Page 315 of Cursed Evermore

"La níyneria, a mun dair," I said with a humble bow and my hand pressed to my heart.

"La níyneria, Your Grace. I look forward to seeing the crown atop your head, as it was meant to be. Take heart, young Nightblade."

Her words hung in the air, then her form softened at the edges, her glow unraveling as though the air had come to claim her. She faded before my eyes, the faint chime of her crystal charms lingering in the stillness.

One heartbeat she was there, the next gone, leaving only the hush of power in her wake and the echo of her warnings.

Gods above, there was so much to think about.

My future—the one I might not have—had never felt further from my reach.

Darkness awaited me, with nothing but the ache of all I'd lost, and all I still stood to lose.

But who was I, if not the names they branded into my skin?

Death. Prince of Shadows. Lord Nightblade.Darkness.

Darkness was mine. It always had been. And now it was time I mastered it.

My gaze slid to the door and I thought of the world beyond where my mage waited.

My Ziyka.

I moved toward the door, needing to be with her.

I found her in the hallway, waiting for me by the balcony. The instant she saw me her face brightened and she rushed toward me, her eyes searching mine.

"Is everything okay?"

It wasn't, but I wouldn't tell her that. "It will be." I cupped her face and gazed into her eyes.

"The Seer's words really... struck harder than I expected. I never imagined I had such a power.Me.” She chuckled. “The girl who thought she had no powers worth mentioning."

"I never thought that about you, Ziyka." I gave her a weak smile.

"Thank you." She beamed at me. "At least now we know what to do to find the ring. We can start working on that straightaway."

"Actually, I want to take you somewhere." I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Somewhere we can spend the next three days together. Just us."

Her beautiful eyes widened. "Really Wolfe? Can we do that?"

"We...should. It would be good for us. It's space to think and prepare. Besides there's nothing more important to me than spending the last few days of this reset with you."

She pressed her hand to my chest and smiled. "I love you, Wolfe Nightblade."

Those words tugged on my heart and I committed them to memory, praying she would always say them to me. "I love you too. And you're about to love me even more."

"Am I? I'm not sure that's possible."

"I'd beg to differ. I was thinking we could fly the dragons."

She gasped. "You're serious?"

"Absolutely."

"Oh my gosh." She squealed with delight. "And when you saydragons, does that mean I get to fly Hedion on my own?"

I hesitated, my protective instincts warring with her obvious excitement. "We'll see. After everything that's happened?—"