Page 82 of A Veil of Gods and Kings

“I’ve ruined it.”

“It was beautiful while it mattered.” I smiled at her, and she returned it. She squeezed my hand. “Let’s do it. We can stay out all night. But”—she paused, bowing her face—“Valerian is waiting outside the stables.”

“What? Why?”

She shrugged. “He’s worried about you. Do you want to speak to him first?”

“I…” My lips were still puffed from crying, my throat raw. “Gods, I look like a mess.”

“I’ll go tell him you’re not up for it if you want.” She palmed my cheek. “But you look beautiful.”

I sighed. “Thanks, Temi.” I straightened out my dress, but the wrinkles remained. “I’ll speak with him briefly. And then I’ll meet you in the gardens?”

“Sounds good.” She leaned in and hugged me. “See you in a few minutes.”

I took a deep breath and then clipped down the ladder. Outside, the night sky glittered like paint splashed against a dark canvas, an ebony blanket of silk weeping crystal flowers. The air held a coolness to it, and I crossed my arms.

Valerian sat beneath a shade tree, his face lifted to the heavens.

“Hey,” I said.

He sucked in a breath and jumped to his feet. “Epiphany.”

“I’m sorry about tonight.”

“Don’t be.”

I frowned. “It has to be so late. Don’t you have to get up at dawn?”

He stepped in closer, his hands hovered, like he didn’t know what to do with them, and he dropped them by his side. “I couldn’t go to bed without making sure you were okay first.” He offered the gentlest of smiles as comforting as a mug of warm milk bestowed on a chilly night. “Besides, it’s a rare chance to enjoy the gardens in solitude.”

I nodded, and the necklace scraped across my collarbones. “Thanks, Val.”

“And another bonus”—his gaze dropped, trailing along me—“I get to see the horrific gown you’ve dreaded wearing.”

I chuckled. “It is dreadful, isn’t it?”

He blinked, his eyes sparkling as they often did. No star in heaven could compete with that expression of his. “Do you want my honest thoughts?”

“Of course. Always.”

He sighed and gestured towards the outfit. “You look beautiful tonight, Epiphany.”

A hundred people had said as much to me already.

It meant a thousand times more, coming from his lips even with the gown semi-ruined, my makeup likely horrendous or, at its best, washed away.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

An expression, so painful, like someone cut him open with a rusty blade, pierced across his face. He gripped his fingers around the back of his neck. “I should turn in.”

“Yeah, I’ve already robbed you of half a night’s sleep.”

His lips turned up. “But, on the flip side, you’ve also kept me from mucking stalls for a month now as you’ve reminded me before. So, it feels fair.”

“You always see the positive of things.”

He shrugged. “There’s usually some positive in everything, don’t you think?”