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Chapter 33

IRIS

My hand flew to the back of my neck.

Cold shock of realization flooded through me.

Years.

Years of hiding. Years of transforming. Years of disappearing.

Over half my life spent meticulously choosing my wardrobe, compulsively checking that the brand was hidden.

My entire existence had revolved around keeping this secret, and in one single moment of pure mindlessness, I had ruined everything.

Everything we’d built. Everything we’d worked for.

After jumping in the spring, I’d stripped the copious layers of nightclothes, tossing each to the bank. I must’ve thrown some too far. When I redressed, only one layer had been in the pile.

One. Tunic.

And I hadn’t even noticed.

Foolish girl.

In the blinding sunlight, the truth was undeniable. The golden ink gleamed—exposed, unmistakable.

Rays of a sun.

Unable to be glamoured. Unable to be replicated. Unable to be removed.

Even with brute force.

And the loose, oversized nightshirt? Nearly half of it would be visible. The layers had been vital. Extra security while I slept.

How?

How could I have forgotten? How hadn’t I noticed?

How could I have been so reckless?

Stay hidden, Iris.

Don’t draw attention, Iris.

Invisible, Iris .

Never once had I failed to hide it. And yet, I’d been so damn distracted I hadn’t even checked. Hadn’t even felt for the bony protrusion at the base of my neck—the marker where the topmost rays stretched.

Don’t be stupid, Iris.

In a split second of thoughtlessness—something I had never afforded myself—everything changed.

I had spat on every single person who had sacrificed for me.

“It’s not what?—”

“It’s you.”

“Aspen, I?—”

“It’s not possible… We’re the same age…”

My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

I didn’t know The Tundra. I was warded in. My hands shook, slick with sweat.

Get out. Get out. Get out.

“You’re the lost Sunchosen.”

I was running.

There was nowhere to go. Nowhere left to hide. No reason to flee.

My body ran anyway.

My feet moved without direction, branches slicing small gashes across my face. I couldn’t feel it. I couldn’t feel anything. My hands hit the ground, shin colliding with a root I hadn’t seen.

Fear, raw and searing, unlike anything I’d known in eighteen years, flooded my body.

My knees bled, sharp rocks digging in as I crawled. I scrambled to my feet, only to trip again. Everything blurred—blinding snow and sun swimming across my vision.

“Iris.”

His voice cut through the haze, snapping the world into sharp, unbearable focus.

I couldn’t stop. My body was acting on instinct.

Move. Move. Move.

A river rushed ahead. Without a second thought, I plunged in.

“Fucking Divine, Iris.”

Another splash.

Moving, clawing— Get out. Get out. Get ? —

Water closed over me.

My lungs burned. I thrashed, searching for the surface. Every single muscle screamed, black spots invading the edges of my vision.

What if I let them? What if…

And then—light.

My body was shaking, thrashing against a warm, solid wall.

I coughed, heaving up lungfuls of water.

“Shit, shit, shit ? —”

Pressure surrounded me. It wouldn’t let me leave.

And I was looking at the sun.

I really loved the sun.

Something smacked against the ground. The shaking subsided a little more.

“Iris.”

Red blood.

Red blood on pale skin.

“Iris, stop fighting. Iris?—”

Warmth spread like liquid, licking at my bones, soothing the frayed ends of my nerves.

“Iris, you don’t have to run. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The shivering eased, replaced by golden light.

And I had ruined everything.

Mother taught me many things. But two of her lessons had always been the most important.

Two rules to stand by above all else.

Never let anyone know who you are.

And never, ever get yourself into a life debt.

I was going to break both today.

I grabbed his forearm, fingers pressing into fresh scratches he hadn’t bothered to heal.

“Swear it,” I demanded. “Make a life debt with me.”