Page 25

RIVEN

Ghost’s eyes snap open—sharp and piercing, clearer than I’ve ever seen them. He rises in one fluid motion, leaps from the altar, and lands in front of me, his paws silent against the temple floor.

“Ghost,” I say, and I drop to my knees, wrapping my arms around him, burying my face in his thick fur.

He smells like snow and pine, familiar and grounding.

“I thought I’d lost you,” I say, my voice muffled against him. “When I saw you on that altar, I thought I’d failed you.”

He pulls back just enough to meet my gaze, his eyes reflecting a wisdom that transcends language. Then he nudges my face with his nose, the gesture as familiar as breathing.

“You stubborn, impossible beast,” I choke out, wrapping my arms around his neck again. “Don’t you ever do something like that again.”

The snow leopard huffs indignantly, as if to point out that I’m the one who jumped into enemy territory and wandered into cosmic dimensions while he was sent to a lost temple and forced into an enchanted slumber.

“Fair point,” I say with a laugh, and just like that, everything between us is right again.

I’m barely wrapping my mind around it all when a soft gasp from Sapphire draws my attention.

Because on the altar, the cheetah—Nebula’s—eyes flutter open. They glow like they’re full of the cosmos themselves, blazing with the same primal intelligence that I recognize in Ghost. The ivy covering her body dissolves into pinpoints of green light that sink into her golden fur, becoming part of her, warmth radiating from her skin.

The cheetah rises gracefully, and when she turns, her gaze falls on Sapphire.

There’s no hesitation. No uncertainty. Just recognition, as if she’s been waiting for this moment for her entire life.

“Hello,” Sapphire says to Nebula, water droplets hovering in the air around her like suspended stars.

Nebula leaps from the altar and moves to Sapphire’s side, pressing against her leg. A low, rumbling purr vibrates from the cheetah’s chest, as if she senses Sapphire’s nerves and wants to soothe them.

“You’re beautiful,” Sapphire whispers to her, cautiously placing her hand on Nebula’s head.

The cheetah leans into her touch, eyes half-closing in contentment as the familiar bond solidifies, just like it did between me and Ghost all those decades ago in the woods.

“She’s yours,” Anteros says to Sapphire, his voice soft with approval. “As Ghost is ’s. Two parts of the same divine gift.”

Sapphire turns back to me. “Come here,” she says, her eyes shining with an intensity that makes my chest tighten. “Feel this.”

I approach, Ghost at my side.

“Does she feel like… home to you?” she asks, resting her free palm on Nebula’s spotted fur. There’s a thread of awe in her tone, like she’s discovering something too big to name.

I give a slight nod, placing my hand over Ghost’s back. “Yes,” I say, watching both familiars. “Ghost is an echo of me, and it seems like Nebula is an echo of you.”

The snow leopard and the cheetah turn toward each other, their gazes locking. Something passes between them—a current of recognition and understanding. Even the surrounding vines and frost seem to hush, surrendering to the connection in that one shared look.

For a moment, they simply regard each other—ice and sun, winter and summer. And then, in perfect synchronicity, they touch foreheads.

The magic that erupts from that contact is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. It’s not just power—it’s completion. Balance. Harmony. The sensation floods through me, intertwining with the bond I share with Sapphire, amplifying it until I can feel all three of their heartbeats as distinctly as my own.

“They were always meant to be together,” Sapphire says, gazing at me with pure love and adoration in those beautiful blue eyes. “Just like us.”

“Two halves of the same soul,” I agree.

Anteros steps forward, his golden wings folding against his back, demanding our attention.

“The bond you share is rare,” he says, his gaze moving between the four of us. “Summer and winter, cheetah and snow leopard—opposites that complete rather than destroy. I’ve only witnessed such unions a handful of times.”

“What does it mean?” Sapphire asks, her hand resting on Nebula’s back.

The god’s smile is bright. “It means you’ve been blessed by forces older than the gods. It means you were always meant to find each other, across all realms and times, no matter what the universe tried to throw at you.”

“I have so many questions,” she murmurs, her magic stirring in the air—like she’s ready to summon water into a thousand shapes if it helps her understand.

Ghost nudges my hand with his nose, his presence filling my mind—strong and defined. And there’s something new there, too. A golden thread woven through our connection, linking us to Nebula and, through her, to Sapphire.

If anything ever happens to bond me to Sapphire more than I already am, I think I might die from the sheer feeling of completeness of it all. And that’s saying a lot, given that I’ve died for her once already.

Yet, standing here, any sacrifice seems like a small price to pay for a love like ours.

But I’m snapped out of the daze when Anteros clears his throat, commanding our attention once again.

“Allow the bond to grow, and it will become a source of power unlike any other,” he says. “However, since you passed your trial and your familiars have awoken, our time here—as educational as it’s been—is over. The temple will return to its slumber, and you’ll return to where you need to be.”

He gives us an approving smile, his form sparkling with golden light.

“Wait.” Sapphire steps forward, her hand curling at her side. “What about the Winter King? And the Night Court?”

“Many answers await you,” the god says gently. “But not here. Not now. You must return to your realm, to face the battles that cannot be fought in this sacred space.”

Frustration pangs through me, but I know he’s right. We can’t hide from our problems here. So, I exchange a glance with Sapphire, whose water magic coils protectively at her feet.

From the way her breathing slows, I know she understands.

“Ghost and Nebula will guide you,” Anteros says as the walls start to shimmer, the vines retreating, the ice melting into mist. “But as you continue your journey, you must understand—soulmates are not always forged in light. Some are born in shadow, molded by suffering, and tethered by the unspoken vow that even through darkness and destruction, they will stand together.”

Sapphire stiffens beside me. There’s fear in her expression, but she sets her jaw, defiant.

Frost crawls up my arms.

“You’re talking about me,” I say, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “After all, destruction follows me everywhere.”

“You carry both ice and shadow, Winter Prince,” Anteros says with an amused smile. “But that’s not the whole of it.”

“No. It’s not.” I reach for Sapphire’s hand, letting her warmth melt my ice. “Because without her, I’m not whole.”

“And yet, the two of you were tethered together in light,” the god says cryptically, glancing at where Sapphire’s fingers are entwined with mine. “With a warmth that ignites your souls.”

“So, we’re the golden standard. That’s comforting,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m sure that whoever you’re talking about now will be thrilled to know they won’t be as lucky.”

Water swirls at Sapphire’s feet, her focus locked on Anteros, as if she can read his mind if she stares at him hard enough.

“Who else are you talking about?” she asks him.

He regards us both for a long moment.

Then, finally, he speaks.

“Sometimes, the ones who fall end up there by choice,” he says, as if another cryptic message should clear up the rest.

Sapphire’s breath catches. “And other times?”

“Other times,” the god says, “they fall because they believe there’s no other way.”

The temperature in the chamber lowers, and Sapphire presses closer to me.

I circle an arm around her shoulders, wishing I could shield her from Anteros’s hinted truths.

“Is it someone we know?” she asks softly.

The god’s golden light continues to fade. “When the time comes, all will become clear,” he says, and then the temple’s nearly dissolved, leaving more questions than answers.

“Anteros!” Sapphire tries one last time, but it’s too late.

His form vanishes in a rain of light, the remnants of his power dispersing into the air.

Her magic reaches for me—seeking comfort—and I pull her close, crushing my lips to hers, my frost wrapping around her like a shield. This isn’t just desire and passion. It’s devotion and promise. The kind of promise I never thought I’d be capable of making—to love her with every broken piece of myself that she sees clearly, yet somehow loves anyway.

When we break apart, we’re standing in the forest of the Winter Court, behind the palace, just before sunrise. Our cosmic formalwear has transformed into an ice-blue tunic embroidered with silver thread for me, and a blue velvet gown for her. She looks devastatingly beautiful in it, as she does in anything she wears.

Ghost and Nebula are at our sides, their bodies glowing with remnants of the temple’s magic.

Nebula rubs her head against Sapphire’s leg, purring in reassurance.

Ghost stands next to me, as steadfast as ever.

“Well,” Sapphire says, breathless, her fingers still clutching my shirt. “That was intense.”

“The temple trial, or the kiss?” I ask, unable to stop my lips from curving into a smirk.

“Both, you insufferable prince.” She presses her palms against my chest and rolls her eyes, but there’s warmth there—for me.

I laugh, the sound freer than it’s been in decades. “And you love me for it,” I say, knowing now more than ever that it’s true.

Ghost nudges my leg, reminding me that we have more pressing matters than kissing my soulmate—although I’m inclined to disagree on the order of priorities.

Nebula offers a quiet growl in solidarity, earning a fond laugh from Sapphire.

“Yes, I know,” I tell Ghost, threading my fingers through his fur, relief flooding my body at the fact that he’s back where he belongs—with me. “We have work to do.”

“Next stop—making sure the Winter Court doesn’t freeze over with your father’s madness.” Sapphire steps back from me, her hand lingering in mine.

“And then,” I add, “we defeat the Night Court, and we save Zoey.”