“Everything?” I breathe.
“Not you,” he amends. “Never you. You know that.”
My brittle heart sheds a layer. “I’ll… walk you to the doors then.”
He nods to me, then again to Christian as a goodbye. Those dozen steps up to the station feel as if I’m walking to my own execution. I want to scream don’t go, don’t go, don’t go but I have to let him. He needs to go his way and I have to go mine. Our lives are both starting over after being trapped somewhere we never should have been. He’s been controlled since he arrived in New York and I won’t be the next thing to hold him back. It’s time we both fly free.
“Thank you for everything.” I’m proud of myself for sounding steady when I feel anything but. “I never would’ve survived without you.”
“Yes, you would have, but you saved me too. I don’t know how long it would’ve taken me to build up the courage to leave if you hadn’t come along.” He pulls me into a one-armed hug. “I’m going to miss you, Canary.”
“Do you think we’ll ever see each other again?”
“Maybe.” He pulls away and places a lingering kiss on my forehead. “When stars are bright.”
A sob falls from my throat. Why did he have to use those words? “Goodbye, Nik.”
“Goodbye, Lina.”
He steps away when I can’t and, with one last smile, turns. I remain frozen in place, watching him until he disappears into the station. When the doors shut, I can’t hold back anymore.
The tears flood down my cheeks, dripping onto my dress, and then Christian is there. His arms wrap around me again, pouring his strength into me. I’m not sure I deserve him anymore, but I’m grateful for his understanding. I’m grateful for him.
Christian gives me a gentle kiss, wiping my tears with his thumbs, and we walk back to the car. When he’s seated beside me, he takes one of my hands in both of his and hesitates. “I know it will take time for you to adjust to being home. I want you to know that I’ll be there for you in whatever way you want me to be.”
I’m not sure what’s best for me yet. There are so many unknowns waiting at home and so few certainties. I want to see my mother as soon as we land. Chances are I won’t want to leave her side for at least a few weeks. And I want to sleep in my own bed. I want to sleep for days.
But I don’t need to have all the answers right now. I squeeze the sparrow pin tightly in my palm. Right now, all I know is that I survived and am stronger for it. I’ll decide the rest when the time comes.
“Are you okay?” Christian asks when I stay silent. “Can I do something for you now?”
I smile at him then—a real smile—and feel the first bud of hope. “Take me home.”
NIK
FIVE YEARS LATER
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Escaping New York was meant to free me.
Finding my sister in North Carolina was meant to settle my heart.
And returning to my mother’s side was meant to give me a sense of home.
In truth, I’ve never felt so restless. I sit on the roof of my mother’s third floor apartment, my legs dangling precariously down the side of the building, and stare across the sleepy cobbled streets. There’s nothing quite like the early morning glow in a sleepy city. Denmark is undeniably beautiful, but it doesn’t have what I’m looking for.
A thin man in a suit walks down the street. He looks up when he reaches the front of the building and waves as he does every day after his early morning stroll. I return the greeting, thinking nothing of it, and begin humming the song that haunts my waking moments. My fingers tap lightly on the terracotta roof as I lose myself in the rhythm.
“Excuse me,” says the same man who waved.
I jump at the intrusion and find him peering up at me from his window. His apartment is apparently next door to my mother’s, though I didn’t know it until just now. “Sorry. Am I too loud?”
“No, no. I quite enjoy listening to your song every day.” He scoots a chair up to the window and extends a hand. “Hans Andersen.”
His statement unnerves me—I thought this was a private moment every day. I lean forward to shake his hand. “Nik Sala.”
“What’s the name of the song?” he asks conversationally.
I wince at the memory of Lina. The sensation of her voice echoes through me even all these years later, filling me with want. “It’s something a friend used to sing.”
“Is that why you hum it every morning?”
I blink at him. “I suppose.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yes.” I smile then. “But not as beautiful as the girl who sang it.”
“Ah.” He chuckles. “I detect a story here.”
“There is,” I admit, but not the story he thinks. This story doesn’t end with a happily ever after for me, nor for the rest of Augustine’s troupe. According to the papers, after Lina and I escaped, a mob descended on The Den, demanding to hear the infamous Little Lina sing. Things got ugly. A riot broke out, a fire ignited, people lost their lives. I still don’t know who escaped—only that some did.
“Tell me about the girl,” Mr. Andersen says kindly. “I do love a good romance.”
Lina.
My Lina.
Except she’s not mine. With any luck, she’s happily married to Christian by now with a couple of rowdy children in a big country house, but I don’t allow myself to seek the truth. Old wounds still ache and there’s no point in reopening them. Even thinking her name makes my heart throb painfully.
“She isn’t just a girl,” I tell him in a hoarse voice. “And it isn’t much of a romance, but I’ll tell you if you still want to hear it.”
He sets his elbows on the sill and settles in. “Please.”
Maybe telling Lina’s story will help soothe my soul, but I’ll tell it differently so it will never lead back to the real girl. I’ll tell it the way she deserves it to be told. I stare at the sky where the sun spreads its warmth and begin.
“Once, there was a girl no bigger than your thumb with a voice of an angel, a sparrow who wanted nothing more than to fly free, and a fairy prince.” My fingers resume playing our song on the roof and my mind hears it as if they were piano keys. “To truly understand, we’ll have to start at the beginning when a girl, born of magic, was discovered inside a tulip.”
Acknowledgments
As always, thank you to my family!
My husband for entertaining the kids and the kids for being entertained. Nonny for her undying support. My dad for phone calls that keep me sane. My mom for loving this story before it had an ounce of magic. Kathy—maybe I’ll get around to that baby story one of these days. Heather for being such a good sister. All my Georgia family—Sherri, John, Jason, Layla, Ovi, and Georgia—it meant the world that you guys visited me in Decatur! Ashley, Michael, and Aiden—next time!
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Lindsay and Judy—we’ve been friends for almost two-thirds of our lives! xoxo
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All my writing friends! K.M., Elle, Candace, MB, Sarah, Kristin, Laynie, Loretta, and Lauren. You’re all an inspiration! Write on, ladies!
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Oh! And to the lovely elderly couple in that New Hampshire Starbucks back when I edited this. I absolutely eavesdropped on your entire conversation about vaudeville.
About the Author
Amber R. Duell was born and raised in a small town in Central New York. While it will always be home, she’s constantly moving with her husband and two sons as a military wife. Before becoming published, she had a wide range of occupations including banking, bartending (though she’s never tried alcohol), and phlebotomy (though she faints with needles). She also volunteered as a re-enactor at the local Revolutionary War fort and worked near shelter cats which led to her previous crazy cat lady status.
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She does her best writing in the middle of the night, surviving the daylight hours with massive amounts of caffeine. Her favorite stories are dark with a touch of romance and a
villain you either love to hate or hate to love.
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When not reading or writing, she enjoys snowboarding, embroidering, snuggling with her cat, and staying up way too late to research genealogy. She loves to travel and has visited more countries than states. Kissing the Blarney Stone and hand-feeding monkeys in the mountains of France will be hard to beat, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to find the next real-life adventure.
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Photo taken by Melissa L. Dimos
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Visit Amber and connect on social media!
www.amberrduell.com
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More Books You’ll Love
If you enjoyed When Stars Are Bright, please consider leaving a review!
Then check out more books from Amber R. Duell and Crescent Sea Publishing!
Also By Amber R. Duell
The Dark Dreamer Trilogy
Book One: Dream Keeper
Book Two: Dark Consort
Book Three: Night Warden
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Fragile Chaos
Fragile Chaos
Prequel Novella: The Last Goodbye
Dream Keeper by Amber R. Duell
The Sandman is seventeen-year-old Nora's closest friend and best-kept secret. He has to be, if she doesn't want a one-way ticket back to the psychiatrist. It took her too long to learn not to mention the hooded figure in her dreams to her mother, who still watches Nora as if she'll crack. So when Nora's friends start mysteriously dying gruesome deaths in their sleep, she isn't altogether surprised when the police direct their suspicion at her. The Sandman is the only one she can turn to for answers. But the truth might be more than she bargained for...
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For the last five years, the Sandman has spent every night protecting Nora. When he hid the secret to the Nightmare Lord's escape inside her dreams, he never expected to fall in love with her. Neither did he think his nemesis would find her so quickly, but there's no mistaking his cruel handiwork. The Nightmare Lord is tired of playing by the rules and will do anything to release his deadly nightmares into the world, even if that means tormenting Nora until she breaks.
* * *
When the Nightmare Lord kidnaps Nora's sister, Nora must enter enemy territory to save her. The Sandman is determined to help, but if Nora isn't careful, she could lose even more than her family to the darkness.
Learn more about Dream Keeper
Now available!
Fragile Chaos by Amber R. Duell
A GOD OF WAR SEEKING RESTORATION.
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AN UNWILLING SACRIFICIAL BRIDE.
* * *
BETRAYAL THAT COULD DESTROY THEM BOTH.
* * *
“Every fiber of my being is woven from the rage of mortals.”
* * *
Theodric, the young God of War, has a talent for inciting conflict and bloodshed. After being stripped of his powers by his older brother, King of Gods, he sets out to instigate a mortal war to prove himself worthy of being restored to power.
* * *
“I loved Kisk once; it was my home… But that was before. This is now.”
* * *
Sixteen-year-old Cassia, like many in the modern era, believes gods and goddesses to be just a myth. Enemy to her country and an orphan of the war, she has no time for fairy tales. That’s until religious zealots from Theo’s sect offer her up as a sacrifice.
* * *
Can Cassia and Theo end the mortal war and return balance to the earth and heavens? Or, will their game of fate lead down a path of destruction, betrayal, and romance neither of them saw coming?
* * *
Learn more about Fragile Chaos
Now available!
Jaded by K.M. Robinson
Her father failed in his mission to take control from the Commander, a defeat that has cost Jade her life. She will die as punishment. Now she belongs to the Commander’s son—as his wife. Knowing his intent is to quietly kill her in revenge, Jade’s every move is calculated to survive—until she learns her death ensures the safety of her father and her entire town.
Roan doesn’t want to kill Jade, but once his family isolates her from her father and community, his only choice is to go through with the plan. Jade doesn’t make it easy as she tries to sway him into falling for her. Each misstep makes him question his cause. Each moment makes every decision harder, but the Commander won’t allow him to fail.
One chooses life. One chooses death. In the midst of the chaos, only one will succeed.
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Now available!
Learn more about The Jaded Duology at
jaded.crescentseapublishing.com
Hunter’s Truce by Elle Beaumont
The Big Bad Wolf never killed for fun—he was on a mission.
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Little pig, little pig, let me come in. I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in. We're tired of death, of prejudice and more, if you don't make some changes I'll kick down your door.
* * *
When Niklaus von Brandt's mother is murdered by a poacher it moves him to make a change in the kingdom of Abendrot. Once a kingdom founded by werewolves, it is now ruled by humans who have one goal: eradicate the werewolves. In order to protect what is left of his family, he must make an important decision, one that leads him to become an assassin, and the shadow the kingdom murmurs about.
Too bad the royal family has a secret—a secret that Niklaus plans on using to his advantage, and in the meantime he has given King Ansgar three chances before he comes huffing and puffing.
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Now available!
Learn more about Hunter’s Truce at
hunterstruce.crescentseapublishing.com
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