My heart stutters. “I know why you saved me. It was because I look like Kallista. Because I reminded you of her.”
“No.” The word comes out sharp and desperate. “That was never the reason, Zoey. It was never about her.”
The world seems to tilt beneath my feet. “Then why?—”
“It was because I saw him with Sapphire,” he says, his voice gaining urgency, like the words are pouring out of him against his will. “The two of you are sisters. And since the gods gave him Sapphire… it means they also gave me you.”
SAPPHIRE
The battlefield isa storm of clashing magic, searing screams, and blades clanging against armor.
Nebula moves with graceful, lethal speed, her spotted coat glistening in the morning sky. Riven is alongside Ghost, his sword carving deadly paths through the night fae guards.
The Winter Court’s army surges forward, a disciplined wave of steel and frost, easily overwhelming the Night Court’s smaller force. Night fae glide down from above, wings spread wide, but their movements are sluggish, weakened by sunlight. They’re too soft and accustomed to a life of luxury and shadows. Their air magic ripples in windy waves, but our weapons pulse with the combined power of winter and summer, tearing through their defenses like paper.
“Above!” Riven calls out, his voice clear and fierce as his sword slices through two night fae so quickly that it looks like he killed them at the same moment.
The Star Disc’s power surges through my fingertips, and I release it into the sky. It spins, leaving trails of stardust, a meteor of lethal grace that cuts through four night fae attempting toswoop toward us, their bodies falling to the ground as the starfire burns their hearts.
But there’s no time to celebrate before another group dives from above, their wings spread wide, the wind swirling in defiant bursts.
My grip on the Star Disc tightens, my magic pulsing with determination. “Come on,” I whisper to the weapon, throwing it again.
It arcs beautifully, its starlight searing through the attackers before returning to my hand.
Beside me, Riven is merciless, his ice magic spreading like frostfire. His eyes are cold, his expression ruthless with each swing of his sword, a Winter Prince exacting vengeance against his enemies that have been abducting his people and turning them into night fae against their will.
He casts a glance my way, his eyes sharp with calculated fury. “They can’t hold against our combined strength.”
“Good,” I say, my voice tight with determination. Because Zoey’s so close, and I’m not going to let her slip out of my fingers again. I’ve come too far and survived too much to fail her now.
Two more attackers dive from above, and the Disc flies from my hand again, slicing through the air with a sound like singing metal and cutting them each in half. Water surges through me, responding to the adrenaline flooding my system as the Star Disc returns to my hand. I can feel drops of blood on the battlefield. I can sense the moisture in the air. I can even feel the sweat beading on Riven’s forehead as he cuts down four more night fae.
Ghost roars beside Riven, his claws raking across a night fae who tried to hamstring him.
We’re not just beating them.
We’redestroyingthem. With the Winter Court and Summer Court’s magic combined, plus my Star Disc,andthe fact thatwe’re attacking in the daylight when the night fae are weakened by the sun, we’re unstoppable.
“Retreat!” someone bellows from their ranks. “Fall back to the village!”
A small faction of night fae breaks away, scrambling toward the safety of their homes.
But Riven lifts his sword high, frost shooting from his blade to block their path. In seconds, a wall of ice erupts from the ground, cutting them off and trapping them in the open, where Winter Court soldiers close in around them and effortlessly take them down.
“More incoming!” someone yells from our lines.
That’s when I see them.
A massive wave of night fae bursts from the court’s main gates.
These aren’t the scattered, disorganized fighters we’ve been cutting down. Instead, they’re a proper military formation. Hundreds of them, their wings snapping open as they take to the air with coordinated precision.
Fear hits me like ice water in my veins, sudden and paralyzing. Through our bond, I feel Riven’s matching terror. Not for himself, but for me. For us.
“Sapphire.” His voice is tight with control, but I can hear the edge of panic underneath. “Stay close to me.”
Our shoulders are touching as the night fae army descends like a storm cloud, creating vortices of wind that send our soldiers stumbling back. Water and ice explode around me, condensing from the air into spears of ice that hover around Riven, Ghost, Nebula, and me like a defensive barrier.
