Starborne

Chapter 19

“No.” His voice interrupted my panicked internal monologue. “I’m not letting you leave right now.”

The pressure on my wrists tightened again, his large hands forming a vice against my halfhearted physical protest. To be honest, if he had let me go, it would have broken my heart. Conversely, everything inside me was shattering at his touch. The feelings were too much, too intense, too real, and I couldn’t handle it any longer. 

I let my hands fall, relaxed my body, feigning submission. No part of me wanted what I did next, but my panicked flight instinct had kicked in, and the only way out was to fight. He adjusted his grip, loosening a bit at my feigned calm. The moment Stefin’s fingers skimmed my skin, seeking a more comfortable hold, I struck. I lifted my arms up towards my face, sweeping them outward and turning my wrist with the motion, breaking his hold. The movement was swift enough to catch him off guard, and I used the reprieve to swivel off our cozy perch. 

I landed hard, too panicked to be graceful, and my ankle buckled underneath me. I caught myself on my knee, blessing the mossy ground, and tried to stand up. 

“Oh, shit!” I cried out in Terran, startled by the spike of pain that jolted up my leg. I barely managed to get my palms underneath me before I crumpled back to the ground, shooting out every curse word in the galaxy. “Mother crisping- shit!”

“Holly, what happened?” Stefin jumped down to my level, landing gracefully like a freaking jungle cat. 

I rolled my eyes at how easy he made it seem, and defiantly pulled myself back up to my feet. Any pressure on my ankle was incredibly painful, so I shifted all my weight to my left side. I considered myself doing an excellent job of feigning nonchalance, but Stefin examined my stance suspiciously. 

“You’re hurt.” He seemed peeved at me, despite the genuine concern his stare betrayed.

“No,” I squeaked pathetically, propping a stiff arm on my waist and leaning into the support, “I’m fine, all good.” 

Stefin stared at me for a good five seconds, an eyebrow quirked quizzically. I began to shuffle a bit, made nervous by his uninterrupted attention, but he then let out a weary sigh. Before I could return his exasperation, Stefin stepped forward and swung me off my feet. 

The surprised noise I let out was anything but classy, shocked as I was by the arms surrounding my body. Immediately I remembered the last time I was in such a position, the very first time we met. Back in the forest I was much too disoriented and scared to truly appreciate the benefits of being held by Stefin. It was warm and secure, so despite myself I felt my body relax into his embrace. His left arm curved easily under my legs, while the other gently cradled my back. 

The prince began to walk assuredly out of the synthetic forest, and I desperately wrapped my arms around his neck in an effort to stabilize myself. The move unfortunately brought my face dangerously close to Stefin’s, and pressed my chest even further into his. There I was again, overwhelmed by proximity and made foggy by sandalwood and sweet, minty breath. It was preposterous, how much we found ourselves in such positions. A cruel trick of fate, although in that moment I felt like the luckiest woman in the universe. 

In just a few long strides, we were suddenly through the door and back in the marbled hallway of the palace. Free from the enchanting birdsong and scent of petrichor I broke from the spell, letting go of Stefin’s neck and imploring him to let me down. 

“I can walk, you, you - oaf.” He swept me off my feet, figuratively and literally, and the self-satisfied smirk on his face alluded that Stefin certainly guessed the reason for my temporary compliance.