Page 20 of This Shattered Star

“Ask nicely, and I’ll consider it.”

“Allies,” he repeated. “Secrets will kill usall.”

The onlyalliesI’d ever kept were the pockets of shadows that accompanied me while I danced with death. They never questioned me. Never passed judgement, nor made any demands. They simply watched. Helped me hide each one of my sins from the stars above. For it was the stars I had to look out for—the stars who controlled the balance of everything that made our world whole. Whose wrath could outmatch every god combined.

The shadows kept me safe. Alive.

I refused to apologize for instinctively keeping my mouth shut. Especially around him.

“Fine,” was all I said before repeating my train of thought out loud.

Kodhan listened while trying the door’s handle. Though it opened with ease, the loud squeal of its hinges incited a grimace from us both.

“Like prying teeth from a wild beast,” Kodhan muttered, shooting me one final pointed glare before crossing the threshold.

My hands curled into tight fists as I stared at the back of his head. But the thought of other competitors standing behind any one of those doors, readying to attack us, took precedence over my desire to wallop him.

Death hurts more than fear.

Except any fear I felt was wasted. We quickly circled the wing only to find that the corridors were deserted, with all their doors locked tightly shut.

We descended to the next wing, its clock still frozen at twelve past three. Torches flickered around us, laughing at our cluelessness. Like they knew the answers we sought, but refused to tell.

I made it halfway through the threshold before Kodhan roughly shoved me back over it, hard enough that I would’ve went flying down the stairs had I not caught myself in time.

Insults brimmed on the tip of my tongue. But I bit down on them as Kodhan slammed the door shut, pressing the entirety of his weight onto the wood to keep it what way while it vibrated with continuous attacks from the other side.

“Definitely not Brannon or Theia,” he grunted, bouncing off its surface as whoever was on the other side relentlessly continued their assault. Then the wood itself began to warp, reaching for Kodhan’s limbs with growing, crooked fingers. “Forget it. We’ll head back to our own wing and let others come to us, just like these two.”

I rushed towards him, ready to pull him away.

But he held up a single hand in warning. “Don’t!”

Heat blasted my face in a hot, ferocious wave. The entire length of the door went up in flames.

I couldn’t help but marvel at the way the flames seemed to embrace him, devoid of the savagery that fire usually demonstrated as it ravaged whatever it touched.

Almost gently, the fire flickered around his body. Like they were welcoming him home.

The bitter tang of jealousy sent my teeth grinding before I could swallow it. If I won, I would have that kind of power, too. More than that, even.

“You could have killed me just then. One fall is all it would’ve taken.” Agitation sliced through my words as he stepped away from the flames.

“Then we have the stars to thank for your ability to stand upright.”

Bastard.My fingers itched to wrap themselves around his throat and squeeze. The fire blazing behind him was the only thing stopping me.

He brushed a whisp of ash off his sleeve. “They were anticipating us. Their magic was already soaring when I stepped into their wing—we’re lucky I managed to close it before they hit us directly.”

“And you think that fire will keep them from coming out here?” The flames burned high, but the door wasn’t locked.

“The flames will swallow them if they get too close to the threshold.” He sounded convinced, but the tightness of his jaw did nothing to soothe my nerves.

“Well, I highly doubt you can keep every door in this tower burning at once. If those two are awake, it means others must be, too. We should hurry.”

Without waiting for him, I made for the next wing and reached for the bronze handle. But Kodhan’s fingers wrapped around it first.

Heat ran soothing hands up my back as he stepped closer, trapping me in place. “Do not insult me and then run away.”