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My brows rose, and I tucked my feet under my legs to sit tailor style on the bed. “To see Javier?” I asked, reaching for a half of a sandwich. I took a bite, then set it back down on the plate, chewing while I poured coffee into a mug and added milk and one heaping spoonful of sugar. I finally peeked into the other mini pitcher, and my lips spread into a smile when I saw the thick, dark brown liquid within. “Chocolate syrup?” I asked, picking it up and pouring some into my mug.

“It’s a fancy brand,” Bastian admitted apologetically. Here was another of those little secrets he knew about me: I liked good old-fashioned Hershey’s syrup in my coffee, not the special extra dark chocolate syrups that were actually madeforcoffee.

I shrugged one shoulder, stirring my doctored mug. “I’m sure it will be perfect,” I told him. “Thank you.” I lifted the mug and breathed in the rich aroma before taking a sip. I closed my eyes while I savored the taste. “Yummy,” I told him, lifting my lids and reclaiming the sandwich half. I took another bite, holding my mug propped on my knee. “You should get some rest.” I glanced at the pillows, slightly askew at the head of the bed, and took another bite. “It’s been a long day.”

“Yeah, maybe,” he said noncommittally. “I’ve never been a good napper.”

I sipped my coffee and peeked over my shoulder at the window. Golden rays of the sun streamed in, reminding me it was the middle of the day, despite the heavy exhaustion that made it feel like midnight to me.

“Do you know where we are?” I asked, returning my attention to Bastian while I continued to eat. “I always wondered. I remember traveling for a long time with Javier. After the attack. But I was so young, and I’d never been away from this place before, so goinganywherefelt like traveling a long way.”

“My best guess?” he said, his eyebrows raised.

I nodded, chewing.

“An island near Iceland,” he said. “We know the Moon Sanctuary is somewhere in Norden, but anything more specific is pure speculation.” He picked up a sandwich half and turned it around and around between his fingers. “Wherever it is, it’s concealed by strong wards, likely created by Selene herself. That’s what makes us think it’s an island. A random spot in the middle of the land that nobody could reach would be far more conspicuous. I have no clue how they managed to break through the wards and portal in here before.”

I frowned at hearing his use ofweandus, a reminder of what Bastian had left behind to be with me. “I’m sorry you had to attack your own people,” I told him, finishing off my last bite. I picked up another half of a sandwich. “That couldn’t have been easy.”

He shrugged. “Once upon a time, all immortals considered ourselves to be one people, so technically, when the House of the Sun attacked the House of the Moon, we were also attacking our own people,” he justified.

I forced a smile, knowing he was reaching to make himself feel better. “Still, I’m sorry you had to do it.”

Bastian stared down at his uneaten sandwich half. “This war is wrong,” he said quietly. “Regardless of the curse, the fighting has to stop, or there won’t be anything left of either of our people.”

I nodded to myself. “Is there anything we can do to convince Veris to stand down?”

Bastian barked a laugh. “No,” he said, looking at me. “His reign is built on a platform of hate. This won’t end while he still breathes, but if you kill him, he’ll become a martyr, only strengthening his cause. It’s probably why the House of the Moon hasn’t already assassinated him.” Bastian exhaled heavily. “Honestly, the best thing for everyone would be an internal uprising. If he were overthrown by someone who valued peace over revenge—ashifter, not a vampire—and if enough of my people backed that usurper,thenwe might see some real change.”

I sipped my coffee, eyeing Bastian with new appreciation. Of course, I had known there were some serious brains hiding behind all that bronze beauty, but he so often leaned into the college playboy role that it was easy to overlook his hidden depths.

“Someone like a prince who opposes everything his father stands for?” I ventured.

Bastian sat up straighter, his eyes opening wide. “I wasn’t—” He shook his head. “I didn’t meanme.”

“It was just a thought,” I said, taking another bite.

His brow furrowed, and he stared out the window, his pensive mood seeping into me through our bond.

I finished my sandwich in silence, then drained my coffee and set it on the tray. I inhaled deeply and held the breath in my lungs for a long moment, then released it as a sigh. “I should go,” I said, scooting to the edge of the bed.

Bastian looked at me, but his focus was still split. “Can I walk you there?”

I shook my head, offering him an apologetic smile. I wanted a few minutes alone to gather my thoughts and bolster my nerves. Javier was a member of my harem, and regardless of how he saw me, he needed to accept what that meant for our relationship. Iwasn’t a little girl anymore. I was a queen—hisqueen—and I was determined to make him see me as such.

Bastian nodded to himself, like he had expected me to turn down his offer. “Will you come back here, after?”

I stood and turned to face him. “Of course,” I told him. “Always.” He had followed me here, given up everything for me. The least I could do in return was tonotabandon him. I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “But . . . I don’t know how long this will take.”

“As long as it takes,” Bastian said, his lips curving into a gentle smile. “Good luck, Soph.”

I let out a breathy laugh. “Thanks.” And then I turned and headed for the door.

My heart hammered the closer I drew to Javier’s rooms. He had reclaimed his old suite in the royal wing, and my steps slowed as I approached his door. He would sense me out here, so there was no point in dallying other than to make a tense situation more so. I stopped in front of his door, took a deep breath, and raised my hand to knock.

The door opened before my knuckles touched the wood, and suddenly I was face to face with Javier. My eyes widened as I took him in. He lookedgood. Like the old him, with a faint hint of mustache and beard, and his dark hair trimmed until it was short but still long enough to show the loose curl. His crescent sigil glowed gently, curving around the left side of his face, and other, smaller sigils decorated his neck, dipping into the collar of his shirt. He wore lounge pants and a long-sleeved shirt, reminding me of our training sessions all those years ago.

Javier stepped back, pulling the door open further, and dipped his chin, silently inviting me into his space.

I crossed the threshold, stepping into the next phase of our relationship, uncertain what exactly that would look like. But there was one thing I knew for sure: I was about to find out.

To be continued…