Page 42 of A Clash of Stars

Madok’s hand slid up my arm to my elbow and stopped me. He pulled me to face him, and his free hand slid to my cheek. He held my face firmly but kindly.

“I promise you. I will always love you. I will fight for you, protect you, until my last day.” Then he kissed me. Not just any kiss, one that sealed his promise for me. I pushed back on his chest to signal that I didn’t want him to kiss me. I could feel eyes on me, but not Madok’s. When we pulled back from our embrace and continued to walk, that’s when I saw.

Evander.

His eyes were darkened and furious. I could feel the rage. The feeling almost scared me. Was I scared about my feelings with Madok slipping away or this new feeling of not wanting to disappoint Evander?

How could someone I barely know have such an effect on me? I had known Madok my whole life and Evander only a tiny portion of it. I was tied to both in a way I couldn’t describe and in such different ways. I tried to use my powers to sense their emotions, but they both were guarded and so was I.

We walked through the forest, and I went down the checklist in my head of all the powers I was told I had, but I got lost in thought when my eyes wandered back to Evander again when we paused for a rest. He was sitting on the ground beside his sister, lost in conversation.

He was laughing so hard that I could see the crinkles forming on the corners of his eyes. He looked himself, wholly relaxed and comfortable. Maybe he isn’t such a bad guy and doesn’tcompletelyhate me.

Chapter 10

Before nightfall, we set up a campsite near a small lake that we stumbled upon on the side of the forest. One I had never seen before.

Once the tents had been set up at the forest’s edge, I decided to walk to sit by the lake. Sitting there, I watched the beaming rays of orange and pink slowly sink into the sky. The light poured onto the lake, and my eyes were mesmerized by the view. I felt a scratch on my neck.

Are you lonely?

I knew exactly who it was without looking and could hear his voice. I thought of something clever, but I was genuinely exhausted. Numb.

I need to be alone right now. Sometimes it’s when my thoughts are the clearest.

The sun was just on the rim of the trees as the light slowly sank away, and the moon rose into the sky with scattered bits of light, the stars. I searched for the stars and found one that shone a little brighter than the others.

I wondered if they ever get lonely up there. They were so beautiful, but how did they shine so brightly without anyone to help?

I know theoretically that stars aren’t beings, but I couldn’t help but think how similar I was to that star. I was always a bright light for my parents and friends, but I somehow felt lonely.

I felt the warmth of a tear stream down my face as I gazed back into the sky. The star I had been watching began to move, and I thought I might be seeing things when I glanced at another star starting to move too. They moved so fast, and just as quickly as they moved, they stopped. A small laugh escaped me.

The stars were lined up next to each other directly above the moon. Maybe I was wrong that they weren’t beings, or maybe they were our loved ones watching over us. All I knew at that moment was the voice of Athiana rose in my thoughts. “Trust the one whose star aligns with yours.”

It’s called an asterism. The way the stars align in the sky. I used to watch the stars align in the sky as a kid. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I always wished a third star would join them, because they seemed so lonely.

A sharp breath left me as I realized that Evander had expressed my thoughts about the stars.

I thought I told you I wanted to be alone.

I did leave you alone, but I’ll never leave you, Clara.

I turned my head around to see where this man was. I saw him leaning against the large pine tree at the tree line. He stood upright, then walked towards the tents and entered his. I knew I needed to get to bed soon, as we had another long journey to wherever we were going.

I stood and made my way to the circle of tents. I saw Madok and Griffin sitting at the fire, taking the first watch of the night. I smiled at them and wished them goodnight. I could see a little hurt in Madok’s face, but here we were. Becoming strangers yet again.

I made it inside my tent and stripped down to my undergarments, slipping under the rough sheets and embracing the pillow to relax. I finally fell asleep.

What felt like only a moment later, the warmth of a body lay behind me with a strong, callous hand on my hip. I felt goosebumps spread down the length of my body, signaling that I was being affected by whoever this was. I tried topinpoint who this man was before I turned around, and then I smelled his scent. Teakwood. The scent of Evander.

His hand gently traveled up and down my thigh, and my reaction was to press my back into him. His mouth nuzzled into the back of my neck as he pressed soft kisses along my tender neck while sliding his hand closer to the black undergarments.

I couldn’t help but reach back to his head to encourage his kisses. He moved further down to my collarbone, and his hand reached inside, touching my most sensitive parts. I gasped. He pulled back, pushed me onto my back, and hovered inches over me.

His smile stretched out into the most gorgeous smile I’d ever seen, and then he leaned into me and hesitantly stopped just before my lips. His fingers slipped inside of me as he pressed his lips to mine. I moaned into his mouth as I opened my body up to him.

His tongue swept across mine as he pressed his fingers into a spot that made everything spin. My breath started to quicken as I started to feel my body explode around him. He pulled back from my kiss, and I heard my name. I was looking at him, but his mouth wasn’t moving.

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