“You know that’s not true,” he said softly. “Maybe Ehlaria could help, she helped once.”
Astra’s ears perked at the mention of Ehlaria’s name.
“I’m not certain this isn’t exactly what she wanted to happen. The book she gave me—I told you it’s about two star-crossed lovers. A Light Mage and a Shadow Witch, when they finally…” Astra cleared her throat, aware of how close he was. “When they finally connect, they dissolve into a spectrum of color and light. They become the Rift.”
Luxuros considered this for a moment, turning it over in his head. “So what, you think if we… connect, we save the world?”
Astra balked, a scarlet blush running from her cheeks to her chest.
“Is this you being pleasant and easygoing, then?” She moved to pass him, but he caught her arm.
“I am sorry, Astra. Truly.”
“I wish you weren’t,” she mumbled.
He held her gaze for a moment longer before blinking away whatever thought crossed his unreadable mind.
Chapter
Thirty-Three
“We need to move quickly if we’re going to see it,” the commander said, dropping her arm.
“See what?”
Lux didn’t answer her question. Instead, he bolted down the hall, his long legs taking the distance quickly as she trailed behind, slipping through hallways and tumbling into the palace’s main hall. It glowed in ambers and pastels. Pale aventurine tiles accented the floors as his boots skidded to a stop outside of an ornate crystal door.
Two guards watched them, curious but trusting of their commander. As she stepped closer, she felt a strange warmth from the other side of the door.
“Are you ready, Fire Queen?” he asked, his voice tight.
“Ready for what, exactly?”
Lux’s mouth tilted in a quiet smile. “For your first sunrise.”
He pulled the handle of the door inward, washing the hall in a golden bath of light. Her eyes squinted against the glare, struggling to adjust to the boldness of the early morning rays. He stepped into the shimmering beams, his dark skin lighting up in a dazzling display of golds and bronzes.
Astra’s heart squeezed. The commander was handsome in the dim silver glow of Lunaria. She would never deny him the compliment, but here, in the gilded tendrils of sunlight…
Luxuros was a god, and she was struggling against a call within her very soul to worship him.
“You coming?”
She stepped out tentatively. The heat was not all that unlike touching Lux, but stronger as it danced across her skin. The world outside faded into view. Brilliant oranges, reds, and pinks painted the sky in glorious auroras, all radiating from a central ball of fire just beyond the city gates.
The Sun perched on the horizon over a valley of orange dunes speckled with pockets of flora in all sorts of interesting shapes and shades of green.
“Mother above,” she whispered. Her stomach twisted in a nervous knot, the warmth tickling the tip of her nose as she watched the Sun slip higher into the sky. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, threatening to betray her.
“As,” the commander breathed. “Your face!”
“Shut up,” she said, flicking the tears away. “This is a big deal for me.”
“Not that,” he laughed, brushing his thumb across her cheek, a tear sliding between their skin. “You’re covered in golden freckles. You don’t see them in the Lunar Court.”
She reached to her face as if she could see them, running her fingertips along a sunkissed path over her nose and cheeks. She fought the dangerous desire to lean into his touch.
“Does it live up to your expectations?”
