Page 155 of Heavenly Bodies

‘I defy the Stars,’ she whispered.

‘I defy the Stars,’ he echoed.

And tumbling, Elara reached for her tether and fell back into her body.

Ariete’s red gaze was fastened on Elara, fury writhing in his stare. Merissa was kneeling near him, her eyes troubled as she looked to Elara.

Elara instantly looked for Enzo. He was still, but his pulse was steady, the wound in his stomach healed. In moments, he would wake and—

‘You stole another death from me,’ Ariete raged, still pinned where he lay. An errant strand of hair fell in his face, blood and sweat dripping as he seethed.

‘What?’ she snapped, gripping on to Enzo’s hand.

‘You tampered with thefucking law of nature! He was meant to die!’ he bellowed.

‘Elara, you did it,’ Merissa whispered, running over towards her and Enzo.

The Star growled, incensed. ‘She stole from me. So now, I’m going to steal from her.’

With gritted teeth, Elara watched in horror as he pulled his armthroughthe duskglass pinning it down, tearing through muscle and sinew as he stretched his hand out, his fingers curling as heyanked.

Golden thread spun through the air, pouring from Enzo’s chest, right above his heart as it coiled into Ariete’s outstretched palm. The Star held it above himself, spooling it into a ball.

‘What have you taken from him? What have you done?’ Elara screamed, lunging towards him.

‘No, Ariete.No,’ Merissa pleaded. She swiped, snatching for the glowing ball, but Ariete closed his eyes, and it disappeared.

‘Good luck waking him without atether, Elara. I hope he doesn’t lose himself to the Dreamlands while you try.’ He licked the blood from his teeth, smiling. ‘Time’s ticking. Until we meet again,Your Majesty.’

Elara watched in horror as Ariete pulled the rest of his bodythroughthe duskglass blades with gritted teeth, the same way he had his arm. Red starlight gathered around him. And with a triumphant, ragged cackle he snapped his fingers, soaring back on to the rooftop.

A roar of rage tore from her.

‘Coward!’ she shrieked to the opening in the ceiling, watching as his running figure disappeared from sight. Then with a shuddering breath, she ran back to Enzo’s body. He was breathing evenly, his face peaceful, an ethereal glow surrounding him. She shook him, trying to wake him as she screamed his name over and over. But Enzo remained asleep, lost within Elara’s dreams.

EPILOGUE

Elara sat on the golden throne, rubble around her, a gentle breeze from the jagged hole in the ceiling tickling her cheek. She cast a pale glow over the throne room, the same colour as the moon now shining in the sky outside. The din of excitement and drinking came to her, muffled. For days, citizens had crowded outdoors, gazing in wonder at the new heavenly body in the night, staying out under its cool silver rays. When it had first risen, it had been to terror. Oceans had crashed and shifted, tidal waves flooding the coasts of Celestia. Wolves had howled and her people had screamed as the gigantic luminous orb had taken its place in the skies.

Five days had passed, and the usual burgundy of the Helion night was now pitch black—only the stars, and skeletal moonlight, illuminating it. Each kingdom’s light had been snuffed out by Elara’s livid, monstrous shadows. She had sworn to Enzo that if he was taken from her, she would turn the world to darkness, and she was nothing if not true to her word.

Enzo’s body was being guarded around the clock by Leo,Isra or herself, as the new King of Helios’s soul rested in the Dreamlands and his body remained in the land of the living.

And she? She was still Elara. But she could feel in her bones something ancient. Something that had long slumbered, and was now awakening.

Dark circles shadowed her silver eyes, which flitted to the door as she heard the clatter of footsteps. Torra’s dark form sashayed down the throne room, her hair pulled back severely from her face.

‘I was wondering when you would show up,’ Elara said quietly. Torra made her way to the throne and bowed before her. With an impatient gesture, Elara motioned her to rise. ‘So I take it you heard the news?’

Torra raised her brows. ‘The wholeworldwitnessed the moon rise into the sky out of nowhere. It’s a little hard to miss.’

‘Did you know this whole time?’

Torra cocked her head. ‘The prophecy was made known to me before I knew the full truth. I could only guess at it, until I laid eyes on you at the coronation ball. That look you gave me—those eyes—that was when I knew. I confirmed to Merissa who you were. She has been helping you both all along.’

‘Ah, the prophecy.’ Elara leaned back in her throne. ‘I will fall in love with the King of Stars and it will kill us both. It seems the wording was a little off.’

‘On the contrary.’ Torra gave a cunning smile. ‘The Sunisthe King of Stars. He ruled above them all. With you, his queen.’