Page 7 of All the Chaos of Constellations
Perhaps he would’ve been better off if someone had ripped his soul from inside him instead.
She sank her teeth into her bottom lip, likely to hold back the tears threatening to slide down her cheeks at any moment. Then she pointed to the waterfall of winterblooms. “Get. Out.”
Asher wasn’t sure he heard her correctly. He tugged on the collar of his shirt, his brow furrowing. “What?”
“Get out of my house. Now.” Fury radiated from her, causing her to tremble. “And do notevershow your face here again.”
He inclined his head and bowed stiffly. “Gladly, my lady.”
Without looking back, Asher stormed out of the alcove, ignoring the shouts and disgruntled muttering of anyone who stood in his way. He had to get away from here. Away fromher.
He told himself she’d get over it. It was only a matter of time until she found someone else worthy of her, someone who would undoubtedly worship the ground she walked upon. It was a good thing she was furious with him. It would make it all the easier once she realized this was a mistake. A lapse in judgment. A fallacy.
Leaving House Celestine, he strode out into the bitter night. Frigid wind slashed through him, punishing him for his foolishness. The towering mountains seemed to mock him, he could almost hear their whispers echoing from the tallest peaks.
Asher probably should’ve hailed a carriage to take him home, but he was already stalking through the glittering city streets of Celestine, and he wasn't about to turn back. He didn’t care if his lungs froze solid before he reached Emberspire or if every muscle screamed, then snapped, from the miles-long trek it would take to reach the doors of his home. The more distance between himself and House Celestine, the better. It was bad enough a mating bond had inadvertently fused him to Novalise Starstorm, but the crime he committed afterwards was far more heinous.
Asher turned himself away from her. Abandoned her. Rejected her, and in turn, rejected their bond.
But it was better this way.
Because Asher had sworn to never fall in love, and that was a vow not even a bond could break.
CHAPTERTHREE
Winter thawed to spring. Spring bloomed into summer. All the while, Asher Firebane had done exactly as Novalise demanded of him.
He stayed far, far away.
Yet every second of every day it seemed the mating bond connecting them continued to strengthen. She’d tried, oh goddess, how she hadtriedto forget him.
But Lord Firebane was always there, in the early waking hours and the late sleepless nights. He occupied every spare moment of her mind. If she let her guard down, she could hear his thoughts, his voice as clear as though he were whispering the words right past her ear. It was a constant pull, a tether. His heart had been tied to hers, so she was always conscious of him, always knew where to find him. More often than not, his emotions got the best of her. Frustration. Anger. Loneliness.
That last one nearly broke her.
For no matter how badly she wanted to see his body impaled and his head skewered on a stake for rejecting her, a tiny, insignificant part of her wanted him to change his mind. If he would accept the bond, he wouldn’t be so lonely all the time, and then perhaps her heart would cease its constant aching.
But her pity only extended so far.
Right now, she had more important things to deal with, like preparing for her star reading. It would be the one that would seal her destiny. She’d yet to secure a mate on her own, no thanks to the ill-tempered fae lord who refused to acknowledge her existence, so now the stars would choose for her.
Which was fine.
She’d reached the age where marriage was no longer met with childish fantasies but was now a looming necessity. As the eldest daughter of House Celestine, it was expected of her, a dutiful obligation. Queen Elowyn deemed the end of Midsummer as the perfect opportunity for her wedding to take place, and Novalise was in no position to refuse her queen.
Tonight, the star reading would confirm all that was predicted on the night of her birth. Novalise would take her mother’s place, becoming the next Reader of Stars. She would foresee the fates of all those who came to her for assistance, and she would carry the weight of Aeramere’s future upon her shoulders, becoming a member of Queen Elowyn’s prestigious council. She would wed the one the stars chose for her, who was decidedlynotLord Asher Firebane, produce heirs to House Celestine, and live out the remainder of her days as one of the most prominent and celebrated fae in Aeramere.
Songs would be written in her honor.
Legends would be woven from the fibers of her life.
All wonderful things, and yet she still felt as though something was amiss. It prodded at the back of her mind, startling her in the middle of the night so she woke up with her heart racing as she gasped for air.
Novalise flopped down onto her bed, sending a flurry of plush pillows to the floor. She stared up at her ceiling to the glamoured night sky glittering before her, where an array of stars displayed her favorite constellation—Estrela's crown. Estrela, the goddess of the moon and stars, used her Wheel of Stars to determine the fate of every soul. It was said she once lived in a palace in the clouds, hidden away by the Mother Goddess who claimed if Estrela ever left, only heartache would follow in her wake. One day she was discovered by the sun god Sol, who instantly fell in love with her beauty, though many said it was her power that lured him instead. Sol promised Estrela an eternity of happiness, vowing to make her his wife, until he attempted to steal her Wheel of Stars and use it for himself to alter the fate of the world. Upon learning of Sol’s betrayal, Estrela cast her Wheel of Stars up into the heavens, ascending to the stars herself, never to be forsaken again.
It was Estrela’s Wheel of Stars that was the source of Novalise’s magic, through generations of star readers.
A gentle tapping sounded outside her bedroom door.
