CHAPTER 18: NAYA: THE STERLING HEIR.

It was Cahir.

The crowd around me parted in slow awe as he walked towards me.

He looked nothing like the chubby, scared boy who used to follow me around when we were kids, the one who’d hide behind my legs whenever the bigger children picked on him.

This man was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing his tailored suit as if it were made for him, his brown hair, which I remembered had been dyed to a deep blue, almost giving it a black appearance, but on closer inspection, it was blue.

When he reached me, he did something that made my breath catch in my throat.

He knelt.

Right there in front of everyone, he dropped to one knee like I was someone worth kneeling for, and reached for my hands with a gentleness that made my chest ache. His lips pressed against my knuckles, and when he looked up at me, his eyes were filled with concern that something inside me just broke.

"Hey princess," he said softly, his thumb brushing across my knuckles. "Are you hurt?"

That single question; those three simple words, shattered whatever composure I’d been desperately holding onto.

The tears I’d been fighting back all evening suddenly spilt over, and I threw myself at him without thinking, my arms wrapping around his neck as I sobbed into his shoulder like I was ten years old again and he was the only safe person in a world that had turned cruel.

"I’ve got you," he murmured against my hair, and then he was lifting me like I weighed nothing at all, standing with me cradled against his chest while I cried and the crowd watched in silence.

I felt him moving, heard the click of his shoes on marble and then on wood, the sound of a door opening and closing, and when I finally opened my eyes, we were in some private box overlooking the grand hall below.

The noise from the party was muffled here, and I could see everything from this vantage point.

My eyes met Cahir’s, and he smiled, that same gentle smile he’d had as a kid, even though everything else about him had changed.

"You’re still shy?" he asked with a soft chuckle, and I realized I was still pressed against him, my face buried in his chest.

I disentangled myself quickly, feeling heat creep up my neck as I stepped back and tried to compose myself.

"Thank you for saving me from that embarrassment," I said, swiping at my tears with the back of my hand. "And you look so different. I almost didn’t recognize you." My eyes traced the scar that ran down the right side of his face. "Except for that."

"This?" He ran his fingers along the scar, his smile turning a bit rueful. "I’ve heard from a lot of people that it gives me a dangerous aura."

I scoffed and looked away, mainly to hide the blush that was spreading across my face now.

Cahir had been that chubby boy without much hair, the one who’d depended on me to protect him from bullies and his own shyness. I couldn’t quite reconcile that memory with this tastefully beautiful man standing in front of me.

Was I the only one who didn’t grow up beautiful? Everyone else seemed to have blossomed while I’d just... stayed the same awkward girl trying to figure out where she fit.

"I heard about your mother."

His quiet words snapped my attention back to him, and the sympathy in his eyes made my throat tight again.

"I’m so sorry, Naya. Father couldn’t make it tonight. He’s had some health problems recently, but he wanted me to tell you that you’re invited to Wellsprings. He’d like to see you."

"Yeah," I managed to say, "It’s been a minute since I saw him. How is Uncle Cassian doing? Nothing serious, I hope?"

"The doctors say it’s stress-related, mostly. He’s been working too hard, as usual." Cahir moved to lean against the railing overlooking the hall, and I noticed how the dim light from below cast shadows across his face, making him look more beautiful. "What about you? What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were engaged to some actor. Caleb something?"

I winced. Of course, he’d heard about that. I’d reached out to Uncle Cassian against my mother’s wish to invite him to my wedding.

"That didn’t work out. He married my stepsister instead. The one who was causing that scene down there."

"Ah." Something dark flickered across his expression. "So she set you up."

"Pretty much." I moved to stand beside him, grateful for the distraction of looking down at the party instead of at him. "What about you? Why are you here? I didn’t know the Sterling family attended events like this."

"Father’s been trying to branch out more, make connections outside our usual zones. He sent me to represent the family since he couldn’t come himself." Cahir’s shoulder brushed against mine, and I was hyperaware of how close we were standing. "Though I have to say, I’m glad I came. Otherwise, you would have been arrested for a crime you didn’t commit."

"You don’t know that I didn’t commit it," I said, aiming for lightness even though my heart wasn’t in it. "Maybe I really did push her."

"Princess, I’ve known you since we were five years old. You once cried for an hour because you accidentally stepped on a snail." His voice was warm with affection. "You’re many things, but violent isn’t one of them."

We stood there in comfortable silence for a moment, and I found myself relaxing for the first time all evening. This felt familiar in a way nothing else had lately—just me and Cahir, like it had always been when we were kids.

"You have something in your hair," he said suddenly, turning toward me. "Hold still."

Before I could respond, he was reaching up, his fingers gentle as they worked through a strand of my hair near my temple. "I think it’s a piece of glitter from one of the decorations," he murmured, his face close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes. "There. Got it."

But he didn’t pull away. We were frozen there, his hand still tangled in my hair, our faces inches apart. His eyes dropped to my lips, and I felt my breath catch, that magnetic pull drawing me closer. It would be so easy to lean forward, to press my mouth against his and see what he tasted like.

Before anything could happen, the door opened.

I jerked away from him, feeling like I was a teenager who’d been caught kissing a boy.

I turned to see Hansel standing in the doorway. His dark eyes swept over us, taking in how close we’d been standing, the way Cahir’s hand was still near my face, and something dangerous flickered across his expression before he locked it down behind that cold mask he wore so well.

"Oh, Hansel!" I said brightly. "You’re finally here!"

I hurried toward him and grabbed his arm, trying to guide him back out the door. "Let’s go, I’m ready to leave now—"

"Who is this?"

Cahir’s voice came from behind me.

I turned back, suddenly very aware that I was standing between two very tall, very imposing men who were currently assessing each other.

Before I could respond, Hansel moved forward, stretching a hand to Cahir.

"Hansel Ward, Naya’s boyfriend."

I turned to Hansel, stunned, wondering if he knew what he had just said.

Hansel’s gaze sought mine as he pulled me closer to him. "Babe, I was looking for you all over the place. Are you alright? Who’s the blue-haired boy?"

"Uhm, this is Cahir Sterling. The son of my godfather and a childhood friend."

"Sterling," Hansel said and withdrew his outstretched hand, which Cahir had refused to shake. "What an unexpected pleasure."

Cahir scoffed lightly. "Really? I’ve heard a lot about you. You’ve been trying to reach my father for quite some time now, haven’t you?"

"Business," Hansel said smoothly, as his other hand found my waist and pulled me against his side."Nothing that can’t wait for a more appropriate time."

"Of course." Cahir’s eyes dropped to where Hansel’s hand rested on my hip, and his expression hardened. "Though I have to say, I’m curious how you two met. Wasn’t she abandoned at the altar a few days ago?"

I felt Hansel’s fingers tighten on my waist.

"A few days ago, is enough for two people to fall in love. Naya and I have a very... special connection. Don’t we, darling?" He looked down at me, smiling.

"Yes," I heard myself say, even though I wasn’t sure what I was agreeing to. "Very special."

Cahir’s jaw tightened. "I see. And how long will this go on for?"

"Does it matter?" Hansel’s voice had dropped into a low hum. "The important thing is that Naya is happy. Isn’t that right?"

Before I could answer, Cahir took a step closer.

"Actually, Ward, I think it matters quite a lot." His eyes locked onto mine, "Especially since Naya and I were engaged when we were children. A promise made by our parents before any of us were old enough to understand what it meant. But a promise is still a promise."

"What?" The word came out as a whisper, and I looked between Cahir and Hansel, trying to understand what was happening.

"You didn’t know?" Cahir’s expression softened when he looked at me, but his voice remained firm. "Your mother and my father arranged it before she cut ties with our family. I’ve been looking for you for years, princess. And now that I’ve found you, I’m not letting you go again."