Page 49 of All the Chaos of Constellations
“Yes, I suppose it would be quite the undertaking.”
Novalise bit down on her smile.
That coming from a male who’d never had to organize anything a day in his life. All he had to do was arrive on time and show face.
“Quite,” Novalise agreed.
He looked beyond her then, to the front of their estate. “Do you need me to call a carriage for you?”
“I’m sure I can manage well enough on my own.”
Only then did she glimpse one of Ariesian’s rare grins. It illuminated every plane of his face, causing him to glow from within. He looked so much like their beloved father, it nearly caused her heart to burst. “I never doubted it.”
He left her then, and she headed toward the front door. Only once did she pause to consider changing, as there was a chance she was underdressed for afternoon tea. Her lavender dress was one of her favorites, though it was one of her less extravagant pieces. The bodice fit like a corset, cutting low in the front, and was trimmed with pale gold lace. Sheer, flowing sleeves draped from her shoulders, the chiffon fabric decadent and cool, perfect for summer weather. And the skirts were made of the same material as the sleeves, soft and flowing, but layered enough to offer a tad more modesty.
Honestly, it was the perfect gown to entice Lord Firebane and get him to realize he was making a grave mistake by rejecting her.
She carried herself down the stone steps as a carriage rolled to a stop in front of her. A footman appeared by her side a second later to help her climb inside. Once she was safely seated, the door closed, and the thundering of hooves filled her ears as the Eponians took flight, carrying her into the skies.
Novalise sank into the cushioned leather bench of the carriage, gazing out the window as wisps of white clouds and streams of golden sunlight swept by her. Below, the vast beauty of Aeramere spread out like a glorious watercolor painting—a wash of beautiful colors in shades of emerald, silver, sapphire, gold, amethyst, and rose, all divided by stunning mountains, rivers, and forests. It was picturesque, perfection in every sense of the word, and for now, it was safe.
At once, the landscape was swathed in shadows, and a chill crawled across her skin. It stole the light, flooded the world in darkness. She peered out the window and caught sight of what shrouded her world in darkness.
Soaring through the clouds, then banking northeast toward Celestine, was the outline of a colossal dragon.
Novalise couldn’t be sure, because he was too far away and of course such a thing would be ridiculous to see, but she could’ve sworn the shadow prince looked right at her.
And winked.
CHAPTERTWENTY
Asher leaned back in the chair and raised his arms over his head. The muscles in his back ached, furious with him for sitting all day. He rolled his neck from side to side until it cracked, then popped, alleviating the building tension there. For most of the day, he’d been at his desk, locked away in his study, poring over books and papers for Prince Drake Kalstrand and the green gemstone he desired.
He stretched out his legs, crossing one ankle over the other.
All things considered, he’d made decent progress.
Thevirdis lepatitewas definitely not located in the Kethwyn Woods. That forest was tainted. Cursed. A forbidden gateway to the realm of the goddess of life, it was treacherous to any living soul. Only the worthy, only the most dauntless and courageous, could traverse its perilous landscape and then live to tell the tale.
Which left only Wintervale in the Northernlands or the bogs of Fenmire.
Asher pinched the bridge of his nose beneath the rim of his spectacles and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t know how long he’d shut himself in his study, but the hours had bled by in a blur of research and ancient rune readings. It was getting to the point where he was reading the same paragraph over and over again, yet no matter how many times he tried, he simply couldn’t make sense of the words. His usual retention of information was declining.
He told himself it was because he’d been at his desk since before sunrise. In fact it had nothing to do with that and everything to do with the bond tying him to Novalise. He pretended not to see her carriage when it arrived at the front of his home, he ignored the distinctive tug on his heart when she walked past his study, and even now he dismissed the musical sound of her voice as a melody he couldn’t quite place. She was seated on a wooden bench next to Cyra, directly across from where he was trying his damnedest to focus. But any time she laughed, any time she spoke, any time shedrew breath, it was as though time ceased to exist. If she was the stars, he was her sky. If he was the fire, she was his frost.
She captivated him. Completed him.
He shook the irrational thought from his head, but again, he found himself staring at her from out of his window.
The bench she sat on was shaded by a hedgerow bursting with dark red flowers, shielding her from the sun. She was a vision in her pale purple gown, almost ethereal. It moved around her like silken clouds, floating and graceful. There was something different about her, something he couldn’t pinpoint. It might’ve been the way she wore her lavender hair, pulled back from her face with opals pins instead of in one long braid. Maybe it was the way her eyes glittered like stardust when Cyra said something amusing. Her emotions floored him. She was happy. Radiant. Perhaps she was relieved not to be suffocated by her duties any longer. Either way, he didn’t care, so long as her smile remained effortless.
Asher supposed it wouldn’t hurt to take a small break. Maybe he would casually pass by the gardens and ease some of the ache in his chest. Her nearness left him with a sense of calming peace. A comfort he couldn’t explain.
Without thinking about the consequences of his actions, he stood and headed for the gardens. He would probably need an excuse of some sort, something believable. He couldn’t simply show up without an explanation. Then again, Novalise was likely still furious with him. Not that he could blame her. When he’d had her up against that tree, it had taken every ounce of willpower to stop mid-thrust and simply pull out of her when her torment became too much to withstand. His cock still hadn’t forgiven him.
Their voices drifted over to him, and Asher stopped dead in his tracks.
“Andthen,” Novalise was saying, her voice in a conspiratorial whisper, “Prince Drake took me to the palace on his dragon. It was terrifying, I thought for sure we would fall from the sky.”
