Page 113 of Under Restless Skies

I turn away.

“What’s wrong?” Celine asks.

A chill coats my skin, from my hands to the soles of my feet. I force a slow breath, pulling the cool night air deep into my lungs. It’s nothing. I’m sure it’s nothing, and he’ll have a great explanation.

“I…” My voice can’t pass through my closed throat.

Celine turns back, then says, “Oh.” The hint of pity in her voice twists my stomach even more.

I take a sip of my water, slowly, trying to get my thoughts together. He surely can walk beside other women, right? It doesn’t have to mean anything—I hope.

Celine is turning her neck again when I mutter, “Don’t. They’ll notice.”

“Right.” She then eyes me with worry, and that worry is enough to tell me that there is indeed something wrong, that I’m not making something up in my mind.

His scent overwhelms me when he walks by us and steps into the circle.

“Alayel,” Celine calls him.

I don’t know if I want to thank her or smack her. For a second, I wish I could disappear, but instead, I face him with the most natural expression I can muster.

His eyes meet mine, and he gives me a casual, sideways smile. “Hey, there.”

Then he turns and keeps walking away from us, to the other side of the circle, still talking to Silvia.

The dinner I ate churns in my stomach as several possibilities cross my mind. A misunderstanding, perhaps. Or maybe I did something wrong. Either way, one truth surfaces, an obvious truth that I have chosen to ignore: he doesn’t see us as a couple.

All the evenings in his room come to mind, the kisses on the stairs, the times he walked me down to the dungeons. There was never anyone around us. Fine, maybe people saw us when he took me to dinner, or during the last star nectar party, when he walked with me, or when we came to the Outer Beach, but not much more.

Maybe I should have noticed, but what about everything he told me? All his talk about wanting me to be his queen? Was I supposed to think he was lying?

Celine now stares at me wide-eyed and thankfully silent.

“I’m fine,” I mumble.

She clicks her tongue. “It might be nothing.”

“Yes,” I lie, not even sure what my friend means.

A hole is opening in the place of my heart reserved for Alayel, now filled with anger at myself. How could I have been so stupid? So gullible?

Angry tears threaten to fall, but he doesn’t deserve any tears. And he’s still talking to her—as if I didn’t exist.

I’ve had enough. “I’ll go back to the castle,” I tell Celine. “Star nectar party is boring when you’re just drinking water.”

“I’ll come with you,” she says.

“Stay. I don’t want to ruin your night.”

Celine shakes her head. “I came because of you two. Nelly’s fine, and you’re tired, so let’s go back. Let me just get another cup.”

She gets up, fills her cup with the star nectar, chugs it all in one sip, then deposits the cup in the box reserved for it. Across the circle, Alayel still pretends I don’t exist, or maybe doesn’t even have to pretend. Perhaps I’m that insignificant to him.

As I walk back to the castle in silence, Celine beside me, my mind goes over every interaction I had with the bastard prince, and I realize I’m the one to blame.

Wasn’t he clear about what he wanted? I guess I didn’t listen.

Cynthia is already asleep when we get to our room, perhaps after taking a calming draught or something. I change into the dress I’ve been wearing in the hatchlings’ room—and realize I have no excuse to give Celine as to where I’m going.