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I took another deep breath, this time trying to calm the sudden spike of adrenaline I felt from my realization that I was hopelessly in love with my best friend. I knew I wanted Luke, that I loved him. I knew he loved me, too. But beingin lovewas completely different.I felt guilty about realizing this so soon after Cass. I loved Cass. How could I bein lovewith Luke so soon? Unless I’d been in love with Luke all this time? What if Luke didn’t feel quite as deeply as I did?
Luke came to the table, placing plates overflowing with food in front of me. I gave him an analytical look, like I could look through him and see the answers to my questions. He sat next to me and then pulled my chair to him until our legs were touching under the table. He misread the intensity of my gaze for something else.
“Eat your food before you start some shit I have to finish,” he quipped.
I gave him a small smile, huffing out a breath, as I picked up a fork.
I was overthinking things. It just didn’t matter as long as I had Luke by my side.
38
Alarie
Luke left me in a daze from a combination of a full belly, a lack of sleep, and a racing mind. I made my way into my room, and immediately looked at my bed, thinking of crawling back into it and taking a nap. But then something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. That’s when I saw a shadow move on my balcony.
“Nik? What are you doing out there?” I called out.
There was no answer. But I definitely saw something or someone move on my balcony.
“Nik, come on. Don’t jump out and scare me. I’m too tired for this today,” I said, exasperated.
He stepped out of the darkness of my balcony and into my bedroom. He was tall, but not as tall or as bulky as Nik, I could see that now.But his eyes. They were the same eerily clear, piercing blue-gray eyes…
I took an involuntary step back, almost stumbling, stunned.
“Good evening, little star,” he said nonchalantly, continuing to stroll toward me.
Little star. Those two little words confirmed it. I felt like I’d been sucker punched in the gut.
“What’s the matter? Don’t you recognize me?” he teased, pretending that his feelings were hurt. He bowed slightly and took my hand and raised it to his mouth, kissing it softly as he looked at me up through his eyebrows. Just like he did the first time I met him.
“I… How? You’re dead.” I whispered in disbelief.
“I’m quite well. But your concern is touching,” he mocked.
“Joffrey, on the other hand… You are quite right about him. He is dead. You see, I was walking around in Joffrey when we first met.”
I had no idea how that was possible and what he could possibly mean by that.Is he suggesting that he can just walk around in other people’s bodies?
“H-h-how?” I stuttered in disbelief. “How are you here?”
“With some difficulty, I must admit. You are better protected than, I think, even you know. Youreekof his magic, by the way,” he said, leaning into me and smelling my skin. He crinkled his nose in distaste.
“Whose magic?” I asked.
“Your little Lord of Light. In fact, your magic feels like…” His eyes narrowed like he’d discovered something that displeased him.
“I thought you were with the warrior? I saw you with him at the Golden Court,” the strange man said.
I had not seen anyone who looked like this man at the Golden Court.
“No matter,” the man said, shrugging off my non-response. “It’s good that you like warriors, though. I like him. I really do,” he said.
“Why are you here?” I asked, looking around my room, towards my door.
It didn’t feel like last time. It didn’t feel like he was going to kidnap me. Surely, he would not have taken the time to speak with me first if that was what he intended.
“I’mnot here. This is Gabe. I’m riding around in his head, using his body for now,” the man replied.
