Page 51 of The Lord of Light

The proud smile on his handsome face told everyone that he had activities much more fun than just packing in mind for his last night at Court.

“You really have to go back so soon?” I asked, disappointed.

“I really do,” Cass answered. “Drake is going to stay here at the High Court for a little while, so I am going to be bouncing between the wall and the Golden Court for a while,” he explained.

That made sense. High Lord Dumont was not likely to leave his hard-earned seat on the High Counsel empty any time soon.

I turned to Luke.“Do you have to go too?” I asked, trying my best to mask the concern in my voice.

“No.” Luke gave me a small smile.

“Why did you have to go at all?” I asked.

“Because we thought it might be something big; but the bastard is still just testing us,” Cass said through gritted teeth. I knew he was referring to King Vandros. “He threw a bunch of people with magical abilities our way and waited to see how we would respond andwhowe would respond with, and when he got his answer, he drew back.”

“But don’t feel like you need a special threat to call me in, Cass. We made a pretty damn good team out there,” Luke commented.

My gut twisted into knots. I didn’t like the idea of Cass going back out there to fight, but both of them would be unbearable. As if knowing the worry that tore through me, Cass gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

“You just keep an eye out for my girl here at Court until then, okay?” Cass responded.

“I’ll always do that,” Luke said fiercely.

The collegial interaction between Cass and Luke so soon on the heels of my lie made me want to crawl out of my own skin and hide.

“Who says I’m the one who needs looking after?” I asked. “The Prince seems to think I may pack a powerful magical punch of my own someday.”

I didn’t believe it, but I was desperate for a change of subject.

Luke and Cass both shared a look that clearly said they thought they were going to continue doing the protecting.

“Okay, fighter,” Cass said, pulling me into his body. “But come help me pack before you save us all,” he joked.

Cass wrapped me in his muscled arms, then his wings appeared with a loud whooshing noise so quickly it was like they had been there all along and simply were unfurled.

“Let’s take the long way home,” he purred in my ear, causing a shiver to start at the nape of my neck and work its way down my body.

“Have fun in town,” I barely had time to say to Rhett, James, and Luke before Cass shot us into the air. His wings gracefully pushed us higher and higher.

I looked down before we got very far into the night sky. Luke was hugging Karina, who must have walked in the moment after we had taken flight. Luke’s arms were wrapped loosely around Karina, but he was looking over her shoulder, and his eyes were locked on me.

I had been on the receiving end of a thousand smiles from Luke, and each and every single one of them had taken my breath away. But the tight-lipped smile he gave me as I drifted farther and farther away from him stole the air in my lungs for an entirely different reason. The light usually surrounding my best friend appeared to dim, casting a somber shadow over his beautiful face.

It felt like someone was squeezing my heart in their fist and was testing to see how much pressure it could take before it simply imploded. Luke turned his back to me, breaking our eye contact, and appeared to offer Karina his seat. Soon, Luke was just a small speck in the distance, and I wondered if he thought the same thing about me as I disappeared into the stars in Cass’s arms.

24

Alarie

The Prince landed next to me on the balcony of my bedroom. I was leaning with my forearms on the railing, looking down at the High Court gardens. I could see the busy traffic circle where I had first arrived at the High Court. The same place where I’d first met Luke, when he had bowled into me and shielded us from the debris of the offensive marble statue as it collapsed. The same statue Cass had caused to explode, although I didn’t know that at the time. So much had changed in my life since then, but Luke was my one constant.

“Not punctual, but at least you’re dressed appropriately this time,” he noted.

Apparently, the Prince didn’t think I was capable of showing up to training properly dressed so he had taken care of it for me. The previous day, I’d received a delivery of pants and tops and sports bras, mostly of various shades of green, with a brief note from the Prince. “Wear these,” he’d ordered, like I couldn’t even figure out that part myself.

I wore a pair of tight shorts that barely covered my ass. They were black, and the waistband nearly met my sports bra, which was so deeply green it almost appeared black as well. My long brown hair wasn’t pulled back into a ponytail yet.

The Prince’s outfit was in stark contrast to mine. He was dressed for the High Court. He wore a black tailored suit with a collared shirt that was the same color green as my bra. His cufflinks gleamed in the afternoon sunlight. They were small, dark hexagonal emeralds. He looked dark, broody, and predictably extraordinary.

---