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“What if they try to take it from me?” I ask.

His laugh is low and dark. “Then use it,” he says simply. “Show them why the gods gave you to me, to keep and protect, until the end of time.”

The urge to do just that—to prove myself worthy of this gift—should frighten me. But it doesn’t. Because fear is distant now, replaced by a hunger formore.

More power. More respect. More of whatever this is that makes me feel like I belong in this dark, beautiful world.

“Keep it close,” Aerix tells me, loud enough now for those nearest to hear. “It’s yours now.”

A possessive thrill runs through me.

His dagger. His court. His protection.

His love wrapped in blood and steel.

“Shall we continue?” he asks, deadly calm now, one hand around my waist while the other gestures toward the center of town where the celebration continues.

I nod, tucking the dagger into the sash at my waist. Unlike my other dagger—the one I used to kill Henry—this one is visible. A warning that Aerix will do anything for me. That he’llkillfor me. That I belong to him.

“Yes.” I straighten my shoulders and lift my chin higher, trying to look and sound as royal as he does. “Let’s continue.”

Aerix’s magic swirls around us, like a caress telling me I’ve said exactly the right thing. And then Nyx moves forward again, carrying us deeper into the celebration. But this time, the crowd parts with more purpose. Less curiosity and mockery, more caution and deference.

And with every step, I feel myself becoming something new.

Something dangerous, powerful, and irrevocablyhis.

ZOEY

We exit the narrow path,and Nyx moves further into the celebration, carrying us through streets that grow wider as we approach the town center.

Every few steps, I touch the hilt of Aerix’s dagger, reassuring myself it’s still there. That this newfound power isn’t a dream that will vanish by morning.

As we turn a corner, the main square opens before us—a vast expanse filled with hundreds of night fae in various states of wild revelry. A massive fountain stands in the center, blood and water mingling in crimson cascades that catch the moonlight. It’s nightmarishly beautiful, and the music pulses with a rhythm that makes the air vibrate with danger.

But before we reach the edge of the crowd, Aerix brings Nyx to a halt beneath the shadow of a towering archway.

“Here,” he says, dismounting in one fluid motion. His wings extend as he reaches up to help me down, his hands firm at my waist.

When my feet touch the ground, my legs wobble slightly from the long ride. Aerix steadies me, one arm around my waist, his magic forming a cool barrier between us and the celebration.

“Why are we stopping?” I ask, confused.

Aerix’s eyes scan the crowd, cold and calculating. “It’s always best to observe first,” he murmurs. “To know where each player is located, so you can be three moves ahead, setting the stage for checkmate.”

“You sound just like Isla,” I note.

“She learned from the best.” He smirks, then guides me to a spot half-hidden in shadow, just at the edge of the massive square.

From here, we have a perfect view of the celebration without being immediately noticed. The night fae are so caught up in their debauchery—dancing wildly, drinking from goblets that seem to refill themselves, and feeding from humans—that they pay no attention to the shadowed archway where we stand.

“Watch,” Aerix says, his lips close to my ear. “And learn.”

His hand settles at the small of my back, cold air swirling between us. I lean into him, my eyes scanning the crowd, trying to absorb everything at once.

“There,” he says suddenly, directing my gaze with a subtle nod. “Do you see her?”

I follow his line of sight to a slender woman with wings that reflect the stars. Her movements are graceful as she dances with a tall male whose golden hair catches the fountain’s bloody light. They move together as if they were created for this single purpose—to complement each other in every way imaginable.