Page 103 of The Stars are Dying

He dipped around a corner, and I decided to be curious about what he could be getting up to in the city. More so, why he wouldn’t want to be noticed.

I followed him down two more streets, until down a dark alley I crouched behind a wet frozen crate to spy on him as he headed toward a group of tall, dark figures. I cursed the noise around me, unable to make out a word of the vampires’ exchange.

They didn’t talk for long before he was moving again.

I watched him enter an establishment a little farther out. From the outside, I couldn’t imagine what business he’d have in such a place during the daytime: The Scarlet Rose. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I’d still figured he could request any lady at the castle or host far more elaborate gambling nights within the palace.

I threw away all sense when I entered the establishment a few beats after him.

Expecting to inhale the sting of alcohol, I was pleasantly surprised by the embrace of delicious perfumes such as peach and rose. Paintings lined the walls, and at first, I almost looked away from the scandalous images, but they were breathtaking. Women whose every beautiful curve and fold had been painted with amazing realism. Some men too, and their positions heated my skin, setting off a wild foreign desire to see them locked in passion in ways I’d never imagined. I took a deep breath and tore my interest from them.

It was quieter than I’d hoped for. I winced at every creak of my boots against the floorboards but continued down the narrow hall, turning once before continuing down another.

I barely got two steps before I was pushed against the wall, my cry smothered by a gloved hand. Fright pounded my chest, but my mind couldn’t decide if it wanted to run or if it was relieved to be staring up at Drystan.

“Am I not to be the one following you, Cassia?” Drystan drawled the three syllables of her name as if he were playing with it.

“It seems neither of us is effective in our tasks,” I said.

Drystan’s hazel eyes held amusement as he looked me over. I counted my pulse.

“You haven’t found yourself in any precarious situations,” he said. “Yet.”

“The map.” It was the confirmation I needed.

His head tilted with his slow smile. “I happen to be good at optimizing my time. Why trail you through every delirious trial? I’m surprised, and I’ll admit a little disappointed, you haven’t attracted any danger for some action.”

I could only gape, though I wasn’t surprised he would wish harm on me for his own twisted amusement.

He had yet to step away from me, and I hoped my sideward glance for an escape would deliver the hint. He eased a smirk. Sometimes I had to double-take at certain quirks about him that hinted at familiarity.

“How are your trials faring?”

“I have the first piece,” I said.

Drystan grinned, and being this close to the exposure of his sharp teeth sliced a frightening memory of the soulless through me. I suppressed my shudder, but he seemed to notice my hesitation around him.

“Are you afraid of me?”

“No.” My response came so fast it exposed my lie.

“Do you need help with your next location?”

“I have it, actually.”

Drystan’s face relaxed with arrogance as he extended his palm. “Let me see.”

I wanted to refuse so he wouldn’t know all my locations in advance, but I couldn’t deny the prince. He took the map and clear sheet from me, fascinated by it as if he’d never seen such a thing before. He slid a curious look to me.

“The Poison Garden,” he mused.

“That doesn’t sound inviting,” I said warily.

Drystan gave a low laugh. “It’s not. Be cautious, as the most beautiful things can be tempting, but they’re often the deadliest.” The way his tone dropped with the warning accompanied by the slow trace of his eyes over me inspired a crawling warmth.

“I should, uh…get going then,” I said, making as if to move around him, but he planted his hand on the wall to stop me.

My heart skipped a beat.

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