Page 113 of Fallen Stars

The last mess had been after what Eli could only describe, for lack of a better word, an orgy. Lias, never fucking sated and far too concerned with lust for a god of love, had not one…not five…butsevenmortals, all completely under his charm and acting like the kind of harem that should only belong in The Sinner’s Sands. Eli had walked in on the scene, men and women alike all worshipping Lias, a mass of writhing bodies, before Eli had been forced to compel them out of the palace.

The dim-witted, winged fool hadn’t understood why Eli had done such a thing, and Eli had already explained five-fucking-thousand times that a mortal in love could not distinguish or set that apart from sex the way that a god with no heart could. Love drove mortals to madness. It was a simple fact.

Oh, it was tempting. It was so,sotempting…to root around in Lias’s mind, to turn his brain into a pile of mush, or at the very least compel him to turn celibate, to stop playing with the feelings of mortals. If he could, he would take that beloved golden arrow of Lias’s and impale the god with it. But alas…all thoughts had to stop short. The treaty between the twelve Stars was shaky as it was, each only agreeing to never use their powers on another Star because of the outright war that would ensue and the massacre with it.

And so, Eli took another sip of his chocolat as he watched the world pass by.

He missed Elara—her company and quick wit. It did not bother him anymore that she could not remember him from their time in the heavens. He believed enough in their bond, in their soul-tie as she had once called it, all those centuries ago, that they would form a new kind of connection. Elara in her true form had been more of a sister to him than Gem ever had. She was the only person who saw him, understood him completely. And he could not wait until she arrived in Concordia.

He thought back to their memories together to pass the time as his roving eyes flicked from person to person, always wary, always assessing. They caught on a figure a few tables away.

The woman who sat there quickly averted her eyes, her nose back in a sheaf of parchments that she was writing on. She was beautiful, the beauty spot above her lip accentuating its fullness, her skin tanned and hair a rich burgundy red shot with gold. Eli’s eyes narrowed as he sent tendrils of his power snaking out to her. His charm coaxed and caressed her, seeping through her eyes as he attempted to gain knowledge on who she may be. His victims were never aware. And yet the woman’s gaze flicked to him, brown, and with a smirk he felt a sharp blade slash through his tendrils as she held his gaze.

He scraped his chair back. This was not simple magick. Even Elara had not been able to perform such a thing.

“What—”

The woman had already gathered her sheaf of papers, and with a two fingered salute to him and a wink, she set off, running down the side alley.

Eli swore under his breath. As a rule, he did not run. And yet he felt his feet move of their own accord, clearly incensed by this stranger who he could not read.

He skidded around the corner, seeing the tails of her red hair whip round another as he gave chase. He was nearly on her, pounding down the cobbles as he used his charm to move men and women out of his way andforgetthat they had seen a God running. Just when he had caught up with her, a hungry grin of triumph on his face, the girl…disappeared.

Eli came to a halt, his eyes bulging as he surveyed the sheaf of papers swirling in her stead.

“What in the fuckery?” he breathed, snatching one from the air.

He squinted at the unnervingly neat script, the symbols etched around the border. He yanked his charm to himself impatiently—god of knowledge had its perks—and translated the symbols and language in front of him.

“Oh gods,” he whispered, slowly backing away from the pile now littering the ground. Those symbols were for a spell. Spells did not exist in Celestia. The mortals were born with their magick, and that was that. There was no need for incantations or casting. And witches… The termwitchwas just a term, a derogatory one at that, a word coined on rumours of some who walked the land eons before, devoid of power. Demons not of this world who grasped magick with their teeth and forced it into their veins with their symbols and their ink.

But as he rubbed his eyes and picked up another piece of paper, this one littered with even stranger symbols, Eli knew…

The symbols were not from this world.

And neither was the woman.

Chapter Forty-One

Merissa left not long afterthe news that Enzo wielded life as Elara wielded death.

She had guessed at it, the puzzle piecing together. Why moonlight had erupted the night in Lake Astra, why the sirens had recognised it immediately—half-dead creatures that she now realised had been worshipping their queen. Why Isra had said she felt death within Elara.

Her mother of course had said nothing, although Merissa could hazard a guess that the Star had known—knowing the Moon those centuries ago.

She sighed as she turned the corner. She didn’t know what this meant for the group. What was the end goal here? They had all been so preoccupied with running since the Stars announced a bounty on the two titans’ heads that no one had stopped to ask—what did Enzo and Elara want?

Did they want to return to their thrones in the skies? Did they want to leave Celestia? Vanquish the Stars? Merissa knew that Elara’s main goal had been to wake Enzo, but now…

Merissa couldn’t help but feel a terrible sense of foreboding at the prospects before them all. Especially now that the titans’ powers were growing. She had heard of war, knew the signs of its impending arrival.

It was a calm before a storm, black clouds rolling overhead. And she could feel the metallic taste of it on her tongue, hear the sounds of battle cries and sharpened steel.

She knew it would come to that. Knew that despite how much Enzo and Elara loved their mortal lives together, there would be a point where they would not be able to run any further and would be forced to turn and face the Stars.

Merissa only hoped and prayed that they would all be ready when that time came.

She stood on the deck of the ship, breathing the bracing air in deeply. She needed a moment, away from the group, away from Leo.

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