Page 17 of Shattered Stars
“Ellie’s a complete bookworm and a nerd.”
Ellie wags her finger at me. “Just because I actually bothered to work hard and got more credits than you at the academy.”
“Bullshit,” I say. “We all know how clever you are. She’s a very skilled alchemist. If anyone can discover how to make your cloaker work, it’s Ellie.”
My sister beams, then turns to Rhi. “Leave it to me.”
5
Rhi
“Thank you,”the man in black says, when he returns from seeing his sister to her car. “For allowing me to introduce you to my sister.”
I shake my head, smiling. “Are you kidding? I wanted to meet her.”
“Yes,” he says. “But I know you wanted to talk to me and I apologize that you had to wait.”
“It’s fine,” I say, suddenly nervous, the smile faltering on my lips.
What if he’s not happy about this? What if he’s anything but? What if it hurts him? I don’t want to hurt him.
“Rhi, what is it?” he asks, his brow furrowed. He can feel all my swirling emotions through the bond.
I take his large hand in mine and thread our fingers together.
“Stone,” I say, pausing to steady my nerves. I’m not brave enough to hold his gaze, instead focusing on our combined hands. “Last night, Stone and I slept together. Last night, we sealed the bond between us.”
He squeezes my hand, rubbing the coarse pad of his thumb over my knuckles. I’m too afraid to look at his face.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Wrong?” My gaze finally leaps to his concerned one.
“You seem unhappy. Are you regretting your actions? Did he–”
“No, no, none of that. I’m happy with this decision, Azlan. Really happy. Maybe I’m incredibly naïve and dumb and–”
“You’re none of those things, Rhi.”
I nod. “Maybe this is a crazy situation, one that’s going to land us all in trouble. But the two of you – it just feels right. Maybe it would feel right even the bond between us did not exist.”
“So why the unease?”
“You,” I say.
“Me?” His shoulders tense.
“I want you to be happy too, Azlan. I don’t want to hurt you.”
His face breaks out into a huge, broad grin, that seems to lift all the shadows from his face. “Rhi, I am happy about this.”
“Really?” I say, unsure despite the contentment I feel through the bond. “Because the thought of you with another woman, tears me apart.”
“But this wasn’t some other man, Rhi. This was Phoenix. This was your fated mate.”
“And that makes a difference?”
“Yes,” he says adamantly. “Fate wants this for us.”
