My hand drops to my hip, and through the thin nightgown, I feel the raised edges of Aerix’s name scarred into my skin. Every cell in my body remembers his touch, his taste, and the way he looks at me like I’m everything he’s ever wanted. And as my gaze drifts back to the moat below, I no longer feel fear. Instead, I feel anticipation. Because soon, I’ll swim in those waters. I’ll glide through them with the grace of a predator, powerful and untouchable.
Wind swirls around me in playful spirals that lift my hair and billow my nightgown, and a smile curves my lips, fierce and certain. Because I’m not weak anymore. And I have an eternity to become everything I was meant to be. I have power coursing through my veins and magic dancing at my fingertips.
And I know to the bottom of my immortal heart that I will never be powerless again.
SAPPHIRE
Almost three weeks.
That’s how long it’s been since Riven and I returned from the Pyros Vault and presented the Ember of Prometheus to the Summer Queen.
Soon afterward, we returned to the Winter Court for more war preparations.
In those three weeks, I’ve been pushing my magic to its limits in training. Learning to move in sync with Riven until our combined power feels seamless.
Tonight, we’re celebrating the alliance we sealed with our marriage—our union between Winter and Summer—in a dazzling, flower-and-frost-filled ballroom. Ice sculptures twist toward the vaulted ceiling, and summer flowers bloom impossibly in winter air, their petals scattered across tables laden with delicacies from both courts. It’s like something out of a fairytale. The Winter King is here, the Summer Queen is here, and they seem to be… getting along. They even share a few knowing looks that make me wonder if maybe in their centuries of life, their experiences together haven’tallbeen terrible.
But no matter how brightly the lanterns glow, or how merrily the musicians play, an undercurrent of dread pulses through the festivities. Because in two days, we’ll march upon the Night Court. They talk around it, laugh a bit too loudly, and drink a bit too deeply, but the knowledge of what’s to come is always there, lurking beneath every forced smile and shared dance.
Riven hasn’t let go of my hand all evening. His eyes, silver and sharp, constantly scan the room—not out of concern for the courts, but for me. Only for me.
Finally, we get some breathing space in the corner of the ballroom.
“Let’s go,” he says, tugging me toward the exit.
I pause, my hand tightening in his. “We shouldn’t leave yet,” I say softly, scanning the crowd. “This isourparty. They’ll notice we’re gone.”
“The party is to celebrate the alliance between courts—not to celebrateus,”he replies, his voice a low, rough whisper that sends a thrill down my spine. “I’m done pretending I care about politics, or war, or anything else for that matter. We have two days left before marching on the Night Court, and the only thing I care about doing in those two days is spending time with you. Me and you, alone, like how we were in the Wandering Wilds when the world was shut out and we were all that mattered.”
My heart stutters at the memories of our time together in that cave. Because despite all the disagreements Riven and I had after we met—and there were a lot of them—when we got to the Wandering Wilds, everything changed. Out there, we saw beyond the initial attraction, and into each other’s souls. It was like we were in a perfect snow globe where nothing existed but us. Well, and the monsters we had to fight, and the blizzards we had to traverse, but there was something magical about those memories. Probably because it was there, in the Wandering Wilds, that we fell deeply in love.
But despite how tempting his offer is, I shake my head, hesitant. “We’ll have time for us later,” I tell him, although hedoeshave a good point about the two remaining days not being nearly long enough. “After the party.”
His gaze softens, his silver eyes flashing in the lantern light as he pushes me against the wall, his body flush against mine. “Every moment matters now, Sapphire. We don’t know what’s waiting for us in two days. Every second I’m not alone with you feels wasted.”
Through our bond, I feel the depth of his desperation. It’s not just want—it’s fear. Fear that these stolen moments might be all we have left.
“Riven,” I whisper, my resolve already crumbling.
“Please.” The single word carries the weight of everything unsaid. “I can’t pretend anymore. I can’t smile and make small talk with nobles when all I want is to hold you and forget the world exists.”
I look around the ballroom one more time—at the fae laughing, drinking, and dancing in that graceful way only they can do. At my mother conversing with King Nivian, their heads bent close in a way that looks a bit too intimate for a diplomatic discussion. At the ice sculptures that will be removed and the summer flowers that will wither, leaving no trace of tonight’s forced celebration.
When I turn back to Riven, his eyes are burning with an intensity that makes my magic stir beneath my skin.
“But the alliance—” I start, already knowing this is a losing battle. How can I resist him when he’s looking at me like I’m the center of the universe?
“—is secure.” His fingers trail down my arm, leaving frost in their wake that melts into tiny droplets, glittering in the candlelight. “Tonight is ours, Starlight. Just ours.”
He threads his fingers through mine, and despite the skepticism nagging at the back of my mind, my resistance melts.
“Fine,” I whisper, unable to hide the small smile forming on my lips. “But if Lysandra sends a search party?—”
“Let them search.” He laughs, his eyes sparkling mischievously. “I know every hidden passage in this castle and every path in these woods. Trust me—they’ll never find us.”
“Then lead the way, Your Highness.” I smile for real this time, my resolve officially melted.
The moment we step into the hallway, the oppressive weight of performance lifts from my shoulders. Out here, it’s just Riven, me, and the frost lining the walls, casting everything in shades of blue and silver.
