Page 46 of Starchaser
I slide off the mattress and make my way to the balcony, wondering how the doors could have swung open on their own, when I realize I’m not alone. A dark figure stands silhouetted by the dazzling lights of Jade, their hands resting on the balcony railing as they overlook the city beyond.
I don’t move—don’t breathe. My daggers are hidden under my pillow, but I’m afraid if I take a step, I might alert my uninvited guest.
The figure hums, low enough that I can barely hear it over the crash of the waves lapping at the shores of Castle Grim. But the melody sounds so familiar, like a tune my father used to whistle.
And then it stops.
My heart leaps into my throat as the figure whirls, drawing a dagger from their belt.
“Titus?”
He lowers his dagger, squinting at the open doorway. “Aster, love,” he says, sheathing the dagger. “You should know better than to sneak up on someone with a knife.”
“Oh?” I say, taking a step out onto the balcony. “I don’t think I’m the one doing any sneaking here.”
His lip twitches, as if his mouth can’t remember how to smile. “You should go back to sleep.”
I roll my eyes. “You should take your own advice.”
He sighs, turning his back to me, looking out at the city once more. “Do you ever just do as you’re told?”
“Never,” I say, resting my elbows on the railing next to him. I close my eyes, inhaling the fresh, salty air, and when I open them again, a gentle snow has begun to fall. Even here, even witheverything that’s happened, the sound of the waves is like a balm to my spirit, repairing something vital within me.
“Forgive me for intruding,” Titus says, his gaze fixed on the sea. “I just wanted to make sure that you…” He bites his lip.
“That I what?” I press, my brow quirked.
His hands curl into fists. “That you hadn’t run off.”
I want to curse him, but a strange choking noise is all I can manage. “Do you really think I would do that? That I would just leave Will to his fate?”
A dark shadow passes over his face. “No,” he says, his eyes lit with a subtle red glow, so faint I feel as if I’m seeing things. “But you should.”
Before I can react, he grabs me, his teeth as sharp as daggers as he rips into my throat, holding me so tightly I can’t move, can’t fight back—
I jolt awake.
But the relief that my exchange with Titus on the balcony was just another nightmare is swiftly overturned… by the panic of realizing I’m only conscious now because I’m losing oxygen. And fast.
The hands around my throat squeeze, but my attempts to grab the hands, to pry them off, are futile.
Gold eyes light the assassin’s wrapped face. Fear grips me—if this assailant made it to my bedside, then they must have fought their way past Charlie and Lewis, because my brothers locked the door to the servants’ passage before I went to sleep. And if my brothers were still alive, they would be here now. As black spots edge my vision, I’m seized by the overwhelming guilt that not only will Mother lose a daughter tonight, but she’ll have lost two more sons as well.
All my fault. All my fault. All my—
“You’re meddling in matters you don’t understand,” my assailant says, his voice a deep rasp. “This is your final warning. Leave Castle Grim, and your family will be spared.”
Charlie, Lewis—they could still be alive.
I attempt to nod, and my assailant’s grip loosens, just enough that I can inhale my first breath.
“Swear it to me,” he growls. “Swear an oath.”
I cough as the air rushes back to my lungs. “I swear—” I wheeze, slowly reaching behind my head. “I swear…” My hands close around the hilts of my daggers, igniting some kind of primal fury—a power buzzing in my veins, begging for release. “To make you wish you’d never threatened my family.”
I draw my daggers, slashing at my assailant’s arms, but he dodges swiftly. He curses as he stumbles backward, his eyes shifting from gold to red. Shadows seep from his body, pulsing in the air all around him like a great, dark cloud.
“You lied,” I say, leaping to my feet, my daggers poised to strike. “Youarean Underling!”
