27. Starlight
Chapter 27
Starlight
WONDER BOY
W illow folds her cards with a huff. “Well played. I’m heading to bed.”
“It’s early,” I argue, eager to keep her mind on the card game and off more difficult subjects. “You could still whip my ass.”
Ezra, Willow, and I have been playing in the drawing room for about an hour. Our tournaments are usually competitive and fun, but I can see Willow’s heart is not in it. The soon-to-be blended family gathered for some pre-wedding strategy on the eve of the rehearsal dinner, our parents huddled at the back of the room, probably still squabbling over the guest list and the exact amount of Willow’s dowry.
“Nah. I need my beauty sleep. Goodnight, light of my life.” Willow pecks Ezra on the cheek, and I cover my mouth to mask a grimace.
“Sweet slumber, flame of my heart,” he shoots right back, like it’s normal.
“Ugh.” A cold, oily shiver rocks me from head to toe. “I’ll never get used to this. It’s a bit much, no?”
“Why? We’re getting married the day after tomorrow.” Ezra pats my arm in a patronizing manner, smirking as though his new married status will somehow hold him above me, but a flicker of understanding passes in his cider-affected eyes. “It’ll be alright, boo.” He smacks a big, drunken kiss on my temple. “Your sister and I are going to be great friends, and that’s more than most royals get.”
I stare down at the dark liquid swirling at the bottom of my glass, his promise not quite as heartwarming as I’d wish it to be. The unease I’ve been wrestling with ever since I caught wind of this engagement is somehow magnified by the cider.
Hephaistos knows how emotionally draining family affairs can be.
“Will you stand with me, as my kindred witness?” Ezra blurts out.
My brow furrows. “I thought your brother?—”
“Ethan wanted me to pick Elio to alleviate any rumors that our family is not as tightly-knit as it should be, but it’s my decision. The kid offered to play for the ceremony instead. He can’t do both, so that’ll smooth out appearances.”
Royal wedding ceremonies are flashy public affairs, where the bride and groom each select someone they trust to witness their union.
“I’m honored,” I whisper.
He purses his lips in a humorous pout. “Now, boo, don’t cry.”
“I love you, mate.”
“Love you, too.” His gaze flicks to the ground for a split second. “Willow is keeping it secret, but she asked Beth to be her kindred.”
My melancholic thoughts screech to a halt, my heart already racing in my chest at the mere mention of her name. “Wait. Beth is coming here for the wedding?”
He shuffles the cards, taking his sweet time to answer. “Yes. She’s supposed to arrive tomorrow, and in only two days, you two lovebirds will be standing on an altar together. In case you wanted to make this a double wedding,” he says in jest.
“Who’s officiating?”
“I asked for my grandmother. She should be here soon.”
I arch a brow. “The Old Queen?”
“The one and only.”
Mabel lives in the new world. She’s the legendary widow of the Mist King, revered for her role in ending the war and stopping her monstrous husband from seizing power over the entire continent—yet feared nonetheless.
She’s a witch, one of the last remnants of the Red Forest’s ancient roots, predating the realm’s rebuilding. Reds now harbor a profound disdain for the old ways, favoring brute strength over mystical rituals. Old Queen Mabel had three daughters with her second husband, one of whom is Ezra’s mother. But ever since Siobhan Lightbringer’s death, the powerful matriarch hasn’t been keen on public appearances. “She’d never agree to do it.”
“Blessed Flame. I was joking,” Ezra scoffs.
“I know you were, but humor me. Would Mabel go for it, given the chance?”
“I have no idea. Probably. Mab’s a maverick, and she’s not loyal to your father. Or mine.”
I shake my head from side to side, slowly coming back to my senses. “Beth still hasn’t answered my letters.”
Ezra gulps down the rest of his wine. “Concentrate on getting the girl, yes? You can marry her later.”
“What are you two whispering about?” A smooth, velvety voice teases.
Mabel enters, her weathered eyes gleaming with mischief, the witch looking smaller than I remembered.
Ezra’s face lights up, and he leaps to his feet. “Grandmab!”
Her presence fills the room, a bite of power that spreads like spicy honey—potent, yet oddly comforting.
"My starlight. You look even more handsome than the last time I saw you," she beams, her long white hair twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck.
Ezra crushes her into his embrace. “Now, you’re just stroking my ego,” he chuckles.
Mabel shifts her weight, both hands resting on the pommel of her cane, and turns her attention to me. “Aidan. You’ve grown up, too, young phoenix.”
I offer her a respectful bow. “It’s an honor, as always, Mabel.”
“Aunt Kerri!” Ezra exclaims, pulling the woman trailing behind Mabel into a hug next.
“You remember my eldest daughter, Kerrigan?” Mabel says for my benefit.
I hesitate, my mind racing. “I’m sorry to say, but I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”
“Last I saw you, Kerri, I was eye-level with your belly button, I’d say,” Ezra interjects, laughter ringing in his voice.
“That’s right,” Kerrigan replies, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Is it true that you and my father were engaged before he married your sister?” he asks.
“Yes, I was the eldest,” Kerrigan acknowledges with a wince. “But your mother was a much stronger Fae, and terribly beautiful, so your father preferred her to me.”
“Siobhan would have loved to be here,” Mabel breathes, her gaze flickering to her eldest daughter, the two women silently united in grief.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Ezra croaks, his voice thick with the weight of a pain I can’t fully understand.
The circumstances surrounding his mother’s suicide remain a mystery to me, Ezra clamming up whenever I’ve tried to broach the subject.
Mabel and Kerrigan exchange a heavy glance. Family reunions always pick at scabs that aren’t quite healed, and I shift uncomfortably, feeling as though I’ve overstayed my welcome. If only I could slip away unnoticed…
Kerrigan’s eyes fill with tears as she braces a hand on Ezra’s shoulder. “Your mother loved you, Ezra. She only did what she did because she was sick.”
“Sick, right.” Ezra snorts, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he raises his wine glass to her. “You dodged a bullet, Kerri. And we all know that’s the truth.”
Ethan slides off his seat at the back of the room, heading toward us.
I offer the three women a loose grin and wrap an arm around Ezra’s shoulders. “The groom’s a little nervous, I’m afraid.” I squeeze his upper arm, trying to instill some much-needed sense into him. His father might hear, for Hephaistos’ sake. “You’ve got to ease up on the cider, mate,” I breathe in his ear.
“Aidan takes his kindred duties very seriously.” He shrugs me off, but Mabel steps in before I can react and stands on her tiptoes to cup his cheeks.
“Don’t worry, my starlight. One day, the time will come for you to shine.”
“But not soon enough to stop this wedding,” Ezra grumbles.
“Alas, no.” Mabel wraps her bony arm around Ezra, ushering him toward the exit and away from Ethan. “Now, let’s take a tour of this castle, so you can tell me everything that’s on your mind.”
They walk down the length of the room, thick as thieves, and I’m glad he’s got someone else in his corner. Hephaistos knows, when shit hits the fan with his father, which is bound to happen at some point, he’s going to need as many allies as he can get.