The Emperor of Evening Stars by Laura Thalassa
Chapter 16 A Crown of Fireflies
December, 8 years ago
The winds off the coast of the Isle of Man whip at me and Callie as we stand at the edge of her campus grounds. Beyond the low wall next to us, the land drops off, and the storm-tossed sea crashes against it over and over again.
Callie glances across the lawn, taking in her peers as they move between Peel Academy’s dormitories and the castle proper.
“They can’t see us,” I say, stepping in close. I have to mask my presence as a precaution. I run in dangerous circles; I can't have an angry client bearing down on Callie because I was spotted with her. “But it wouldn’t matter anyway, would it?” I ask.
I’ve seen the way these little assholes treat her. She’s too pretty to blend in, but the students here do a fairly good job pretending she doesn’t exist.
She takes a step back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I move in closer.
“Poor Callie,” I give her a pout. “Always on the outside, always looking in.” I know full well I’m taunting her.
“Tell me, cherub,” I continue, “how does someone like you end up being an outcast?” For me, it was obvious. I was thought to be a powerless fae; the Otherworld scorns such creatures. But Callie is fun and engaging. I don’t have to be in love with her to know she’s the type of girl who should have a flock of friends.
“Why are we even talking about me?” she asks, self-consciously slipping a lock of hair behind her ear.
“Because sometimes you fascinate me.”
… more than sometimes …
She swallows, casting her gaze back over the lawn. “It’s not them, it’s me.” Biting the inside of her cheek, she kicks at a tuft of grass. “It’s hard pretending to be normal after … you know.”
I want to tell her that it’s foolish to feel remorse over her stepfather’s death, but perhaps that’s the fae in me. I haven’t lost sleep over killing my own father. Gods know the world is better off without him.
“I think I have to put myself back together before I make friends,” she continues. “Real friends.”
That bit of honesty levels me. Why the fuck does the world have to be cruel to her? She shouldn’t have to suffer because some monster hurt her. That’s not how the world should work.
I tilt her chin up, studying her face. If I could, I’d syphon her pain away. But there are things not even my magic can touch.
“How about I make you a queen for a night?” I say.
Before she has a chance to respond, I let my magic loose, coaxing fireflies from the darkness. One by one they fly over my shoulder, heading straight for a very confused Callie.
The fireflies circle her before landing on her head.
“I have bugs in my hair,” she states.
“You have a crown.” I grin and lean against the stone wall.
You’ll wear a different crown one day …
One of the fireflies slips from her hair, tumbling down her scarf before making its way beneath her shirt.
“Oh my God!” Her eyes grow as big as saucers, and it’s all I can do not to laugh.
“Naughty bugs,” I cluck, “stay away from the pretty human boobs.”
I scoop the bug up, forcing myself to ignore a slew of inappropriate thoughts when my knuckles brush Callie’s soft skin. I release the firefly a moment later, and together, the two of us watch it bop and dip its way back into her hair.
Across from me, Callie begins to laugh.
She’s going to break me. I fell in love with this woman’s darkness, with her pain and vulnerability. That had been enough. But when she laughs—when she laughs, that’s when I realize I’m a ruined man.
“Des, are you trying to cheer me up?” she says.
I take Callie’s hand. “Let’s get out of here. You hungry?” I ask. “Dinner’s on me.”
“Dinner’s on you?” she says. “Now that sounds interesting …”
Gods’ bones, if I didn’t already love her, I would now.
“Cherub, I may make a fairy out of you yet.”
