Page 10 of A Clash of Stars

Griff laughed, “Thanks, Instructor Eddie.”

Instructor Edward rolled his eyes and moved to the side. There was no reason to fight against Griffin and his enormous personality.

The Rhysette family was primarily quiet and to themselves, except for him. He was of warrior blood, the protector of the Land from foreign attacks, and even the protector of the current throne of Sefida. Besides having an older brother, Phillip, I didn’t know much about him, but he has been missing since Griffin was younger.

It was near impossible for me to work up the courage to ask Griffin about him. Looking into his eyes, I could see the grief that permanently pressed into his soul. A part of him. Never leaving, just growing, and making room for new days to come.

“Clara, I have to say. I never thought the day would come for us to finally have a moment alone.”

I chuckled, only because it was funny that Griffin would even say that. From the beginning, our relationship has been and always will be entirely nonphysical. Yes, he is a stunning specimen, but he felt more like a big brother than someone I could have romantic feelings for, and I knew he felt the same way.

“Little Clara, what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

I looked around the room, and everyone was still in attendance except Madok. The empty feeling in my stomach was more pronounced, leaving me sad.

“Is it that obvious?” I whimpered.

“Your eyebrows are permanently furrowed. The sweet girl who would banter with us suddenly became mute. Are you nervous about the Variance?”

I sighed, “I am just going through something. I’m not focused on the Variance right now, which is probably why my head is so clouded. I think I am just tired of being around so much testosterone.”

Griff chuckled and squeezed me into a hug. Instructor Edward’s eyes flared with anger that he pulled me so close, but Griff couldn’t care less. He leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“If it’s about Madok, we all think he is acompleteasshole. You should stick with me. I’m great at dancing, talking, and…other things.”

I poked him in the side, causing him to squirm and laugh, then he pulled back to give us some space. I knew he was only trying to distract me.

“Thank yousomuch for that offer, Griffin, but I’ll pass.”

I winked, and he kissed my cheek, finishing our dance.

I took a deep breath, knowing damn well that I had one last dance partner left, Evander.

Anyone in the room could sense my obvious overwhelming apprehending feelings about him. His power had completed its emergence many months before everyone else when he was only sixteen or fifteen, or maybe before that.

I wholeheartedly knew that one of his powers was persuasion and, with a face like his, was absolute trouble.

As he approached me, I could feel the invisible shield protecting my emotions covering me in preparation for his touch. When Evander invaded my space, I was struck with the overwhelming scent of teakwood, his signature smell, but I couldn’t help but make some other observations about him.

His eyes...

Ugh, Stop it, Clara! Pull. Yourself. Together.

After my inner monologue ended, I immediately glanced at Luke, and he smiled the knowing smile of my exact inner thoughts. Thankfully, he was the only one who could read my thoughts in this room.

Evander’s eyes were, in fact, the most glorious eyes I had ever seen. I had seen a lot of stunning eyes, including the other men in this Castle.

I don’t know if the rusted gold and speckles of green or some magical spell made me feel as though I could drown in them, but I couldn’t stop looking. His skin was a gorgeous dark copper tone, and he had a strong jaw leading to a plump rose-colored mouth. I imagined kissing his soft mouth, then realized I was staring. After I lingered too long on his lips, he cleared his throat.

“Would you like to dance, or would you prefer to stare at my lips all day?”

I felt the heat in my cheeks from embarrassment, but I nodded.

His large, strong hand grasped my waist but placed it further down than the other guys had placed theirs, slightly grazing the upper swell of my ass. Instead of grabbing my right hand next, he pulled me against his chest.

When he did, I was hit with the smell of roses. His chest was broad and strong. I could feel his muscles flex under his tunic. Then, he slowly slid his hand down my right arm, leaving a trail of chills on my skin, and wrapped his hand around mine, bringing it up to the correct dancing position.

During this heated exchange, I wasn’t even sure I was breathing. When I decided to gasp for air, I took it, and we began.

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