Midnight Star (Star Touched: Fae Bound #3)

15. Zoey

Zoey

I’m sitting at the side of the courtyard, working with Isla, Elijah, and Sebastian on carving our chess pieces, when I feel it.

Henry’s eyes burning into me from across the way.

It’s not the first time he’s watched us as we work. But today his stare feels even more invasive as he leans lazily against a tree, his gaze flicking between us like he’s sizing up prey.

Isla nudges me with her elbow, her voice low. “Ignore him. If you react, he wins.”

“Easier said than done,” I mutter, focusing on the knight I’m almost finished carving.

Elijah pauses his carving for a second to look up at me. “Being the queen’s favorite gets to Henry’s head,” he says, returning to shaping the curve of a pawn. “But Isla’s right. Ignore him enough, and he’ll back off. ”

I raise an eyebrow. “I thought Matt was the queen’s favorite.”

Sebastian chuckles dryly. “Matt’s just her current toy,” he says. “There’s a difference.”

Elijah nods, his expression grim. “Henry’s not just a favorite. He’s her eyes and ears. He watches everything and everyone, and he likes to see how people unravel. The queen loves it, too. Watching newcomers deteriorate is like a twisted game to her.”

“And the queen doesn’t just weaken her newest pawns physically,” Sebastian adds. “She picks at their minds, bit by bit, until there’s nothing left.”

Isla stops carving her pawn for a second to look at me. “It’s sick,” she says. “She’s even more twisted than the king.”

My stomach drops at the reminder of the king. Of how he unraveled my braids and lowered his mouth to my neck, seconds away from claiming me as his.

As much as I hate it, I’m grateful that Aerix stepped in and stopped him.

At the thought of Aerix, memories of the kiss we shared a few hours ago flash through my mind. The way his magic wrapped around me, filling the air, making me crave more. His hands on my waist, the way his breath ghosted over my skin before I pushed him away, and the hunger in his midnight eyes that mirrored the one simmering deep inside my soul .

My fingers tighten around my carving knife as I curse the way my body burns at the thought of him. At the way I want more, even though memories of his touch should be filling me with disgust instead of pleasure.

I’m yanked back into the present when Jake strides up to us and drops onto the bench beside me.

“Miss me?” he asks, pressing so close that our thighs touch.

“You’re blocking my light.” I move away so quickly that I almost slice my finger.

“Sorry,” he says, and he picks up one of the bishops he carved, turning it over in his hands like it’s a priceless artifact.

“What do you think?” he asks, holding it up.

It’s rough and uneven, like a toddler’s first art project.

“It’s...” I search for a more diplomatic response. “Creative.”

“I was going for unique,” he says, leaning closer. “Like you.”

Elijah poorly disguises a laugh with a cough.

Isla rolls her eyes.

Jake’s too focused on me to notice either of them.

“Jake,” I start, but he’s already talking again, his hand moving to rest on my arm.

“We should do something later,” he says. “Just us. Maybe we can paint? I saw you painting the other day. You seemed really into it.”

I take a deep breath and set my carving tools aside. Because I can’t do this anymore. Not with Jake hovering over me, acting like we’re some kind of item when we’re not—and never will be.

However, something tells me I shouldn’t be alone with Jake for this conversation. Not after learning about how attached he tends to get when he sets his sight on someone.

“Actually, can we check on my garden plot?” I ask him. “I want to talk to you about something.”

Jake’s eyes light up. “Sounds great,” he says, and he stands up eagerly, like an overexcited puppy.

The garden is at the far edge of the courtyard, tucked away behind a low stone wall. The plants Aerix gifted me—a mix of vibrant flowers and herbs—are thriving, their colors a stark contrast to the darkness of the Night Court.

I crouch by a patch of mint, running my fingers over the leaves to check their condition.

Jake hovers behind me, his presence like a weight pressing against my back.

“You’re good at growing things,” he says. “You’re good at everything.”

“Jake,” I cut him off before he can continue talking about how amazing he thinks I am. “We need to talk. ”

His grin falters. “About what?”

I glance around, making sure no one’s listening. “About us.”

“What about us?” he asks.

My heart pounds, since the pressure is on. I want to do this kindly, but at the same time, I don’t want to lead him on and make him think he has a chance.

And I need to stop stalling.

“I don’t think we’re good together,” I say quickly. “We’re too… different.”

He stares at me, his smile fading completely. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” I say. “Look—I was scared when I got here. Matt wouldn’t talk to me. And you reminded me of someone from home. An ex-boyfriend. When we were together, I could almost pretend like…”

Pretend like you were him.

But I don’t say it out loud. It feels too cruel.

“Maybe I look like him because you and me are meant to be together,” he scrambles, as if searching for any way to change my mind. “It’s always been so easy to talk to you. We just click. And when we kiss…” He pauses, his eyes turning dreamy. “It’s like the entire world stops. I love you, Zoey. I have since the first time I saw you. I knew, right then, that we’d spend our lives here together. That we’d support each other and love each other, no matter what. ”

My chest tightens with a mix of shock and dread.

He can’t actually believe this.

Can he?

“We’ve only known each other for a little over a week.” I keep my voice steady, even though my nerves are fraying. “You can’t love me. You barely even know me.”

“But I do know you,” he insists, moving closer, the desperation in his eyes making me take a small step back. “You’re strong, brave, and funny. You don’t give up, even in a place like this. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. Just give me a chance, and you’ll see. You’ll fall in love with me, too.”

I shake my head, a knot forming in my stomach. “This isn’t love,” I tell him. “It’s infatuation. It’s not real.”

“It is real,” he insists. “You’re just scared. I get it. This place makes everyone scared. But I can protect you. If you let me in, I can make you happy. I promise.”

Wow. This went from zero to a hundred so quickly that it’s giving me whiplash.

“Stop and listen to me,” I say sharply, holding up a hand. “I’m sorry for leading you on, but I don’t feel the same way about you. I wanted to, but I don’t. And that’s not going to change. Ever.”

Especially not after this.

His expression hardens, the hurt in his eyes giving way to something darker. “You don’t mean that,” he says. “You’re just saying it because of Aerix.”

Heat floods my cheeks. “This has nothing to do with Aerix.”

“Really?” His laugh is sharp and bitter. “Is that why you can barely look at me during our swimming lessons? Because you’re too busy thinking about him?”

“That’s not?—“

“I see the way you look after he feeds from you,” he continues, stepping even closer. “How you get all dreamy-eyed and distant. Did you let him kiss you, too? Did you go to his bed with him? Let him…”

He trails off, as if he can’t bring himself to say it, and I freeze as I think about how close things got with Aerix earlier.

How close I wanted things to get.

“We have to do what they want.” I narrow my eyes at him, challenging him. “You know that as well as I do. Unless you and Cierra haven’t?—”

“Cierra doesn’t get fully intimate with her pets,” he interrupts, and I don’t push for more, since I have no interest in knowing what Jake does and doesn’t do with Princess Cierra. “And from what I’ve heard, neither does Aerix.”

I flinch, since judging by how Aerix acts around me, I assumed he got fully intimate with Victoria and Sophia. Although now that I think about it, I’ve never discussed my sessions with Aerix in detail with the other girls. I just made assumptions and left it at that.

“You have, haven’t you?” The hurt swirling in Jake’s eyes turns to rage. “You’ve slept with him. All this time when you were with me, you’ve also been with him.”

“I haven’t slept with either of you!” I reach for a small rake and hold it by my side, my grip tight around its handle. “And you don’t get to talk to me like that. You don’t get to act like you own me.”

He stares at me, disbelief written all over his face as he glances down at the rake. “You’d hurt me?” he asks. “After everything we’ve been through together?”

“You. Don’t. Know me,” I say through gritted teeth. “And I don’t love you.”

“I do know you. And I’m trying to protect you,” he insists. “He’s using you, Zoey. They all are. But I actually care about you. I love you. Maybe you don’t believe me now, but you will soon. I promise.”

He reaches for my wrist, his hand outstretched, and every single warning bell in my body blares like a siren.

“Don’t touch me,” I say, but he doesn’t listen. He just continues to reach for me, his fingers getting closer…

And before I realize what I’m doing, I swing the rake, the tines catching his forearm and leaving behind three shallow scratches that well up with blood.