”

I hated when suspicions were confirmed. Mische hadn’t been herself the last few weeks. She hadn’t been the same since the prince. Or—who was I kidding? She hadn’t been the same since the Moon Palace. My gaze fell to her arms, and the long gloves covering the burn scars she didn’t let anyone see—even me.

“What, Mische?” I asked, more gently.

She nudged food around her plate with her fork. “I’m... I decided I’m going to go away for a while.”

My heart sank.

“Away? Where?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Everywhere. Anywhere.”

“We already did that. You and I. We saw everything worth seeing.”

“We never made it to the Lotus Islands.”

“I have. They’re not that great.”

She still wouldn’t look at me.

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