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“You do deserve her,” Kaemon said, huffing at helping Enid’s every stumbling step.

“No, see, I’ll just end up hurting her like I do everyone and everything.”

“That’s not true, Enid.”

Enid didn’t listen to them, though. She started singing again, the sound of her tune echoing in the castle halls.

“Shhh,” Dryston said.

“Join me, Drys! It’s your favorite song!”

“You’ll wake everyone up.”

“I’m not that loud!”

Dryston shook his head as they walked down the hall to their rooms. A door opened and Avenay stepped out, pulling her robetighter around. She rushed to them, pressing her hands on Enid’s cheeks.

“What happened?” she asked Dryston.

“She’s drunk.”

Enid’s chest tightened at the disappointment in his voice. She laughed bitterly, the horrifying sound echoing off the walls.

“Let’s get her in bed,” Avenay said, helping them to Enid’s room.

She pulled back the covers and Enid flopped down, barely aware of Avenay removing her shoes. Enid’s eyes drifted close, shame and guilt washing over her in a sour mixture. Avenay and her brothers were talking, but she couldn’t keep track of their words as the world spun around her. The doors shut, and she sighed, ready to sleep it off.

But the bed creaked, and she blinked her eyes open to see Avenay crawling in next to her.

“This isn’t your bed,” Enid said, reaching up to run her hands along the beautiful feathers of her seraph wings.

“I’m going to watch you tonight.” Avenay curled up next to Enid, resting her cheek on her hands. She was adorable and Enid leaned forward to kiss her, but the world tilted and she slumped against the mattress again.

“You should leave.” She didn’t want Avenay to see her like this. She didn’t want to wake up and see Avenay’s judgment and disgust. Like all her lovers looked at her, eventually.

“You’re broken.” They all said it.

“You can kick me out when you’re sober,” Avenay replied. “Until then, you’re stuck with me.”

Enid sighed and closed her eyes. At least she was good at making a mess of everything.

A hammer pounded her skull, pain radiating from the top of her head to her feet. No, not a hammer. Just her body protesting what she’d done to it the night before. Enid stumbled over the side of the bed, panting. She found a bucket nearby and emptied the contents of her stomach into it. Mostly liquids. The world twirled in a blur,and everything came crashing back. How she hadn’t been able to do the rite, how she’d hurt Dryston. He’d cried out to save her, to stop her from dying. But in doing so, he may have condemned them all to life here. Condemned Seraphina to death.

But that’s how it always was. Her being saved at the expense of others.

Tears formed in her eyes, and she couldn’t stop them.

Fuck.

She was sober.

How had that happened?

She looked up to see Avenay sitting on the bed, an old worn tome in her lap, a quill in her hand as she regarded Enid with patience.

Enid thought she might be sick again. Here she was, as hungover as the day was long, on all fours on the ground, as her mate sat perfectly composed.

Hermate.