Death's Lethal Embrace

Nine: Cinder

I watched her from afar.
Long legs tucked beneath her and a book in her hand, it enthralled me to see the smoldering flame in her eyes grow brighter.
The fiery flame of a burning star in her eyes, flickering desperately, aching to burn away all that I am.
And I knew, like the flowers in my courtyard, I would never let her go.

~~~

I flipped page after page of the book I was reading, hoping for any sort of lead or information on the disease my mother battled but so far I hadn't had any luck. Hours had passed as I curled into this window seat, and the sky was starting to grow dark, clouds of deep purples and oranges signaling the arrival of sunset. I hadn't seen Nera all day, and while I craved the time to adjust to this place, I found myself missing her....and worse, wondering if she missed me as well. Sighing in frustration, I shoved the book away, pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin atop them, content to watch the sky, and a tiny bit hopeful that I would see a certain goddess flying in. My mind wandered to my mother and Everly, fear and worry coiling in my belly. I had taught my sister how to care for her, of course, and I knew once Maddie discovered my absence that she would look out for them, but it didn't ease much of my discomfort. My little sister was tough, but she couldn't survive out there on her own. I sat and watched the fading of not one but two suns, until the dark of night blanketed everything, and my stomach rumbled loudly. I pulled a blanket from behind me and wrapped it around my shoulders, chilled at the feeling of my bare feet on the cool marble. My neck prickled as I pulled open the doors, casting a weary glance around me. To my relief, lights were lit across the ballroom, soft enough that it wasn't blinding but bright enough that it wasn't eerie. However that didn't stop me from almost jumping a foot in the air when she ran a finger down my spine, the front of her body nearly pressed to my back.

"Quite mesmerizing, is it not?" She murmured in my ear.

My heart pounded in my chest but I still smiled and turned to face her, completely unprepared for what I found. Dressed in full armor, her dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders and breastplate, her raven feather mask fitting snugly against her cheekbones. I tore my gaze away from her lips to take in the blood that spattered her chest and face, knowing by the smell that it was Fae. It was confusing to not know what I felt. I should feel fear, I should back away from her, and above all else, I should not goad the spark of desire she ignites within me. Flashes of our time in the bathhouse bounce off the walls of my mind and a smirk twitches at the corners of her mouth.

I stick a finger to her chest, my lip wrinkling at the sticky wet blood there. "Don't read my mind."

She chuckles softly, menacingly. "You make it so easy for me, starlight." My cheeks redden at that, and with a huff I move to plow by her, but she blocks my way. A moment later the little nickname she called me registers.

"Starlight?" I question, my eyes narrowing as I look up into her unfairly gorgeous face. "Where did that come from?"

Twin dimples flash across her face, accompanied by pearly white teeth, and lethal fangs. The expression momentarily stuns me, so foreign and effortlessly beautiful that I struggled to draw breath, the sharp staccato of my heartbeat echoing in my ears as she bends her head, her lips inches from mine. Of course, I didn't expect an honest answer, but there she goes, surprising me again. The smile disintegrated as she carefully scrutinizes me.  "Your eyes, they burn with all the light of a dying star."