Page 81 of This Shattered Star

Resignation lined his features. He nodded once, a wistful smile twisting his mouth.

For his sake—or for mine, I wasn’t quite sure—I whispered, “I need time to think.”

“I know.” No judgement lay in his words. No anger. Solely honest understanding.

And somehow that felt worse.

I needed to go. Now. Before he could whisper more honeyed promises. And before I was foolish enough to accept them, lost in the haze of his touch.

“Thank you for the meal.” Picking up my skirts, I rushed towards the exit.

Only when I was halfway there did Maverick call out, “Eloise?”

I turned partially to look at him, cursing inwardly. “Yes?”

The smile he wore at that moment was worth more than gold. “I’d be a fool if I didn’t admit how proud I am. Of you, of your strength. Your courage.” My knees wobbled. “Wishing you luck is pointless, as you don’t need it.” He shrugged with one shoulder, unaware that he held my whole heart in his hands. “So, I will say this instead.”

He stood under the threshold of the double windows, tall and imposing like always, his mere presence making it seem as though he filled the entire frame. His magic flared, filling the room with static that crackled along my teeth.

Something gleamed in his smile. Something that should have sent me running. Instead, its equal, deep inside of me, cracked open an eye. And it was ravenous.

“Remind the gods why they fear you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

By the silence that coated the corridors when I returned to the first floor, I knew Darion’s friends had called off their hunt for blood.

The sound of my footsteps mirrored the slow ticking of the grandfather clock that had been left completely untouched despite the chaos and slaughter, likely counting down the seconds that would lead to our very demise with those overly sharp hands.

A nervous sweat broke out along my palms. I couldn’t talk to them.My allies.Not right now. I walked straight past their rooms, aiming for mine instead.

Stars above.

How could I even begin to explain, knowing they were traitors to the very crown that had been placed upon my head?

There had to be a line somewhere, one that, if crossed, would lead to a dagger in my chest at best, or my insides being lit aflame at worst.

Under no circumstance could I tell them about what Maverick offered me. About the way he laced my fingers through his as he guided my hand towards his thundering heart—

Nothing.I could tell them nothing.

Even if keeping the true contents of our meeting a secret chafed against my conscience in the worst way.

These are the Starlight Trials,I reminded myself harshly, though it lacked the conviction I was aiming for. I had to look outfor myself first and foremost. After all, they had no qualms about keeping secrets from me.

Before I left, Maverick had used his endless supply of the convenient portion of his magic to sew my competitors’ clothes back onto my limbs, the material spotless and dry. Not a wrinkle to be seen. It was like I’d never gutted Darion in waist-high waters. Like I’d never worn it to begin with. Even Kodhan’s dagger, returned to its rightful place along my hip, sparkled.

Restless energy gathered in my chest, kindled by every single emotion I’d shoved deep into myself since the beginning of the trials. It prompted me to walk right past my room, too. I couldn’t stay there. Not when those four walls would likely suffocate me to death. Being inside my own head was awful enough.

Movement was good. Movement kept the guilt at bay.

Wit loomed over my shoulder, cackling like it was ready to drag my soul to the Underworld. The ticking of the grandfather clock reverberated in the back of my mind, reminding me that this would be the final hammer strike.

The final test that would prove if Maverick was telling the truth. If he truly meant for me to win.

If I won, I might take the crown he’d offered me. And ram its sharp edges into his stomach.

I reached the end of the corridor. A dead end.