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“Opposed to this life I have?” Erix asked, head slightly tilted.

“Opposed tome.”

My final word had the power to stop our dance.

Erix looked at me with such intensity, my knees almost buckled. “Impossible, little bird.”

I looked away, trying to locate Althea and Gyah in the crowd, but when I needed them most, I couldn’t find them. Not that I blamed them, this entire night was a pompous affair.

Suffocating on the tension, I pulled my hand from his, searching for an exit from the dance floor. I spotted grand open doors, leading out to a balcony. If I was not so desperate for fresh air, perhaps I would’ve remembered what happened the last time Erix and I left a ball together. Althea wouldn’t be here to stop us from making a mistake this time.

“Come with me for some fresh air,” I commanded. “They say the view from Lockinge Castle is one that would rival the city of Aurelia.”

“My view here is just fine,” Erix said, looking nowhere else but at me.

I couldn’t form a reply. Instead, I tugged his hand, and Erix did as I asked. I felt him trail behind me, like a shadow. There were few constants in my life, but regardless of what happened – the trauma and horrors – Erix always found his way back.

The cool night air encased us the moment we stepped outside of the ballroom. I moved straight for the stone railing, gripping it for support, whilst I swept my gaze out across Lockinge. From this vantage, I could see the entire city. It was aglow with light, homes and establishments open late, preparing for the worldwide celebration of tomorrow’s wedding. Nephilim patrolled the skies, some airborne whilst others were perched upon buildings.

Whatever had spooked Cassial had put the city under an intense guard.

A shiver crested over me, not unnoticed by Erix. It wasn’t from the cold breeze, but the discomfort of this final conversation I knew I had to have with him. Erix knew that too, but still he unclasped his cloak from his shoulders, and swept it over mine.

“I want to thank you,” I said without taking my eyes off the view.

“Is this why you brought me out here?” Erix asked. “I sense there is something you want to say to me, something that could not be said on the dance floor.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, knowing my next words had to be careful.

“I don’t deserve you, Erix. Your loyalty, your… friendship.” I didn’t need to look at his face to know that word pained him. “But I’m going to ask something of you, something I have no right to, but I will ask it anyway because my track record of being selfish in my requests is impressive, so why stop now?”

Erix stepped up beside me, wings splaying enough to block out the ballroom behind us. Here, together, we existed only as one. “My greatest strength is my greatest weakness. Little bird, if you asked me to jump over this very balcony, I would.”

“For a man with wings, that doesn’t hit the same way you may think it would,” I replied, my lips turning upwards at their corners.

“The sentiment is what matters,” he replied.

“Why though?” I chirped, knowing my self-control was waning like the moon hung as witness above us. “Why be so willing to do such a thing for a person like me.”

“Because I love you,” Erix said plainly and without pause. “I have and will for a long time. And with that love comes the knowledge that I can never have you. I am content with that. Because knowing that another man shares the same feeling for you only makes me happy. I did not expect that was possible, but I guess my desire to see you cared for outweighs my need to be the one to provide it to you. That is why.”

I fixed my eyes on the distant gates of the city, careful not to blink. If I did, the tears would stream, and I was so tired of crying. Unable to stand the silence, I pretended as though I had not heard Erix, and continued with my own request.

“What I need you to do for me will hurt you. But I’m too much of a monster not to ask it of you.”

Erix stepped closer, his shadow falling upon me. “I will do anything.”

His fingers tickled over the railing, coming to rest beside mine. The warmth he offered, the comfort – from his touch alone, gave me the power to force the final words out.

I turned to him, mere inches between us. He gazed down, as I looked up, our breaths coming out in clouds of mist beyond parted lips.

“What is it, Robin?” He asked, laying a hand on the side of my face, thumb brushing the pesky tear that fell from the corner of my eye.

“Look after Duncan for me,” I said without hesitation. “Whatever happens, whatever comes from the fight ahead of us, I want you to always look out for him.”

Erix’s eyes widened a fraction, as if working out the final secret I’d not shared with him. “That is not a request you ever need to ask of me. You love him, so naturally I care for him. Anyone with the power to make you happy becomes an important asset in life. But…” Erix took a sharp breath in, using the moment to gather control of his wild emotions. “Why would you ask this of me, ifyouwill be around to care for him?”

I looked away, unable to hold his stare, and that was answer enough. Before I could completely turn my back on him, a finger found my chin and turned my face back to his.