Page 54 of Midnight Star

What if they didn’t survive the fight? What if they’ve been dead the entire time I’ve been here?

What if I never get back home?

I curse internally, since I’m doing a terrible job at regulating my thoughts.

“Aerix killed for you.” Isla snaps me out of it and lifts her queen, positioning it dangerously close to my king. “He was angry that Jake touched you. He emotionally reacted. And that makes him weak.”

“You’re probably the only person on the planet who would call Aerixweak,” I say as I make my next move, even though my heart races as I wonder if she’s come to the same conclusion I have about the next move that would be best for me to take.

“The point is,” she continues as she puts me in check, “he’s different with you. And that gives you power.”

I move my king out of danger, but it’s a temporary solution at best.

As Isla contemplates her next move, I glance at Aurora, who’s sitting at the fountain near the courtyard’s edge, per usual. Her gaze is fixed on the book in her lap, but I know she’s listening. After our chat in the garden, I suspect she listens to a lot more than it initially appears.

Then, my attention shifts across the courtyard, to Henry.

He’s lounging in the shade of a tree, his eyes locked on Malakai’s girls as they play a game of cards. The way he stares at them—hungry, cold, and predatory—makes my stomach churn.

They don’t seem to notice. Or maybe they’ve just learned to ignore it.

“Henry’s at it again,” I mutter, nodding in his direction.

Isla follows my gaze, her lip curling. “Creepy bastard,” she says, and her choice words catch me off guard, given her young age. “You’d think the queen would have done something about him by now. I have a hard time imagining that she’d tolerate one of her pets looking at other girls likethat.”

“Actually, she encourages it,” Elijah says. “Henry’s antics amuse her.”

“Creep,” Isla repeats as she makes her move, and I’m not sure if she’s talking about Henry, or about the queen.

Probably both of them.

I capture her castle and glance at Henry again with a growing sense of unease. But he’s either ignoring me, or he doesn’t care.

Ideally, he’s scared of me after Jake turned up dead this morning. Although, I doubt it. Henry doesn’t seem like the type who scares easily—if ever.

Five moves later, Isla lays her king down on the board and loudly announces her checkmate.

“I’ll get you back next time,” I tell her—even though that would take a miracle—and then I look over at Elijah. “Your turn to get annihilated.”

Before he can reply, Katerina moves toward us, her presence startling in its quietness. Her golden hair glimmers in the moonlight, and she carries herself with thesame calculated grace that all of Malakai’s girls seem to share. She doesn’t speak—she never does—but her piercing gaze locks onto mine, then flicks toward the chessboard.

“You want to play?” I ask, glancing between her and the board.

She nods, and there’s something haunted in her deep blue eyes—something that makes me wonder what scarred her so much that she no longer speaks.

Isla raises an eyebrow and exchanges a look with Elijah. “Well, this just got interesting,” she says, setting her king right side up and standing.

Elijah lingers a moment longer, curiosity written all over his face. “We’ll leave you to it,” he says. “Good luck.”

I return my attention to Katerina as she slides into the seat across from me and starts setting up the pieces with quick, precise movements.

When she’s done, she motions for me to go first, and I take her up on it by moving my first pawn.

I hold my own for longer than I did against Isla. But eventually, Katerina takes my king with a quiet grace that somehow makes the defeat sting less, giving me a close-lipped, challenging smile.

Point taken.

I have alotto learn around here.

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