Page 71 of The Star's Sword

But Sam was gone.

“You’re bright red, Cleo. What on earth were the two of you talking about?” Zadis asked, sitting down on a chair across from me and taking both of my hands in his. Electricity zinged through me where we touched.

Even though I was drunk, I still felt shy and new to this, looking up at him, as those shimmering emerald eyes looked into mine more intently than ever before.

My eyes roamed over his face, since I hadn’t been allowed to study him this closely, this slowly, in a while. Maybe ever.

His smooth pale brow was slightly furrowed, his dark eyebrows lowered over his incredible, long-lashed emerald eyes.

His long, straight nose pointed down to full lips, which were turning upwards slightly. His fae ears, long and pointed, were flushed at the ends, from either the wine or the proximity.

He was so handsome. And as he leaned in to bring our faces closer, I had to admit butterflies fluttered in my chest.

And something fated. Something right. Like this was always about to happen.

His hand came up, finding my face, and I only thought of Samael for a moment, and only to remember he’d said for me to feel whatever I wanted to feel.

Could I really escape what I’d been taught in the havens? That love didn’t cancel out other love?

Zadis’s touch felt silken and heavenly, and foreign and wrong at the same time.

But I could feel my body responding, both with discomfort and then with warmth, as I squirmed, and his lips got closer.

“We’ll wait for the incubus,” he said, grazing my ear, and I shuddered slightly. His hands caught my shoulders just as I felt faint. “We’re both too drunk for me to know if this is really supposed to happen yet.”

“Yet?” I asked, still looking into those incredible eyes as he held me up.

As I did, so many other images of his expression flashed through my mind. The first time I met him, a charming fae prince in the woods.

The day he died.

The day he came back to the sanctuary, begging for mercy.

Healing me after the fight with Dellen. Saving me from Luren, even though I hadn’t needed it.

Giving his life for me in hell by stepping in front of the night sword.

And then, even when we’d come back, and he’d felt there was no hope for us, he’d told me to go check on Samael and see how he was feeling.

Because he’d known Samael was hiding his wounds and needed healing.

“You have such a good heart, Zadis,” I couldn’t help murmuring, reaching out to brush his black hair back. I gasped at the silky feel of it.

“Fae hair,” he said. “Our skin is extra soft too, want to feel?” He shrugged out of his jacket, which was covered in blood, and rolled up the cuffs of his blue dress tunic, baring muscled forearms, one of which he held out to me. “See?”

I ran my hand along the inner skin of his forearm and gods, it felt like velvet.

Briefly, drunkenly, I wondered whatthatpart of him was like.

“I want to see you blush like that again later,” he said. “When Samael gets here.”

“He said we could,” I said. “That’s why I was blushing.”

“I know,” Zadis said. “But I’m going to wait anyway.” He looked me over. “Still, let’s go up to Simon’s bedroom and do something about that.” He looked down, and as he flushed, his eyes darting to my cleavage and something hungry filling his eyes, I looked down to see I was covered with splatters of blood.

“Maybe a shower?” I asked.

“I want to see Simon’s,” Zadis said. “Last time I was in a revelry here, I didn’t have time to…” He trailed off, and it was hard not to feel jealous. Thinking about Zadis and that beautiful body, surrounded by others. “I told you, Cleo. When I thought there was no hope for us, I acted like a normal fae.”

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