Starwalker (Starborn 1) (Sci-Fi Fantasy Romance) by P. Jameson

I heard a noise.”
    Emma jerked her head in the direction of the canister that lay on the floor behind her.
    “Dropped some tea is all. I’m well.”
    His eyes grazed the mess on the floor before finding her face once more. “Are you sure?”
    To avoid his gaze, she went to the closet for the broom and dust pan, and busied herself cleaning up the brown powder.
    “Emma… why are you crying?”
    She shook her head. “Not your worry, wren.”
    Sweep, sweep. Into a neat little pile of granules.
    “Emmalyn, answer me. Why do you cry this night?” When she only kept sweeping his voice got sharper. “Why, Emma? Why do you still cry? Are you afraid? Worried?”
    “I do not wish to tell you.”
    “Well… I wish to know.”
    Frustration spiked, making her words fly. “You do not wish to know. In fact, if I was to tell you, you would no doubt leave immediately and never speak to me again. And wouldn’t that be fitting since you’ve said more to me this night than you have in the whole sum of years since we met.”
    There was a long silence as she went back to cleaning up the floor.
    Gilleth must have reached into the open window and unlocked the door because it creaked open and then she heard boots pounding on the stone. Ignoring him, she knelt down to brush the tea into the dust pan.
    He went to one knee next to her, took her chin in his hand and tilted her head up so she was forced to look at him. The gray of his eyes seemed to glint with flecks of silver and his voice was oddly gentle. “Please, tell me what has made you cry?”
    She wasn’t even aware that more tears had breached her eyes until they ran down her cheeks and he wiped them away with his thumb.
    “Why?” he whispered.
    She shouldn’t do it. She knew it was wrong. But how could she keep from spilling what her soul felt when his hands were so gentle upon her.
    “I cry because… because my heart longs for you. Even though it doesn’t beat and I am not yours… I long for you.”
    She couldn’t believe she’d said the words. Out loud. They were alive and hanging in the air between them.
    He yanked his hand back and stood quickly. The look of horror on his face had her turning back to the mess on the floor—better to look at the mess she could fix rather than the other.
    Before anything else could be said, another knock pulled their attention to the window. Cannalise stood just outside the door. Had she heard Emma’s confession? But she knew she could trust the maiden. Cannalise was her friend. Even if she didn’t want to be.
    ***
    Gilleth had only a second to recover before the knock on the window had him reeling again. He turned, ready for anything: the Helix, dragons, a tripled-headed dog, whatever... but it was just Cannalise.
    The maiden stood silently in the open doorway, that painfully eerie blank look on her face. Gill thought the woman had exactly two expressions: angry and nothing. Nothing was the one she used most often—the one she was using now.
    “Canna,” Emma said on a shaky exhale. “Can I help you?”
    Cannalise looked at her in a way that told Gill she saw too much. Her face might be vacant but her eyes held a knowing glint.
    “I came to inform you that I indeed spoke with Ula. She was very worried for you and intends to close the kafé early to return home.”
    Emma nodded as she went to put the broom and dustpan away. “Thank you, Canna. And thank you for defending me tonight.”
    Cannalise bowed her head slightly. “You know I do so without expectation of gratitude. I would suggest you say nothing of the Helix to Ula.”
    This was said as a side note but something about her voice caught Gill’s attention and he narrowed his eyes on her. Emma was busying herself with the cabinet so she didn’t see Canna shake her head at Gill, as if to keep him quiet. And when he opened his mouth to speak she gave him a glare so cold he thought his soul might freeze.
    Damn.
    The term “if looks could kill” never seemed more