SAPPHIRE
I materializebehind a cluster of night fae at the battlefield’s edge, the Star Disc blazing to life in my projected hands. Forcing myself to not think about it too hard, I slice through their forms like they’re made of smoke, leaving trails of starlight that will burn through their hearts the moment time resumes.
One after another, I mark them for death.
Then I snap back.
I’m in my body again, gasping as the world spins around me. Without pause, I project again, this time to the far left side of the battlefield, where more night fae hover in formation.
The Star Disc sings through the air, its path calculated for maximum destruction as I aim for three night fae in a diving pattern, frozen mid-descent. The weapon passes through them in a single throw.
Snap back. Project. Kill.
Again. And again. And again.
I’m running on autopilot as I slice through the night fae. As I do, it becomes clear to me that Sapphire Hayes, the bartender who discovered she had magic a few months ago, is gone. Now, I’m Princess Sapphire Hayes Fairmont Solandriel Draevor, thestar touched warrior of Celeste, destroying helpless enemies on a frozen battlefield with a goddess-forged weapon designed just for me.
But the next time I snap back to my body, dizziness blurs my vision, nausea churning in my stomach. My breaths are shallow and uneven, and each projection after that stretches my magic thinner, fraying the edges of my soul.
But there’s no time to stop. No room for hesitation. Zoey’s face flashes through my mind—her smile, her laughter, and her stubborn loyalty—and I find strength for one more projection. Then another, and another, until not a single frozen night fae remains airborne.
Gathering myself together in my projected form, I look around.
Riven stands at the center of the battlefield, scanning the area to ensure he missed no one. Ghost and Nebula prowl through the frozen ranks, checking for stragglers, their paws leaving soft impressions in the snow.
Maybe if I sit down, just for a minute, I can recharge the energy I just expended.
“Sapphire!” Riven’s voice cuts through the haze of exhaustion. “Come back to me. Now!”
The urgency in his voice pulls me back into focus.
Snap back,I think.
But nothing happens.
I’m too weak. I need a minute. Then I’ll be okay. Just a minute.
“Sapphire!” He screams again, louder this time, his fear rushing through the bond so intensely that it ignites something inside me, making me snap back into my physical body with brutal force.
I wake gasping, every muscle trembling. Disorientation washes over me in waves. But before panic can fully set in, strong arms encircle me, cradling me close.
Riven’s holding me tight, his heartbeat racing beneath my cheek. “Sapphire,” he breathes, his relief evident as he cups my face. “You’re back. You’re safe.”
His lips crash down on mine before I can respond, desperate and fierce.
As always, my body reacts to his,my fingers tangling in his hair, anchoring myself to him and this moment. But as tightly as I cling, part of me is terrified by the force of his need, by the intensity of his desire radiating through our bond.
When we break apart, he doesn’t move away. Instead, he rests his forehead against mine, his breaths coming in short, ragged gasps.
“If I could keep the world frozen like this forever, I would,” he says. “Just you. Just us. Together, always.”
He doesn’t waste a second before his lips find mine again, softer this time, but no less intense. His hands roam over my face, my shoulders, and my waist, like he’s making sure every piece of me is intact. Alive.Real.
The kiss deepens, and need—hisneed—pulses through the bond again. Not just for comfort, but for something more primal. More intimate.
He needsme.All of me.
“Riven,” I gasp against his mouth as his hands find the waistline of my pants, cold fingers skimming across heated skin.
