Starborn Legacy (A Starborn Series prequel)

Chapter twenty-one

Amid the chaos, Phoebe met Rue's worried gaze. She knew her friend was probably thinking the same thing she was: regardless of what their fathers discovered when they reached Connor's modest home, it wasn't going to end well for him. Her mind was swirling with questions—like who was this rogue Starborn, and what did she want with Connor—but they would have to wait until she knew her cousin was safe.

Behind her father's back, Phoebe motioned for Rue to follow her. "If we cut through the woods we can beat them there," she whispered.

They ran like they were being chased. Phoebe, who knew these woods as well as she knew her own home, led the way. Even in the darkness she was able to dodge and weave through the trees and foliage, following a nearly instinctive path back to Connor's front door.

When they arrived, they found the small cottage completely dark.

"What if he's not here?" Rue panted as Phoebe hammered on the door. Voices carried through the trees, growing louder by the minute as Phoebe's father and his posse got closer. Pinpricks of light from the candles they carried winked like stars between the trees as they marched. Rue watched them advance from beneath her knitted brow. "Maybe he was watching the ritual."

Phoebe wondered the same thing, though she'd also hoped that if her cousin had dared to defy her father and lurk from the shadows (which, she knew deep down, was exactly what he'd done. It's what she would have done, too.) he wouldn't waste any time getting back home once he realized people would be out looking for him. But there was no sound rustling from inside the cabin, and the window was still dark. Unable to wait a moment longer, Phoebe pressed her lips into a tight line and barged inside.

Even in the darkness, Phoebe could tell the cabin was empty. The room was cold, as if it had been hours since the wood stove had last held a fire. She fumbled around the table until her hands found a candle and the small box of matches she knew Connor kept within reach. With a trembling hand, she struck one and set the quivering flame to the candle's wick. Its feeble light was still enough to bathe the small living space in a warm glow.

"Phoebe?" The fearful way Rue said her name made Phoebe's heart drop into her stomach. "Did you visit Connor today by any chance?"

Breathless, Phoebe whirled around to see what had Rue sounding so alarmed. It took a moment, but her eyes finally noticed the small stack of dirty dishes on the table — there were far more of them than she'd ever known Connor to use on his own.

"No," Phoebe replied in a hushed voice. "Do you think it was the Starborn?"

Rue twisted her fingers into anxious knots. "What does it mean if it was?"

Outside, the voices were getting louder. Phoebe didn't know what the answer to Rue's question was, but she knew what her father would make of the evidence that Connor had prepared a meal for a celestial fugitive. Before she could think better of it, she gathered the dirty dishes and scrambled to put them back on the shelves.

"They're coming!" Rue hissed as she kept watch from the door. "Hurry!"

Phoebe slid the last fork back into the utensil cup Connor kept next to his plate and bowl with only seconds to spare. She heard her father's surprised voice just outside the cottage walls.

"Rue? What are you doing here?"

Folding her arms to hide her anxiety-induced tremors, Phoebe stuck her head out the door with as much innocence as she could muster. "The same thing you are — we want to know what's going on."

She watched her father's eyes narrow dangerously in the flickering candlelight. "Where is he?"

"We don't know," Rue answered truthfully.