Page 80 of All the Chaos of Constellations
“Of course. Novalise came to me the afternoon it happened.” Solarius gave a half-hearted laugh. “They needed help coming up with an excuse for such a nasty scar.”
Asher wondered what other secrets Trysta kept, what other readings she misconstrued, with or without intent. Perhaps she’d fabricated his own star reading as well.
Solarius straightened, and when he spoke, his voice was gravely quiet. “There’s only one way to win Novalise’s hand.”
Right.
Asher was familiar with the protocol when it came to interfering with a contracted marriage.
A fight to the death.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
Disoriented and still feeling like she might lose the contents of her stomach at any moment, Novalise gladly accepted the glass of sparkling water Prince Drake handed her.
She took a few sips of the fizzy liquid, slowly letting its light citrus flavor quell the queasiness as the shadow prince kept one arm locked tightly around her waist to hold her upright.
Gradually, she regained her focus, her thoughts became more coherent, and she no longer felt like she was being tugged from one moment in time to the next. Swallowing another gulp of water, she steeled her resolve and looked up at Prince Drake.
“That magic…you called it a timestruck. How did you do it? I’ve never met anyone capable of manipulating the flow of time.”
“I prefer to keep my secrets close.” The prince’s gaze drifted over the courtyard, tracking every movement with cunning clarity. He watched as fae, mortals, and the like glided closer, as though debating whether or not to make a formal approach, before losing their nerve and disappearing back into the crowd. Their clandestine glances and idle speculations never went unnoticed. Prince Drake saweverything.His deep green eyes grew colder with each passing second, until they lighted upon Creslyn.
He tracked her every movement, the way she seemed to float through the dancers before locking arms with Caelian and tossing her head back in laughter.
Novalise clenched the glass in her hand until she thought it might shatter. The hells would freeze over before she ever allowed the Shadowblade Assassin anywhere near her younger sister.
A tingle of unease prickled the hairs along the back of her neck, and she looked to where Queen Elowyn and Prince Aspen stood upon a small dais overseeing the fiery revelry. They were joined by a few other council members, including Novalise’s mother and Ariesian. While most of them seemed enthralled with the fire dancers who twirled batons ignited by flames of burning silver and icy black, only her mother and Prince Aspen seemed distracted. Their lips were moving and though they didn’t face one another, it was obvious they were having a conversation. Every so often, the queen would shoot them a look of stern disapproval.
Whatever they were discussing, Queen Elowyn looked none too pleased.
From beside her, the cool presence of Prince Drake’s hand against the small of her back left her chilled despite the warmth of the summer evening. Frosty tendrils from his touch seeped through the thin layer of silk, and goosebumps shivered all over her flesh. Cold emanated from the shadow prince, a stark reminder she stood in the presence of the one who was capable of stealing a life as easily as others could breathe.
“You killed Asher’s father.” The words fell from her.
“I’ve killed many.” His teeth skated along his bottom lip, his fingers curling around her waist. “If you’re looking for an explanation or are struggling to understand why, then I suggest you ask Lord Firebane.”
“You make it sound so simple considering you just forbade him from speaking to me.” Novalise rolled her shoulders back, jutting her chin up.
Prince Drake looked down at her, a strange expression on his face, as though finally seeing her for the first time. “But did I forbidyou?”
Beats of tense silence passed between them before she tore her gaze away from the intimidating man.
She tried to recall what she knew of Asher’s father. From what she remembered, he was negligent and lackadaisical, showing little to no interest in any areas of lordship save for the indulgence of alcohol. He was boisterous and indignant, carrying on with other females in a blatant show of disrespect to his wife and family, ensuring his affairs were far from discreet. Rumors circulated around the late Lord Firebane’s death, but it had been shrouded in mystery, and the details never revealed. His death hadn’t been one of natural causes—it took more than a common cold or old age to kill a fae—but hearsay surrounding his demise was spun from anything. Whispers of a slip of poison to taking his own life. The latter had befallen Asher’s mother mere days after his father’s death.
The shock of it had stunned all five houses, almost as severely as Novalise’s own father’s unexpected death.
But Asher had been the one to bargain with Prince Drake. It was Asher who wanted his father killed.
The real question was, why?
What could the former Lord Firebane have done to Asher that was so atrocious, so abhorrent, that Asher wanted him dead?
She wondered if it had something to do with those scars on his back.
Another thought took form in Novalise’s mind, one that had been plaguing her for several days.
“Why did you want a contract with Ariesian?” she asked, drawing Prince Drake’s attention away from the celebration and back to her. “Why not forge an arrangement with Queen Elowyn, with all of Aeramere?”
