Mathis doesn’t move, doesn’t even flinch. “I hope you’re right. For your sake,” he says, his voice tight. “Because once you lose the trust of a woman like Eirabella, you won’t get it back. I hope that’s not a lesson you’re going to have to learn the hard way,Your Highness.”
We stand there, glaring at each other, both of us knowing we’ve crossed a line that can’t be uncrossed. The words hang between us, sharp and hurtful, things we can’t take back. Thirty seasons of friendship, shattered by something we never thought would come between us.
Neither of us moves. Neither of us speaks. But the damage is done, and it’s a wound that might never heal.
The hallways arequiet when I hurry my way through Aetherhold Keep a little while later, alone. Brienne had answered when I’d knocked on Eirabella’s door to walk with her to her Aquilith binding ceremony, only to be told that Caelum had whisked her away over half an hour ago, and they’d disappeared somewhere, and now the whole castle was looking for her.
Wonderful.
As if fighting with my best friend over Eirabella wasn’t enough, it feels like my cousin is going to perpetually be the third wheel in our relationship. I shake my head, resigned. Teach me to fall for the realm’s most incredible woman. Keeping her to myself was never going to be easy. I just didn’t expect that I’d be fending off the men closest to me. Which is why I’m about to make it crystal clear to everyone, just who she belongs to.
Rolling my shoulders, I try to rid myself of the nerves, but my mind is echoing with the words Mathis threw at me. Every line, every accusation still circles like a vulture. Normally, I would’ve told anyone else who talked to me like that to go to hell. But other than Astoris, Mathis is my oldest friend, the one who has been with me through every stage in my life. Usually, when he talks, when he criticises me, I listen. So why am I so reluctant to heed what he’s saying about how I’m treating Eirabella now? Instead, I’d lashed out, blinded by the possessiveness that seems to tighten its grip on me when it comes toher. The sheer thought of losing her makes me break out in a sweat, in fear.
Mathis was just looking out for me, like he always has. And even more importantly, he was looking out for her. I should be fostering that, appreciating it. I should be trying to surround her with even more people who care about her. I run my hand through my hair. I should’ve known better than to turn on him like that. Guilt gnaws at me, but I shake it off. I’ll talk to him later, apologise for losing control. For now, I need to concentrate on Eirabella. She said once she wanted someone who could prioritise her now and then. And tonight I’m going to be that for her. She deserves that. She deserves the absolute best of me.
The thought of her immediately grounds me, centres me, and all thoughts of Mathis, Caelum, and the impending rebellion fade away.
As I approach the great hall, my pulse quickens, anticipation threading through me. And when I turn the corner, the sight that greets me has my heart stuttering, and my feet freeze for a moment as I take her in.
She’s standing by the ballroom doors, her face tilted toward the light spilling from the ornate chandelier above her, but the glow surrounding her comes from her own aura. Radiant and utterly spellbinding. She glimmers in her new royal blue Keeper robes draped over her shoulders and cascading over a stunning pearlescent silk dress that Brienne must’ve tailored to her exact measurements. She’s the very image of strength and grace, yet there’s a hint of nerves in the way she fiddles with her sleeves. A rush of pride fills me, almost dizzying.
Look at her.
This is the woman who not long ago flinched from the lack of her own power; now she commands it with enoughmastery to rival my own. And she’s mine—no longer my disciple, but my equal.
My love.
The word infuses my being with warmth, and I want to rush over and say it to her right away. But I don’t. The time will come for that. Instead, I tap the small velvet box in my pocket as I slowly make my way to her, feeling the weight of it pressing against my palm. The thought of what’s inside, of what I’m about to do, has my heart pounding like a war drum.
She turns as if sensing me, catching sight of me, her eyes lighting up with a smile that makes everything else fall away. I close the distance between us, my gaze never leaving hers.
“You look every bit the Strength warrior I knew you would be,” I say, reaching for her hand. “I’m so proud of you, Eirabella. More than I can say in words.” She blushes, and I feel that familiar pull again, fierce and unwavering.
She takes another step forward towards the ballroom entrance, but I pause, pulling her aside, just steps from the ballroom doors. The weight of Mathis’s words presses hard on my chest, and I know if I don’t say what I need to, I may always regret it. She looks up at me, a little confused, and for a moment, I can barely find the words. How do I even ask this? After everything I’ve dragged her into, every decision that forced her hand. But I have to know—I can’t just go on pretending that this was somehow fair to her.
“Eira,” I start, my voice low, hesitant. “Is this… is this what you want?”
She frowns, her hand tightening a little around mine. “What do you mean?”
I exhale, searching her face. “All of this. Being Aquilith, the court life, being stuck at Aetherhold, being… with me, this whole life—it’s not a choice I gave you. You were thrown into it, and I’ve never really stopped to ask if it’s what you want.” I pause, the weight of my words thick in the air. “But now, before it’s too late… if you want something different, tell me. I can, Iwilltake you away from all this. Give you the chance at the life you wanted.” My voice falters slightly as I watch her reaction. “No obligations. No binding ceremonies. No promises to the king.”
Her lips part in surprise, and I can see her eyes soften. “I wouldn’t want to leave you.”
I exhale, relieved and almost laughing at my own desperation. “Silly Eira. I’d never suggest a life for you without me in it.”
“Then what are you saying, Rylan? You can’t just leave your kingdom, your position as Celestaris—you’ve told me yourself, it’s everything you’ve ever known, everything you’ve ever wanted. The only thing you said that means more to you than your role as a protector of the realm is the duty you were born into.”
A soft smile pulls at my lips as I brush a strand of hair from her cheek, lingering on the way her skin warms under my touch. “I’ve since discovered something more important than birthright.”
Her brow furrows, her heartbeat quickening under my fingertips. “And what’s that?”
“Happiness,” I answer simply, the word holding more weight than I ever thought possible. “So, Eira, I’m asking you… what would make you happy?” She’s still for a moment, her brow creasing as she takes in the meaning of my question. I watch every flicker of thought cross her face, my own heart frozen in suspense, waiting for her answer, knowing I’d walk away from it all if she wanted me to. All it would take from her would be a single word.
Her hand tightens around mine, her voice soft and full of that steady, unwavering warmth I’ve come to crave. “I want… I want you to have what you want, Rylan. I wanted that for you before I even really knew you. That’s why I made the deal with your father.” Her gaze softens, filling with a tenderness that makes my heart ache. “So… what do you want?”
I smile. “You.” The answer is easy, clear as day. “You are the single spark that has set my soul on fire, utterly consuming me whole, and all that remains of me now yearns only for you…”
When our eyes meet again, a single tear glistens in the corner of her left eye, and I brush it away with a soft kiss.
