Page 232 of Fallen Stars
Bruno and his nieces set about serving the food.
“Stay and eat with us?” she asked him. He smiled, soft brown eyes twinkling as he shook his head. “We have to be getting back to the bakery soon. I just wanted to see you both before we left.”
She squeezed his arm fondly. “I promise I’ll be back soon for lavender crowns.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” he said, winking as he served Enzo.
She took in the bowls of all kinds of food being passed around—lemony fish, roast rosemary chicken, and…
“Is that focaccia?”she squealed.
Bruno grinned, already making his way back towards her.
She chuckled, turning to her empty plate, and stilled.
Her blood chilled, warmth evaporating.
Nausea crept over her, her hand frozen where it was.
There, in the centre of her plate was a card. It was blood red, an image of Elara about to step off a cliff as a ram chased her depicted on it.The Fool,was written in a curling script along the bottom.
It was a calling card.
Elara’s heart pounded. Not today. Of all days, she begged, pleaded to the heavens. Useless, she knew.
And yet she felt that sensation in her blood, as though it was trying to move her. She fought against it, the bargain she had made what felt like years ago stirring and tightening.
“Enzo,” she whispered, looking to her newly married husband, his whole body radiating joy. Panic was threatening to drag her under.
“Yes, my love?”
“Oh gods,” she whispered.
Enzo’s nostrils flared in alarm. “What? El, what?”
She pushed the card across to him, her breath coming in rapid gasps.
Eli’s head jerked as he looked at her from a few chairs down, sensing her distress, nostrils flaring, but she ignored him.
“It’s Ariete. He’s come to collect his favour.”
“Fuck,” Enzo cursed, snatching it from her plate and standing abruptly.
Elara followed suit.
“Follow me,” he gritted out, taking her hand in his as he pulled her from the table.
“Everything okay?” Eli called out. She shook her head minutely, opening her mind to him so he could read the fear, the hopelessness in her thoughts. He cursed under his breath, the others thankfully too deep in conversation to notice.
“I’ll be one moment,” she said to him before following Enzo to the shadows of the clearing.
“You’re sure?” he asked when they were alone.
Elara nodded. “This was the card he used for our bargain. It was the one that my blood was smeared upon.”
Enzo clenched his jaw, looking around. “Okay,” he breathed. “It’s going to be okay, El.” He ran his nose over her forehead, pressing kisses to her reverently. “You’re my wife. We will face this together. Whatever he asks for, whatever he takes…we will find a way out of this.”
A weight lifted from Elara’s chest. If she thought it wasn’t possible to love him any deeper, she was wrong. She cupped his face between her hands, reaching up to kiss him fiercely.