Page 112 of Above
I had dismantled the old wards long ago, no longer needing them. Death meowed loudly at my arrival, and I quickly scooped her up before ripping open the door to my lab, letting it slam into the wall. Darting down the stairs, I kissed Death and set her on the plush bed I had bought her with my newfound fortune. One of the few things I used it for. She purred loudly, rubbing her head into it.
What was once my sanctuary and the source of hope for my family’s future had changed completely. With my purpose gone, I found I had no use of the humanity I had desperately clung to. Instead, I accepted the wicked darkness within me that so pleased the stars. I reveled in it, pouring that energy into my hunt.
A hunt that fed on revenge.
Staring at the wall, I contemplated my next move. Covering the surface was a sprawling display of hand drawn maps,galaxies and planets depicted in crooked lines and desperate strokes. All along the parchment sheets were my furiously scribbled notes, along with large red Xs to show which planets proved empty.
Snatching up Celeste’s red paint, I walked over to the map, located planet two-seven-three, and crossed it out, ripping the parchment slightly.
“Where the fuck are you, Altair?” I asked the air. Death meowed, the stars giggled, and I could have sworn my own voice jeered within my head as well.
In my haze of desperation and exhaustion, I found my eyes settling on somewhere familiar.
Dajahim.
Maybe the fucker never left home.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Nova
“Celeste and I read a book about a beast that fell in love with a princess today. Celeste says it’s romantic, but I can’t stop myself from wondering if the things the shaytan say about eadi are true. What if we never get magic and we stay beasts instead of princesses?”
-From the journal of Nova Tershetta, 9244 AS
“So, I was thinking,” Talon said, his fingers massaging my head. “What if we went to dinner tonight at that new restaurant in the northern part of the Star District?”
I hadn’t heard of a new restaurant. Then again, I didn’t know much about anything that had to do with the Star District. Going anywhere outside of the base was enough to make my skin crawl. Especially when one of my few memories was of Altair taking me there against my will, leading to him meeting my family.
My only regret is not doing it sooner.
That final, haunting line of his note had my fists balling, my jaw reflexively stiffening as I thought about the sight of my parents’ mutilated bodies. I was thankful I hadn’t seen Celeste’s before finding Talon and rushing him back to base.
He had watched Altair slice her in half, and though he refused to give me details, I knew it must have been a nauseating sight by the way he visibly cringed and shook his leg when he talked about it.
And Altair had only regretted not doing it sooner. Such a stark contrast to what he had said to me just before. Why I hadn’t questioned his bloody body, I didn’t know. But if I would have, maybe I could have stopped him. Or perhaps I could have just convinced him to kill me instead. If anything, I could have at least—
“Supernova,” Talon chided, moving his hand to my bare back. I blinked, coming back into the moment. “Where did you go that time?”
While I had always been prone to going missing in my own mind, Talon had been noticing my absences more often as of late. I couldn’t help it though. My mind never shut off, and I constantly felt as if I were fighting against myself.
“Sorry, just thinking. Yes, dinner sounds lovely.”
He wouldn’t have taken no for an answer anyways. Talon never asked me to plan dates, cook dinner, or buy him gifts. All he ever wanted was my returned affection. Which was why I had been sleeping at his house most nights, though I often suffered from nightmares. Death was my last reasonable excuse for keeping my house. She hated Castle Zade just as much as I did. When she came, she cried all night, her tiny body shaking against my chest in the bed.
Still, I had resigned myself to this life. One day I would probably marry him. We’d have children who I hoped would look like Mama or Dad. Maybe a girl that had Celeste’s fiery personality. I’d eventually be given the title of general, which I had a feeling would somehow lead to a sort of dual leadership with Talon, since the cores were so loathe to let women be in charge.
It would be a dull and potentially dreadful life, but I’d find happiness where I could. And I’d have him at my side.
Talon had been right about one thing, he understood me. We had lost so much, and we truly only had each other left in many ways. His grandfather had been working with him closely as he took on the title of colonel and head of the Zade family, but Talon hated the man. So really, it was only us.
And that was enough.
“Perfect, I’ll make the reservation,” he hummed, his fingers slipping between my legs. “What are your plans for the day?”
“After morning training I’ll be working with the alchemists mostly.” He pressed a digit inside of me, rewarding me for agreeing. For being good.
“Excellent, that shouldn’t take long.” His breaths sped with mine, another finger diving inside of me. Against my thigh, I felt him harden. “Do you think you can be ready by seventeen hundred?”
