Page 69 of All the Chaos of Constellations
In one fluid movement, he opened his hand and a dagger appeared. The handle was wrapped in black leather, at the hilt was a bloodred jewel, so dark it looked almost black. And the blade was shrouded in shadows, like the deepest part of the ocean where the light could never reach.
The Shadowblade.
A strange noise came from Cyra, a choking, startled cry. Her eyes widened in terror.
“Stay away from her, Drake.” Fury erupted inside Asher, a well of uncontrollable wrath. Frostfire sparked at his fingertips, the silver and black flames snapping. Crackling. Ready to ignite.
“Save your pathetic little flames for someone who cares.” The shadow prince glared at Cyra with a menacing smile. “I think I’d enjoy teaching your darling little sister some manners.”
Cyra screamed.
Drake moved so quickly Asher couldn’t even track him. In less than a second, he was standing behind Cyra, jerking her head backward, the flat edge of his Shadowblade pressed firmly against her throat. She whimpered, clutching at his forearm, struggling to put space between the skin of her neck and his weapon. Tears slid down her cheeks, her watery gaze silently begging Asher to save her.
Asher moved around from behind the desk.
“Watch it, Firebane.” Malice coated Drake’s tone like ice. “We wouldn’t want my blade to slip across her pretty little throat, now would we?”
Cyra was sobbing now, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Asher took another intimidating step forward, ready to set the shadow prince on fire. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t.” Drake laughed, but it was vicious. Heartless. The laugh of a man with no soul. “I’ll leave her for some other bastard to discipline.”
He swiped the blade across her neck.
“No!” Asher jerked forward, then froze.
The Shadowblade didn’t break Cyra’s skin. Instead, it cut clean through a lock of her hair. Drake captured the fiery curl in one hand, then rubbed his fingers together, letting the strands of red and gold fall to the ground like loose threads.
“Let this serve as a reminder to you both.” Drake stepped away from Cyra, the scowl deepening across his brow. “Do not cross me. Ever.”
Then he vanished, blending into the shadows as though he’d never even been in the room.
“Cy!” Asher darted toward her, catching her before she crumpled to the ground. “It’s okay, Cyra. I’ve got you.”
She cried in his arms, trembling. He would kill that fucking prince for threatening her, for making a game of her life. Holding his sister close, he ran a hand down her hair, barely containing the might of his fury when his fingers entangled with the strands that were severed by the Shadowblade.
Cyra sniffled, pulling back from him.
“Don’t worry. It’s only hair.” He tucked the short pieces behind her ear. “It will grow back. Better your hair than your flesh.”
She shook her head, swiping hastily at the tears that continued to fall. “It’s true.”
Asher lowered himself to the ground, tilting her chin up to face him. “What’s true?”
“Everything Prince Drake said about Lady Novalise.” She sniffed again, then hiccuped, attempting to regain her composure. “Lilith said we’re expected to hear about her engagement tonight at the Firelight Festival. Queen Elowyn and Lord Starstorm signed her impending marriage contract.”
Her words were a sharpened sword to the gut. Severing. Carving him up from the inside. Asher’s hands curled into fists, clenched tightly as all the air was pulled from his lungs. The bond tying him to Novalise blazed in his chest, the threads binding them urging him to go to her. To free her from this fate. Flames reached for the stars.
“Who?” he bit the word out.
“I don’t know.” Cyra struggled to her feet and Asher stood, helping her find the solid ground beneath them. She sucked in a harsh breath. “There are rumors, of course, but no one is certain.”
Damn it.
He had to do something. It was one thing for Novalise to pick a mate on her own, to choose someone else besides him. But for that decision, that eternal commitment to be made for her…it pained him. Left him gutted. She’d been so ready to marry whoever the stars revealed, and then when her world had been turned upside down, she’d been more than prepared to find a husband on her own. But now…
“You have to stop it, Asher.” His sister’s voice cut through his thoughts. “You can’t let her marry someone else. She isyours. And you…you belong to her. Ever since the Winter Solstice, ever since that kiss bound the two of you together. Your magic will suffer, you will be afflicted for the rest of your days if you allow this to happen.”
