Page 204 of Fallen Stars

Leo looked at Adrian as though to say, ‘Shut it.’

“Just too much Kaosian wine,” Adrian replied. “You know how it is.” He winked, jostling Lias. “Lord Lias, I’m sorry but we must be getting through. We’ve lost some friends.”

The Star looked Leo over, tilting his head. “You, commander, have a very interesting love line.”

“I think you’re mistaken—”

“Eli sent me,” Lias drawled, grasping Adrian’s arm and pulling them all along. “I know who you all are. And where your precious Moon is. Sagitton has her.”

“What?” Adrian and Leo said in unison.

Lias continued to part the crowd as onlookers dropped to their knees, fawning and keening to touch him. Here and there he’d grasp hands, and Adrian watched in a mixture of envy and fascination at the glaze that came over the onlookers’ eyes the moment they gazed upon the Star.

“Quick,” Leo hissed, stroking Isra’s hair with the tenderness of family as they followed Lias out of the square and into another empty one.

“Where is that lunatic’s temple?” Lias muttered to himself, squinting. “Aha!”

He began running around a corner into an adjoining square, stragglers from the revel in various stages of inebriation all around as Leo and Adrian looked at one another.

“Do you know much about Sagitton?” Adrian ventured as they ran after Lias.

“Other than that he’s stark raving mad and a drunkard too? No.”

“Great,” Adrian drawled. “Me neither.”

They came up behind a still Lias, his wings ruffling as he beheld the temple in front of them. A deep purple stone held overturned chalices from the scaffolding, which poured wine down the building. Reliefs depicting various stages of ecstasy, one a woman with her eyes closed and head rolled back as the wine was poured to her mouth, another a man on his knees, hands supplicated in prayer as he grinned.

The building pulsed with its own wicked energy, and a sickness engulfed Adrian. Even Lias winced against it, his wings fluttering as though an invisible storm surrounded him.

“Sagitton is in there,” Lias said. “His charm is strong. Too strong.”

Adrian heard hysterical laughter inside and Lias jumped, cursing. Adrian fingered the sword at his hip, checking in with the blue, slumbering ocean magick within him, even as another wave of sickness washed over him. He knew he’d flood the city if it meant retrieving Elara safely.

Leo noticed, nodding in approval. He winked at Adrian. “Now you’re really part of the pride.”

Adrian went to reply, but Leo’s eyes suddenly flashed, from brown to purple as a laugh escaped his lips.

“Leo?”

“Let go,” Leo whispered as Lias turned in horror. “Just let go of it all. Come on, live a little. Have fun.”

Isra slumped out of his arms as Adrian shouted her name, running to her. But a wall of charm was hitting him, and suddenly it felt so, so tempting to give in as Leo was encouraging him to do. So with a final sigh, charm tasting like grapes on his tongue, Adrian let go.

Eli and Enzo screamed to a halt by a tiny back alley that seemed to lead nowhere.

“What?” Enzo panted.

“One minute,” Eli wheezed, eyes narrowing. “She’s around the corner, but it looks like we have someone else to pick up.”

Enzo tutted with impatience. “I’m going in there.”

“Go in alone, Lorenzo, and I will not be able to save you from Sagitton’s charm. He is wild. Unmanageable. Depraved.”

Enzo let out a sound of anguish as he paced. “Quick,” he snarled.

Eli paced down the alley to the figure slumped on a bench, her eyes half closed.

“Merissa?” he asked incredulously. The demi-Star’s eyes fluttered open, the luminous green of them hazy.

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