Page 56 of All the Chaos of Constellations
“Come to think of it…” Cyra yawned. Loudly. Excessively. “I think I’ll take dinner in my room tonight. You two go on without me.”
She tossed a flippant little wave over her shoulder and strolled out of the sitting room.
Novalise didn’t move.
Asher didn’t breathe. He couldn’t. She’d stolen the air from his lungs and he’d all but forgotten what it meant to live.
Outside, rain slashed against the windows. Darkness had fallen abruptly, and lightning streaked across the sky, distant thunder answering its call.
“It’s too dangerous for the carriages to fly.” The words he spoke were soft, a bare murmur. His hand moved of its own accord. His fingers slid through her hair, twisting the locks around one finger, letting them fall away like ribbons of silk. “You should stay, at least until it passes.”
She nodded in agreement, but her body trembled. Unease shivered down the bond, and Asher cupped her chin with his hand, urging her to look at him. Something was wrong. He stole a glance out the window where the skies were murky and roiling, where distant thunder rumbled, growing louder with each passing minute.
Perhaps she was afraid of the storm.
“I have some work to do in my study. You’re more than welcome to join me if you would like.” He offered his arm, and her hand came to rest in the crook of his elbow. “We can take our dinner in there.”
“Okay.” The room was illuminated by a flash of lightning again and Novalise drew herself close to him. Energy radiated from her, snapping and crackling like the kindling of a bonfire.
Asher led her back down the hall to his study, then nudged open the door, allowing her to enter first. The temperature outside had dropped drastically, making it cooler in the house. He flicked his wrist so the hearth ignited, drenching the dark space in a warm, comforting glow. Long shadows stretched across the slate walls and when he turned to face Novalise, she shuddered.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around her body, but he knew her well enough to know it had nothing to do with modesty and everything to do with the tension causing her hands to clench and unclench. She worried her bottom lip—thattemptingred lip—and with every rise and fall of her chest, her heartbeat quickened. The air was charged, electric. Stars fell around her like rain, fizzling from her fingertips, scorching the white rug at the hearth so the fibers turned to blackened ash.
“I should go,” she whispered, stepping away from him. “I shouldn’t be here. Not now.”
Panic lanced through her and the bond quivered. Power thrummed through her body, swelling to a crescendo. Sizzling beams of violet and indigo swirled around her like a maelstrom. Thunder rattled the heavens, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Concern clouded his thoughts, and he closed the distance between them in two strides. “Novalise, what’s wrong?”
“Stay back!” She flung her hands out in front of her to stop him and her eyes flew open. They’d turned a bright sapphire blue. “It’s the storm. It does something to my magic, something horrible, and I can’t?—”
Another blinding flash lit up the study and the answering crack followed, so loud it rattled windowpanes. A bolt of blazing starfire erupted from her palms, striking him right in the chest.
“Asher!”
Her screams were drowned by the starstorm.
Burst after burst of starfire slammed into him, knocking the air from his lungs. Her magic owned him, ruled him. His shirt was shredded, nothing more than charred clumps of fabric. By all rights, the attack should’ve killed him, but all he could focus on was the sheer terror etched into the soft lines of her beautiful face. He held firm against the assault, never once taking his eyes off her.
Tears slid down her cheeks, shimmering droplets of iridescence.
“I can’t…” Her chest heaved and she gasped, broken. “I can’t control it!”
He lunged toward her, and she stumbled back. But he didn’t relent.
Asher grabbed her, hauling her against him, accepting the full brunt of her force. It reverberated through him. He clenched his jaw to keep his teeth from rattling while she thrashed in his arms. The starstorm crashed into him, an archaic force of celestial magic, explosive and radiant. He took every blast, every surge of star beams and fire, as her wild magic coursed through him. It encircled them both, exploding from her.
“Let me go!” she cried, her voice pitched with fear. “It’s too dangerous.”
“You can’t hurt me,” he murmured. He held her closer, tucking her head beneath his chin. “Your soul is mine, your magic is mine. Nothing you can do will ever hurt me.”
“Too much.” Novalise leaned back, staring up at him. She shook her head violently. “It’s too much.”
“I can take it.” He grabbed her chin, holding firm, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I’ll take all of it. Always.”
Asher knew he shouldn’t comfort her. He shouldn’t care about the fact that a sphere of uncontrollable ancient starfire erupted around her. But she was terrified. Whatever she’d experienced, whatever he’d witnessed, had left her panicked and afraid. It didn’t matter if she might misinterpret his consolation for affection, he couldn’t very well stand there and do nothing. He might not be able to love her, but that wouldn’t stop him from caring for her.
If there was one thing he’d learned from the toxic marriage of his mother and father, it was that he wouldalwaysprotect a lady in distress.
