He deserved to die.
“Plotting your revenge on me?” Dominic sat in the sand next to her, tugging on his clothes.
She knew he was only teasing about dunking her in the water, but she took the opportunity to let some of her anger out. “Perhaps,” she uttered, eyes tracing the constellations above. The stars that formed Calandra’s constellation, Goddess of Love, shifted to form the shape of a lock and key with little hearts floating around it. A dragon constellation—the Goddess of Fire and Courage—flapped its wings, tail swishing as it soared through the sky.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, Dominic pulled her to his side. Her skin instantly heated at his touch, but not from his warmth. Her power coursed inside her, tempted to escape, to feel him too.
“You said when people die, they become stars,” Dominic started.
Adara rested her head on his shoulder as he idly traced circles on her hip with his thumb, igniting sparks inside her that she desperately tried to ignore.
“Do you think Silas is up there?” he asked softly.
Adara swallowed the lump of guilt in her throat, searching the sky as if she’d see his smiling face. “Yes,” she said carefully. “Nin mon lat amor onn alt itryla.”
Dominic’s brows furrowed. “You said that to me on the ship before you transformed. What does that mean?”
“It means,” Adara breathed, “we shall meet again in another life.” She searched the stars as if she’d find Silas in this one, but knew he was far out of reach.
“You also said another word when you told me that.Mishente?” he asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar word, its meaning only common only to Flamecarriers.
Adara shot him a wry grin. “I’m not sure you really want to know.”
“Have you run out of ways to insult me in this language so you now choose one I can’t understand?” He laughed.
Adara remained silent, eyes still trained on the stars. Her mood instantly soured, Silas’s death still fresh on her mind, and Dominic’s betrayal twisting her insides.
“Nin mon lat amor onn alt itryla.”Dominic repeated the phrase with near-excellent pronunciation, eyes shining as he glanced at the stars. “And what does it mean when they fall?” he asked, pointing to a star shooting across the sky.
Adara twisted her ring around her finger and pursed her lips. “I suppose it means they’ve chosen to come back to our world,” she said as she glimpsed the star darting toward the ocean.
The Andreilians made their way back to the beach, dried off, and pulled on their warm clothing. Logs were piled on the sand. Adara cast a ball of flames in their direction. The fire erupted as it engulfed the wood, embers climbing into the sky as they all gathered around it.
“To Silas Stryder!” Ace yelled.
“To Silas!” They all repeated in unison.
They poured drinks of rum stolen from the pirate ship, liquid sloshing from their tankards as they danced around the fire, using sticks to beat on scrappy drums they’d made themselves. Asher even played a violin he’d purchased in Lykrios during Livisian. The ethereal tune drifted through the air as he closed his eyes and swayed with the music. The talent with which he played must have been a result of years of practice.
Being eternally young, she supposed, opened up a doorway to all kinds of experiences that time would normally pose a barrier to.
Adara smiled to herself. The entire world knew of Andreilia as a place of danger and death, an island of lost dreams andeternal imprisonment. They knew Dominic as the King of Keys, the ruthless leader of the Andreilians, the heartless boy who’d carved out his own heart and torn apart his own mind so he wouldn’t have to feel a thing. But what the world didn’t know was that, despite being surrounded by deadly creatures, Andreilia had more hope inside than anyone ever would have thought. She felt it deep in her bones, burying itself beneath her skin as she walked beside the once-broken souls who had nothing, who had found everything here.
Suddenly, a hand grasped hers, and she was twirling into strong, steady arms that smelled of pine. As she was wrapped into Dominic, his hand settled at her waist, calluses lightly scraping her skin. She let her hand trail over his chest before their fingers intertwined out to the side of them. She followed his lead and mirrored his steps as they danced in tune with the music. Heat emanated from the large fire, warming her skin against the cool breeze. Dominic’s fingers drummed against her hip along with the beat as they spun around the fire. A mirrored image of the dancing constellations lit the sky. Laughter and cheers filled the air from the Andreilians.
Dominic twirled her in his arms, then dipped her low, brushing a gentle kiss to her neck. Her cheeks flushed pink and he smiled, no doubt enjoying the effect he had on her. It all reminded her of the first time she’d danced with him. The laughter and the joy of Livisian were something she could never forget. Spending it in Lykrios with Dominic had felt like so much more. She never thought he’d make her feel that way again, yet here he was, taking her hand in his, dancing through the night without a care in the world.
He smiled at her, such a rare thing for him to do. That smile was a secret he only shared with her, trusted her to keep. She silently vowed never to share it. She wanted to be the only onewho ever earned that look from him. She wanted to be the one who made this heartless boy’s heart beat.
All so she could shatter it once more.
Adara always knew she’d only betray him in the end, just as he would do to her.
How many other girls had fallen for that look? How many had given up their key because they thought they could save him?
No matter what Adara felt, none of it could be trusted. None of it could ever be real.
For the sake of revenge, Adara could pretend.
