Page 7 of Starchaser
His jaw tightens, eyes narrowing. “Act?”
“Are we speaking in only one-word sentences now?” I roll my eyes. “Yes,Your Highness, theact. I don’t know who you really are, but it’s hard enough to tell the difference between the pompous prince and the commiserative pirate captain. Now, we made a deal,noneof which requires us to pretend, even for a second, that wecare about the other’s well-being aside from what we can offer each other. Do I make myself clear?”
He grits his teeth in a smile laced with venom. “Perfectly.” He turns, as if to leave, but then he stops, his shoulders shaking with a barely contained chuckle.
Indignation burns the back of my throat like acid. “Did I say something amusing?”
He faces me again, his lips kicking into a smirk. “It’s just that you seemed to care a great deal for my well-being when you thought William had driven a blade through my heart.”
The tips of my ears feel as if they’ve caught aflame. “Yes, well, I was confused. That’s all.”
His tongue prods at the inside of his cheek, and he scoffs. “Confused.”
“Confused,” I repeat, squaring my shoulders at him. “I watched Will drive a blade throughShade’s heart. You’ll excuse me if I’m still coming to terms with the fact that you’re the same person, YourHighness.”
“Oh?” His brows lift. In one swift maneuver, he pins me against the door, bracing himself with one hand over my head. He towers over me, looking every bit as menacing as the stories depict him. “So you only care if Captain Shade dies,” he says, his voice low. I catch a glimpse of the wicked prince he’s reputed to be as he examines me with a cruel, calculating gaze. “Not me.”
Electricity charges the air, crackling all around us, ready to ignite.Not me. Not Titus, the prince who has haunted my nightmares since we were children. Not the prince who is rumored to drink the blood of humans, eat their hearts, and impale their headson the castle walls. Not the prince who masquerades as Captain Shade, a hero of my people.
It dawns on me that I don’t really know that I can trust either of them.
I lean in, my body trembling with rage. “Exactly.”
He grins, eyes sparkling. “Now who’s speaking in one-word sentences?”
His breath ghosts my face, the smell of sea brine reminding me again of that underwater kiss, and I have to fight to keep my gaze from dropping to his lips as his tongue darts out, wetting them as if he were about to speak when—
“Oh!” comes a small, girlish voice.
Our heads whip in the direction of the open doorway, where a human girl in her black-and-white uniform stands, holding heavy bags in either hand. She gapes at us, her mouth wide.
“You’re lost,” Titus grits out, lowering his arm and taking a deliberate step back. He turns to look at the girl, his entire being practically vibrating with annoyance, his expression dark. “Run along.”
Her jaw snaps shut, but the surprise in her eyes is quickly replaced by fear. “M-my prince,” she stutters. “I-I’m so—forgive me—yes, yes I’m lost—I was looking for—”
She curtsies, almost losing her balance from the weight of the bags, before taking off in the direction from which we entered the compartment.
“You don’t think she’ll…” My heart leaps into my throat. “You’re engaged! We shouldn’t be seen alone together. What if she—”
“What if she announces it to the entire Known World?” Titus snorts, rolling his eyes. He smirks, and the charged electricitybetween us fades to a gentle hum. “Are you worried you’ll cause a scandal?”
“You’re such an ass,” I snap, swatting his chest. Lowering my voice, I hiss, “All of this will have been for nothing if I don’t stay in your fiancée’s good graces. I still need to get close enough to see if she’s actually possessed by Morana, remember?”
Titus winces at the wordfiancée. Or maybe I’m just seeing things.
“Believe me, you won’t have any trouble getting close enough to the princess to detect the Sylk queen,” Titus says, his words clipped. “Morana will have adopted Leo’s entire personality.”
“Leo?” I echo. It’s the first time I’ve heard anyone refer to the princess of Hellion by name, and for a moment, it cuts through the cloud of rage I feel toward Titus.
His shoulders sag a bit, his mouth tight. He nods. “Leo,” he says, “is a remarkably kind person. She won’t be difficult to befriend. Even for you,” he adds, his lips twitching—the makings of a playful grin.
Shame coils in my gut. I’ve been so focused on exposing Morana I’ve given little thought to the girl she’s possessed—the girl who will have to die if we’re to force Morana to take her corporeal form. “She sounds wonderful,” I murmur.
Another nod. “Leo and I have known each other since we were children.” He sighs. “Her ability to stir up mischief might have been more hazardous than my own.” Again, traces of a smile line his eyes, but they’re gone in an instant. “She had the most contagious laugh.”
Had.
I don’t know why, but I can’t keep the words from tumbling out of my mouth. “What if the princessisn’tpossessed—”
