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“That makes sense, I suppose.” As he spoke, Aleksander carefully took the flower from me. His fingertips brushed mine, sending a shiver up my arm and making the shadows on my skin shift slightly. My heart pounded even more furiously.

I kept my eyes on his hand as a soft white glow rose up from the lines of his palm, engulfing the shriveling bloom. As I watched, the edges of that bloom smoothed out and began to shine once more.

TheKing of Light. That’s what he would be called once he ascended the throne—just like his father and grandfather before him. He was a descendant of the most powerful line of those magical beings who had settled his kingdom. And unlike my ownshadowy powers, his had been celebrated and nurtured since birth.

In all five kingdoms of the Valorian Empire, his magic was revered and welcomed.

I couldn’t help but marvel at it myself, if only briefly, as he placed the flower back in my palm and gently closed my hand over it. I could see a gleam through the cracks between my fingers, one much warmer than the glow I’d caused. Where I had drawn out the decaying energy, he had simply forced light—life—back into the bloom. The end result was similar, and yet...

“Will I see you at the party soon?” he asked. “I believe the queen was looking for you. She seemed a bit frantic.”

Motheralwaysseems a bit frantic, I thought, biting my lip to keep the comment to myself.

I looked to the main house. Even from here, I could feel the buzz of activity within it. Could hear the music and laughter getting louder, could smell the delicious aromas of roasting meat and vegetables, along with the sugary desserts waiting in the wings.

I forced my eyes back to Aleksander’s. “Sorry,” I said, “I must have lost track of time.”

I hadn’t lost track of time at all.

And something told me the future Light King knew this. He said nothing, however, merely waving my tardiness away—as polite as he’d always been.

“I’ll be in shortly,” I assured him. There was no avoiding it. Because it wasmyparty, after all—a celebration of my eighteenth birthday.

And the gossip spreading throughout the Kingdom of Eldris like wildfire all claimed the King of Light was here to bring what they considered a mostincrediblegift: He was going to ask for my hand in marriage.

I fought the urge to pick at the grime under my nails, trying to maintain my composure.

What did one say to a mere acquaintance who they might have to callhusbandsoon?

Howdid I say it, when I must have looked positively feral in the moonlight, with my clothing covered in grave dirt and my hair hanging in disheveled waves around my sweat-streaked face?

I really owed my maids an apology for how thoroughly I’d sullied my appearance after all the work they’d put into it.

Luckily, Aleksander seemed to sense my discomfort and diffused the awkward air between us by way of a gentlemanly bow.

“I’ll be waiting for you inside, then,” he told me, sweeping a kiss across my knuckles before turning and heading back towards the palace.

My heart behaved strangely as I watched him go—simultaneously trying to soar and clench into a tight, protective ball.

It was kind of him to come all this way and make a show of officially proposing. Romantic, even. But any marriage between us would be purely political; I was not foolish enough to believe otherwise. Our kingdoms had once shared a powerful alliance, and it was simply the wise thing to do—focusing on rebuilding the connection.

Aside from this, it was the wisest move forme. My magic would be far less restless in the Elarithian Kingdom. My mother had assured me of this—that being around Aleksander and his light-magic-wielding court would help balance and temper my powers. Father seemed less convinced, but he was not one to argue when the Queen of Eldris truly put her foot down about a matter.

I rarely agreed with my mother about anything, but in this case...

Well, there were worse birthday presents, surely. Far fouler things than being married off to a wealthy, handsome king who, by most accounts, was well-liked by his subjects.

The Kingdom of Elarith was said to be breathtakingly beautiful, too. I wouldn’t know; I’d only been there once when I was younger, and my memories of it remained a blur, no matter how hard I tried to focus on them. The way others spoke of it, though, made it seem as if I was soon to be whisked away into a fairytale.

Of course, most fairytales had a darker story lurking underneath—a fact I’d started to mention several times after overhearing whispers about my supposedly enviable future…

But I held my tongue every time.

I would not complain. For my kingdom’s sake, I could bear any burden. For myfamily’ssake, I could carry the weight of a foreign crown, endure the pain of being a stranger in a strange land, leaving behind all I knew. It was just another form of death, I’d convinced myself.

And I had never feared death.

I drew myself up to my full height, settled my nerves, and marched inside with Phantom trotting at my heels.