Page 16 of Starchaser
He turns, the flickering lanterns casting his face in a warm amber light. He frowns. “Like what?”
I roll the words around in my mouth, trying to form them into something plausible. “Owen mentioned Morana’s general seeking a treasure—”
Will lets out a long, heavy sigh, scratching his jaw. “It’s a bedtime story,” he says softly. “Children are told the treasure the Underling general was sent out in search of is their souls, and if they don’t behave, he’ll steal them away to Havok.”
I shiver, thinking about how easily even Owen managed to gain access to Bludgrave Manor—how easy it would have been forhimto steal Albert or Elsie away the night I found him in their chambers. If there really were an Underling general, second only to Morana in power—if he’s here, in the Eerie—how much easier would it be for him?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Will says, his voice gentle. He slows his pace, turning to face me in the narrow corridor. His gaze finds mine, confident, reassuring. “The assassin who attacked you at the train station was sent to scare you away from Castle Grim because Morana must know you plan to expose her. If the stories about the Underling general were true, he would have taken you right then.” His teeth clench, as if the very thought might sendhim into a fit of violent rage. He reaches out, his thumb tracing my jaw, his expression softening. “I promise you, Aster, no one will take you from me.”
I melt into his touch, the panic and confusion I felt after my encounter with Owen fading to the background of my mind. “No more secrets?” I whisper, searching Will’s gaze.
He leans in, his lips hovering over mine, a breath away from touching. “No more secrets,” he whispers as his eyes drift shut, his hand cupping my cheek. He hesitates, his shoulders tense as his nose brushes mine, and he presses a chaste kiss to my lips.
The butterflies in my stomach take flight, taking with them my ability to move or speak. All I can think about is Will—his touch, his lips, his other hand as it snakes around my waist, splayed across the small of my back with tender reluctance, as if he was trying to be gentle but some fierce desire prompts him to pull me closer.
“No more secrets,” he murmurs against my lips, his warm breath sending another shiver down my spine.
And I don’t want to think anymore. I thread my hands through his hair, and Will makes a desperate, pleading noise somewhere between a purr and a growl as his mouth descends on mine like a wave crashing over the shore. My lips part as I grab hold of him, and we stumble backward until my spine is pressed against the frigid windowpane. The icy glass sends a thrill through me, tangling my stomach into knots.
Will is always so careful to hide his affections for me when someone might see us, but he kisses me dizzy, delirious, his hands frantic, chest heaving, right here in the middle of the hallway, where anyone can find us, and it’s as if he doesn’t care—as if, in this moment, kissing me is more important than avoiding treason.
More. I wantmore.
I deepen the kiss, my fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer. It’s as if the cord of Will’s restraint snaps, his teeth nipping at my bottom lip, my jaw, my throat.…
He freezes.
Just as quickly as he lost control, he stops. Inhales. His throat bobs as he draws back, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. For a moment, he just stares at my lips, like he might kiss me again—and I want him to. Want him to kiss away all my doubts, all my fears. But he sets his jaw, his nostrils flaring, and the memory of our last kiss—how the blood rushing from my nose nearly sent Will into a frenzy—cools the heat coursing through my veins.
He presses his forehead to mine, his heavy-lidded eyes rimmed with a thin line of honey-gold. “You can trust me, Aster,” he says, still panting for breath. “I promise.”
I want to believe him. But after everything that’s happened, I don’t know what to believe. It’s as if the hallway feels a little colder, a little more…empty. And I remember, now, that Will knew this car would be empty—he relocated the passengers himself. No more secrets—except when it comes to how we feel about each other. Except for every furtive kiss, every stolen touch, every whispered promise.
The knots in my stomach tighten, and the butterflies drop dead. “Will, I—”
“What,” Titus’s low, sharp voice comes from my right, where he stands in the open doorway at the end of the corridor, “happened?”
He reminds me of a lion as he stalks toward us, as if he were attempting to restrain himself from moving too fast, and I think about what Margaret told me—about the name the people havegiven him as the king’s beast, how they call him the Reaper. A shiver runs through me as he gives Will a once-over, his brow furrowing at the sight of Will’s mussed hair, but when his gaze finds me, it’s as if all the air has been sucked out of the room. A dozen emotions flash in his eyes before they harden, a look of murderous rage settling on his features when he notes the faint marks on my throat where Owen squeezed. “Who did this?”
“Owen,” Will says, his jaw tightening as he and Titus share alook.
“Where were Flynn and Gabriel?” Titus asks, his voice a low growl.
“Unconscious,” Will answers, his voice rough. “But I’m going to check their memories, just to be sure.”
Titus gives a tight nod, his fists clenched at his side. “What did he want?”
Will’s eyes dart to me as he runs his tongue over his bottom lip, hesitant. “The same thing he wanted last time,” he answers, his eyes darkening. “He wants Aster to join the Guild of Shadows.”
Titus rubs his chin, his shoulders tense. “How persistent of him.” He looks as if he wants to say more as he flicks a glance at me, but then he motions for us to follow, as if the matter of my Shifter brother is inconsequential, and Will seems content to let the conversation drop.
Will’s touch is light on the small of my back as he guides me down the hallway and into a large, velvet-swagged sleeping compartment. “This car belongs to Titus,” he says, gesturing at the open doorway. “Your sister is staying in the compartment over. You’ll both be safe here.”
He moves past me, starting for the door.
“Wait!” I say, suddenly panicked. “When will you be back?”
He refuses to look at me. “I shouldn’t be long, and then I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
