Page 72 of Heavenly Bodies

‘I thought you had better taste.’ He spat at her feet from where he lay sprawled. ‘Lightwhore.’

Enzo lunged before Elara could blink. Lukas flung his magick out, to no avail as it met a sizzling shield of Enzo’s fire.

Enzo’s fist smashed into Lukas’s nose, blood pouring as the Lion became a beast unleashed, his blows finding their mark again and again.

He paused, only to shove his hand in her ex-betrothed’s mouth. Lukas clamped his teeth upon Enzo’s fingers, but Enzo didn’t so much as flinch as he gripped Lukas’s tongue with a hand and pulled it taut.

‘If you ever so much as utter Elara’s name again, I swearto the twelve fucking Stars that I will rip your tongue from your throat and feed it to you.’

Lukas wept, strangled noises coming from his mouth until Enzo let go.

‘You are no king,’ he hissed, raising his dagger once more to commit the final blow.

‘Stop,’ Elara implored. And she hated her stupid soft heart and the panic it felt in that moment. Despite how Lukas had betrayed her, what he’d done to Sofia, her kingdom, despite it all she still saw a glimpse of the boy she had once grown up with, and couldn’t watch him die.

Enzo halted instantly. She pressed a hand to his arm, her other arm still around Sofia, who had watched on silently. ‘He’s not worth it.’

Enzo’s shoulders tensed, and then a moment later, he let them slump as he released Lukas.

‘No, you’re not worth it. But you’re marked now, shadowmancer.’ He spat at his feet as Lukas lay there, clutching his bloody nose. ‘And you will let us leave safely.’ He looked behind him. ‘Come on, El. Let’s get out of here.’

Elara heaved Sofia up, her body so weak and fragile, and the two began to move her, when Lukas started to laugh.

It was a cold, terrible laugh, and Elara stilled.

‘What?’ she demanded.

But he only continued to laugh, staring at something behind them.

‘It worked,’ he said, mouth fashioned in a bloody grin.

Elara turned slowly, as Sofia screamed, shaking against her.

And Ariete, the King of Stars, the god of wrath and war, swaggered into the throne room, red starlight trailing behind him.

He gave a wolfish grin as he laid his crimson eyes upon Elara.

‘Hello, lover.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The god before her was as beautiful and bloodcurdling as he had been the first time Elara had laid eyes upon him. His face was that of a young man, though he was centuries old. Black hair striped with red was combed off the Star’s face to match upswept burgundy eyes. Tattoos crawled over his pale skin: playing cards, a circus tent, a ram, all alongside grotesque frescoes of war and death. The images wrapped around a warrior’s bare torso—one honed to kill—beneath a sharply tailored jacket. Her eyes caught on the words that she had tried to forget since her birthday, a line scrawled under his left eye.Divine Violence.

Enzo leapt in front of Elara, dagger drawn. Fire rippled off its blade, and he lunged at Ariete.

The god side-stepped his attack easily, flicking a blow of starlight at him.

It knocked the prince off his feet and he landed on the floor, where he lay unmoving.

‘No!’ Elara screamed, running towards Enzo. He was still breathing, and Ariete looked down at him, at the fire still rippling off his fallen blade.

‘Interesting,’ he murmured.

Elara turned, and with a howl flung her dagger at Ariete. Her aim was immaculate, but Ariete was a Star. He whipped the knife from the air, clenching it blade-first with his palm. Then his grin grew ever wider, so wide that his pointed fangs were fully visible as he slowly uncurled his hand, rivulets of glittering blood running down it. He brought the knife to his tongue and ran the blade along it.

‘Oh, how I love a vicious woman,’ he sighed, a sing-song tone in his voice as he took another step forwards. His charm coated the room in a shriek of clanging swords and overwhelming bloodlust. Elara gazed wildly to Enzo, still unconscious, and reached blindly for her powers—a shadow, an illusion, anything. She flung her hand.

‘Oh, no, you don’t,’ Ariete sang, and was upon her in two strides. Elara gave a cry as the Star gripped her hair, yanking her head back, her neck bare to him. In utter horror, she screamed as his fangs pierced her neck, and a lancing pain flooded through her.It burned, oh skies, it burned.‘Demon’s venom,’ he murmured, as she felt it drown her magick, weaken her until she sank against him. ‘And the only cure is a Star’s blood.’ He chuckled as she swooned, Sofia screaming and pleading.

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