Page 78 of All the Chaos of Constellations
“And did your precious mate tell you that the reason he must find this stone for me is part of our deal? It’s he who must hold up his end of our bargain.” Prince Drake leaned in close, enveloping her in a swath of shadows. They swallowed the light, blotting out the amber beams of faerie fire until they were nothing but streaks of muted gray. The swirls of inky darkness swarmed her, stealing the warmth, leaving Novalise chilled and trembling.
“After all,” he mused, as an afterthought, “I’ve already fulfilled mine.”
Terror ricocheted through her, muddling her confidence. “B-bargain?”
“Ah, another piece of information he withheld? Well, allow me to enlighten you,kearsta.”
Her nails bit into her palms as Prince Drake drew her into a dance of melding shadows and infinite time.
“The reason Lord Firebane searches restlessly for thevirdis lepatiteis because he asked a very dark favor of me.” Each step across the entranced dance floor brought him closer to her.
“A favor?” she asked, her voice barely an audible squeak.
Prince Drake’s slow, intentional smile left her palms damp. “That I be the one to kill his father.”
At once, his magic receded and the courtyard tumbled back into motion. The music was suddenly too loud, and the voices grated against her flayed nerves. No one seemed to notice that the shadow prince took control of time, how he’d held authority over their every breath. She swallowed hard, the contents of her stomach burning like acidic bile, threatening to pour from her at any second.
Sweat beaded along Novalise’s forehead. “I don’t feel well.”
“No one ever does after a timestruck.” Drake looped one arm around her waist. “Come with me.”
Novalise clung to him like he was a rock and she was stranded out in the middle of a turbulent sea. It didn’t matter if every set of eyes tracked her as she passed by. Their thoughts of her meant nothing. Because in that moment, the shadow prince was the only one holding her up, and she couldn’t let go.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
Asher prowled through the gardens, far from the courtyard, unable to clear his mind.
Disembodied voices floated toward him from the right side of the gardens, beyond the wall of flowers, but he ignored them. He needed to think, he needed to find a way to save Novalise from the shadow prince.
Damn it.
Why had he been so foolish? He paced past the rosebushes, venturing further into the elaborate maze of flowers and ferns. Already he’d wasted too much time.
Asher rounded the corner, nearly colliding into a couple hidden in the shadows of ornamental blossoms hanging from one of the many arbors. At first glance, they looked to be in the throes of a heated argument, exchanging harsh words with one another.
“Apologies,” he muttered, “I didn’t see?—”
He stopped short, recognizing the male almost instantly.
It was Solarius Starstorm, Novalise’s second eldest brother. But the female standing next to him, with faint lines furrowing across her brow, was not a fae like Asher expected. She was most decidedly mortal, with plain brown hair and a button of a nose. She folded her arms across her chest, and though most would be annoyed with his intrusion, she looked almost relieved.
Asher glanced between them.
Solarius bent down, whispered something in her ear, and the mortal huffed in vexation. She rolled her eyes to the starlit heavens, then turned on one heel, stomping off back toward the courtyard.
“I apologize for the interference.” Asher raked a hand through his hair, shoving it back from his face. “I’ve been distracted most of the evening.”
Solarius adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves, his gaze never leaving the retreating female. “I can imagine.”
“Everything alright there?” Asher asked, nodding in her direction.
“Perfect. Just letting go of the past.” An emotion flicked across Solarius’s face, but in the faint play of light and shadows, it was practically unreadable. He turned to face Asher, and it was gone completely. “Have you figured it out yet?”
“Figured out what?” He spoke each word with caution, unsure of Solarius’s motives for such a peculiar question.
Solarius didn’t even blink. “How you are going to wed my sister.”
Instantly, Asher opened his mouth to object, but Solarius cut him off.
