Page 62 of Fallen Stars

And then Merissa had launched herself at him, threatening to claw his eyes out before her mother had broken the two up.

A far cry from the woman staring back at her in the mirror now.

“Mer,” Elara asked, still waiting for her to reply. “I promise you don’t have to do this. It was Eli’s idiotic idea. Please pay no mind to him. You have Leo at home, and I don’t want you to do anything that will form a problem between you two. Plus…what you would have to do is…”

Elara pretended to gag as Eli scoffed.

Merissa’s eyes flicked between Elara and the Star leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face. Eli had always intimidated her, and dressed in full black, his shirt undone low enough to show the hard, carved chest and chains beneath, was not helping.

He was beautiful, of course. But that mind… Merissa’s mother had been right to warn her away from him when she had once commented on his beauty years ago.

She turned back to the mirror and carefully applied her lipstick, tinting her full lips a petal pink. She did not have Leo at home. And she was dreading the truth that was going to spill out of her mouth next.

“You don’t need to worry about Leo,” she said quietly.

“Oh?” Eli asked. Elara threw him a warning glance.

“If you must know, we decided to put a pin in things, what with everything going on and me having to leave for gods knows how long.”

Elara gasped, just as Merissa suspected. “What? But you liked him so much. Why didn’t you say anything sooner?!”

Eli seemed bored of the conversation, checking his pocket watch.

Merissahadliked Leo. Still did, she supposed. She sighed, her mind taking her back to the last conversation they had together. She had been sitting in the same position, in front of a mirror when Leo had suggested they end things.

“So much is going on in the world now,” he’d said softly, “and you now have to go to Castor. I just think, so it’s not another thing for us both to worry about, that we should cool things for now. Mer, I love you, you know I do. We’ve been friends for how long now?”

Merissa had forced her hand to stop shaking as she’d rubbed her lips together in the mirror. “Six years.”

“Exactly, six years. And I don’t know, I just…”

“It’s okay,” Merissa had said, finding his eyes in the mirror. “You can say it.” She was used to it by now.

“I just don’t want to ruin our friendship. Or make you feel pressured to stay steady with me when we have a kingdom between us for gods knows how long. I think it’s best—for now at least.”

A sadness had swept over Merissa. Yes, she was cursed in love.

She hadn’t even allowed herself to hope with Leo. He was so kind, so gentle, sogood. And Merissa… Well, Merissa had been expecting the words to leave his lips all year, almost welcomed them now.

“I feel the same,” she had replied, smoothing her hair and turning to him. “You’re right. What we had was just something fun, one night of passion. If that. Let’s just focus on waking Enzo for now.”

She’d nodded, faking her bravado as she turned back to the mirror. “We’re absolutely fine, you and I. Friends is the safest decision for us. Definitely.”

And then Leo had risen from his seat, coming behind the mirror. Had kissed the top of her head. “You know I love you, Mer.”

“Love you too.” She’d smiled. “Now go. Go! I have to finish getting ready.”

He’d nodded, squeezing her shoulder in a gesture that made her feel far more like his sister rather than anyone he had ever been tempted by. “We’re okay?”

And she had given a bright smile as he walked to the door. “We’regood,” she’d said, waiting for him to shut the door.

The glamour had left her instantly. Merissa was very good at upholding one. Not the literal glamours that she used to paint faces or change them. But the ones that had her pretending everything was okay, that she was happy and sweet andfine, even as her world crumbled.

“Mer?”

She was broken out of her thoughts again by Elara, who was peering at her with consternation. Merissa spared a glance in the mirror, seeing herself slumped, green eyes empty, the sparkle drained from them.

“I should have expected it,” she said quietly. “My own brother warned me.” She dipped a brush in spun sugar, tapping it harshly against the lid.

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