24
I don’t set out to lie beside Sin in Astronomical Astrology, but it does happen completely by accident.
Evie nestles between Nettie and Katerina (who has chosen to sprawl out and luxuriate in her wolf form), her brother behind them, which leaves me to choose an open spot between Portia and Sin—or banish myself to the far edge of the forest with Calix. Alone.
Yeah. I don’t think so.
We left Castle Severi through a special back door that houses the only other part of the realm we can access.
But even this sliver of land is almost too much to comprehend.
Pines and oaks pierce the damp earth of a magical forest. Iridescent butterflies soar between trees, and massive toads large enough to perch atop stool-sized mushrooms croak out a disjointed melody.
Wet grass soaks through my burgundy dress—the exact color of Sin’s eyes—and through his thin white tunic as our fingers nearly brush, our heads inches apart from where we lie on the ground.
Stars shoot across the midnight sky above us, dazzling in shades of sapphire and cerulean. And it’s so… romantic .
Romantic enough that it feels as if the universe is playing a cruel prank on us.
Sin’s pinky twitches and touches my own. My lungs ache from my inability to exhale. He’s right here. Right beside me. And I want to hold his hand so badly, but I can’t. We can’t.
Evie and Nettie giggle over some shared secret, and I yank my hand away from Sin’s, blood rushing in my ears. He looses a sigh. Even that sound, that soft breath, frays my composure. This is torture. Pure torture.
“Oh, look!” Portia says, giddy and oblivious as ever. Her hand shoots into the air, and she points a plucked purple rose at the sky. “Instructor Nagma, I found the Lyra constellation!”
Instructor Nagma—a curvy werewolf with long black hair and smooth brown skin, younger than our other instructors—steps in front of our path, her head back as she gazes at the sky.
“That you did, Lady Montgomery. Very good.” Instructor Nagma snaps her fingers.
“Verbal quiz: Who can tell me what gifts the Lyra constellation bestows?”
She turns to assess her class, but most of us remain quiet.
Even Evie seems too taken with the surroundings—with the enchantment of tonight—to make any snide comments.
I hate that I feel a flicker of understanding for her.
Hate that she could plot my death, perhaps murder my best friend, yet remain human enough to appear normal.
Luckily, Myles exists, and he speaks in an authoritative rush.
“Historian,” he declares. “Lyra stars bestow the gift of ancestral memory, although a few anomalies catalogued by Historians have also shown that Lyra stars might bestow the gifts of psychic communication and, once, telepathy.”
“Excellent,” Instructor Nagma says. “You come from a long line of Historians, Lord Win. Were all your ancestors born beneath the same constellation?”
“All but two,” Myles says. “Their powers were decidedly weaker, with them forgetting whole eras of their ancestral history. Though we can do our best to record the patterns of the universe, we cannot hold it to exact measurements. The stars will do as they please.”
“Lord Win,” Instructor Nagma announces, “you are top of your class and unmatched in wit and knowledge.” She bares her teeth in a proud grin, glancing to Sin and then Eric to be sure they heard.
They did, of course. And they’ll both want Myles for their future pack.
In our academic lessons, he remains the best.
God.
The memory of Oona’s words churns my stomach.
You must focus. You must try.
I’ve hardly had time to peruse the star chart I roughly mapped.
No. That’s not fair. I’ve had the time, but not the care.
And now I’m sitting in class, anxious to impress the beautiful boy beside me without the proper means to do so.
I pick at the delicate gossamer of my red bodice, the rubies clustered in swirling, looping patterns. Try. Just try.
“Call out the next constellation you see,” Instructor Nagma says.
I search the sky frantically. They twinkle and gleam like gemstones set on rich velvet. Gorgeous. Magical. But hell if I know what any of them are, least of all what they mean. I narrow my gaze until they blur into glowing balls of light. Still not a damn clue.
Thankfully, Portia points to another. I turn my head to assess the rest of the class, but no one seems eager to do much else but laze in the grass.
Nettie passes Evie a handful of berries, and Evie passes a few to Katerina.
They chew loudly. Unabashedly. Instructor Nagma doesn’t mind, but I wish she would.
I look back to the sky, annoyance hot in my chest.
“Ursa Major,” Portia says. Instructor Nagma applauds her. But Evie—Evie leans up on her elbows, her hair spilling behind her slender neck as she brags, “ My constellation.” And, as an afterthought, while petting Katerina’s auburn scruff, she adds, “Eric’s too.”
A growl builds in my throat. She would be born under one of the most popular constellations. Her and her damn brother.
Instructor Nagma paces in front of my view. “What gifts are typically bestowed upon those born beneath the Ursa Major stars?”
Evie laughs. A snide, grating sound. She clicks her tongue. As if it’s obvious. As if it’s the dumbest question to ask. Even Myles doesn’t move to answer. I glare at her from my periphery. She opens her mouth, her lips covered in sweet, red juices, but I speak before she can.
“Alchemy,” I blurt out. “Those born beneath the Ursa Major constellation… They’re gifted in alchemy.”
Instructor Nagma spins around where she stands, her smile wider now. As if she’s impressed. She nods enthusiastically. “Very good, Miss Hart. You’re learning.”
My cheeks flame at her praise, at the rest of the class turning to gawk at me. There’s no way I should have known the answer. Werewolves are quiet about their gifts, but I’ve done my snooping. I may not understand how to pick out a constellation from a web of stars, but I do know about the Lees.
Evie rolls her eyes, but she makes no move to do anything worse.
Or even say anything worse. Nettie pulls her back down, and their fingers entwine.
I tilt my head. The action… It’s almost too friendly.
Nettie bites off the tip of a strawberry before passing the rest to Evie.
But if it feels strangely intimate between them, no one else comments.
In fact, Myles is explaining the difference between those born with alchemy under a blood moon versus an eclipse—the strength of their enchantments grows, allowing in the rarest of instances whole buildings to be erected from so much as a thimble—and Instructor Nagma looks ready to declare him king of the world.
“Look at that,” Sin murmurs beside me.
His finger brushes mine again, this time more intentionally, and he shifts his legs so that our bodies graze.
His skin is as hot as ever. His touch is firm.
I glance at him only to find that he’s already watching me.
Maybe he’s been watching me since we lay down.
His blond hair falls away from those piercing red eyes, and my heart skips a beat.
I remember his hands on my back, his lips on my neck, and I shiver.
“Very good, Miss Hart,” he says, quietly but… but publicly too. And I realize—if I do well enough at succeeding in lessons, he won’t ignore me anymore. He won’t have a reason to do so. Evie might be his future intended, but I could still be his friend. It’s enough. It has to be enough.
His finger twines with mine for a moment, encouraging me, and I pay attention to the rest of the class as if my life depends on it. When I return to my room at the end of the night, I take my journal from the mattress and scribble down every single constellation that Instructor Nagma listed.
ORION— Empath (common) or Truthseer (rare) or Influencer (extremely rare)
Ursa Major— Alchemist (common, with varying degrees of skill)
Lyra— Historian (common, with varying degrees of skill)
Capricornus— Mind Reader (rare) or Dreamweaver (rare) or Mindbender (extremely rare)
Aquila— Soldier (common) or General (rare)
Chamaeleon— Modifier (rare) or Breathless (extremely rare)
Libra— Justiciar (common, with varying degrees of skill) or Bargainer (extremely rare)
I write them in my notebook, adding extra explanations of Modifiers (those who can change their appearances), Justiciars (those who have the power to see and sometimes even experience a person’s every decision), and Mindbenders (those who can manipulate a person’s memories), before lying down in bed.
Once I’m certain I’ve learned everything I can, I fall asleep.
And I dream of Sin.