“And she will always have one.”

The unspoken words echoed through the room as loudly as any explosion- but it doesn’t have to be Seth.

My heart dropped to my stomach and my legs suddenly felt like jelly. I leaned into my dad and felt the literal weight of the world. I was somehow supposed to be strong enough to defeat Aliah and bring the balance back, but I couldn’t even imagine tomorrow without Seth.

“Is there anything else?” my dad asked in a ragged, exhausted voice.

“We have come to warn you,” Celeste started again. “Trust no one. Not any of our Council are to be given faith. In the month of your July you are to return to the Lower Realm with Celina for a summit, at which time the traitor will be named. Until then, you are expected to carry on as usual.”

“But without any help from you,” I bit out.

The three of them eyed me in that carefully detached way again and then Celeste said, “Correct.”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to trust anyone,” I pointed out, but that only got me silence.

Psht.

The three of them moved for the door again. Without a word, without a goodbye. They were just going to walk out as coldly as they’d come.

We watched them go and followed behind them until we were all standing out on the porch in the cool night air. In the dark night of the country they had a visible aura of light that shimmered around their bodies. They seemed softer out here, more angelic and less…. dreadful.

They took a stance in the middle of our big yard and looked heavenward. At the last moment, Ari looked at me and gave me a charming smile.

“Starling, while you may not trust us, you have our faith. This world is yours to keep. Let not the Darkness prevail.”

And then they were gone just as I tried to sort out his words.

Our entire property lit up with the brightness of their energy. They burned like hot, holy light and everything that was anything for miles was touched by them- touched, but not burned.

They disappeared into the atmosphere as fast as they came, leaving us reeling with their words and warnings.

“Stella,” my dad said immediately. His voice was roughened with what felt like years of struggle and heartache. “They…. those-“ His voice broke and tears immediately flooded my eyes. What was it about parents? Like the minute they showed any emotion I was a weeping mess. “The Council doesn’t understand what life is like down here. They can plot and plan and prepare, but they have no idea what it takes to live here. Listen to what they say, but only take what you want from it. No matter what, you have to know we stand behind you in everything. You are not alone.”

My mom pulled me into a tight hug and I just let her hold me. Finally I found the courage to ask, “What about Seth?”

But they didn’t answer. My dad lay a heavy hand on the back of my head and my mom let out an exhausted sigh.

They didn’t know either.

Don’t give up on me, Stella.

I promised that I wouldn’t give up on him.

And I wouldn’t.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“He’s here, Stel,” my mom whispered from the doorway.

I was staring at myself in my vanity thinking about everything except prom. My hair was done in a pretty, loose bun thingy that tapered to the side and wrapped around my neck. My nails were done, my legs were shaved, my eyebrows perfectly plucked. My makeup was bronzy in golds and pinks and my dress fit perfectly.

But dancing the night away was literally the last thing I wanted to do. I hadn’t been able to get the Council’s visit out of my head and I still hadn’t heard from Seth. He seemed to have disappeared into the black abyss of Aliah’s underworld.

The last three days had been painful. And I hadn’t exactly done my best to disguise my misery. Even Jude was concerned, well, as much as Jude was capable of feeling concern. There was a lot of cigarette smoke, a lot of reminding me that his life was at stake during this contract, too, and then there was some grunting noise that sounded like “Snap out of it.”

I stepped into my simple nude pumps that were four inches high and would pinch my toes after five minutes in them. I picked up my carefully packed gold sequined clutch and turned to my mom for her approval.

She smiled at me with tears in her eyes, “You’re beautiful.”

I rolled my eyes, “Thanks.”

“Now, it’s time to stop moping. Enjoy tonight. You can go back to making yourself sick about Seth tomorrow. Let Tristan have tonight.”

Her words hit home quickly. “Yeesh, mom.”

“I’m your mother,” she reminded me. “I’m supposed to know exactly what to say.”

I laughed before I could pretend I wasn’t affected.

She went on, “Give up the fight for just tonight, Stella. It will be there for you to pick right back up tomorrow. But you’re supposed to experience this world before you defend it, and I think tonight is the perfect opportunity to do just that.”

“You’re right,” I sighed.

“He’s going to die when he sees you,” she grinned at me.

“I know!” Her enthusiasm was catching. I couldn’t help it!

She grabbed my hand and led me down the stairs. Tristan was waiting in the entryway talking to my dad. I knew he was supposed to be impressed by what I looked like, but honestly, Tristan in a tux took my breath away.

His hair was freshly shaved and his green eyes glistened against his tan skin. His tux was incredibly crisp with clean lines and a classic white shirt, black bowtie look. His lean muscles filled out the suit to perfection and I couldn’t wait to stand next to him, to be pulled into his gravity of beauty.

But he was just staring at me.

His eyes were the deepest green I had ever seen and his jaw was tight with tension. I started to feel self-conscious from the intensity of his look.

Finally I said, “What?” I brushed at my skirt and waited for him to say something, to say anything.

“You’re breathtaking,” he finally said in a low, raspy voice that sent shivers skittering across my skin. “Stella, you’re beautiful.”

I pressed my lips together to keep from grinning like an idiot. But that was exactly the response I was hoping for.

“Pictures!” My mom declared.

I moved to stand next to Tristan, keeping my eyes locked on his. He seemed just as unwilling to let me go as I was to look elsewhere. But eventually I had to.

He pulled me into his side and I slid my arm around his back, the cool, softness of his suit jacket was shocking against my super-heated skin. Tristan wrapped an arm around my waist, too, and then another around my front and pulled me closer to him.

“Stella, babe, tone down the glow,” my mom commanded from behind the camera.

I tried my best to hide my excitement for the evening, for getting a free pass to go out with Tristan- even if it was just for one night- and for being wrapped so tightly in his arms, but I couldn’t. I was beaming with Light. I couldn’t control it anymore.

My mom just shook her head while smiling almost as big as me. She took a hundred pictures, my dad gave Tristan a very firm reminder about my nonexistent curfew and then gave me a big hug and kiss.

After what felt like forever, we were finally alone in Tristan’s big truck and leaving my house in our dust. We were headed to dinner in Fremont before the dance and as far as I knew we were doing this all alone. Lincoln and Piper had gotten a limo and were sharing it with Bree and her date, senior baseball stud- Milo Reed, and Rigley and his date, sophomore Cara Williams.

As far as I knew Piper and Tristan still weren’t talking. But I hadn’t exactly helped things along with my depressing attitude this week.

And anyway, it was kind of nice to just be the two of us. If this was our one sanctioned date, I selfishly didn’t want to share Tristan with anybody else. I wanted him all to myself.