Page 32 of Frozen Star (Star Touched: Fae Bound #7)

Aerix stands at the edge of the rooftop with Zoey sheltered beneath his wings, and when his eyes meet mine, their silver flecks catch the sunlight.

“If you want to kill me, Brother,” he says, his voice steady despite my army surrounding the palace below, “this is your perfect chance.”

When he says that word again— brother— grief rips through me like a winter storm. Because I had a brother. For one hour. Sapphire may have pulled me back from unraveling, but I’m still me, and the questions that roared through my mind earlier remain.

My sword trembles in my grip as I raise it. If this was anyone else standing before me, my blade would already be wet with his blood, the battle done, my enemy fallen at my feet.

But this isn’t anyone. Not to me, and not to Sapphire.

No—this is a cruel twist of fate. It’s the gods getting their revenge for not being able to tear me and Sapphire apart.

Aerix stands unflinching, his eyes steady on mine.

Will I be able to live with myself if I kill him? Will I be able to come back from that?

I don’t know. All I’m aware of are Sapphire’s fingers brushing my arm, the warmth of her touch almost painful against my frost-covered skin.

“Riven.” Her voice cuts through the howling wind. “You can’t kill him.”

I don’t look at her. I can’t. Instead, I stay focused on Aerix and Zoey—on the brother I never knew I had and the woman I was supposed to help my soulmate save.

“They chose this.” My gaze snaps back to Sapphire’s, my grip painfully tight around my sword. “If we let them go, they’ll join the Blood Coven, which means they’ll try to kill you and the rest of the star touched. Maybe not right now, but eventually, they will.”

“But killing your only sibling would hurt you forever.” Her blue eyes are pleading, but there’s a strength in them, a resolve that anchors me. “And I don’t think I could forgive you for killing the man Zoey loves, who’s the father of her child.”

That last part hits like a blow to my chest. Because if I killed Aerix, I could survive my own self-loathing. After all, I’ve survived many things—my mother’s death, my father’s madness, betrayal, war, and loss. But Sapphire’s forgiveness is the one thing I can’t live without.

So, I lower my sword, slowly and deliberately.

Aerix watches me with narrowed eyes, suspicion written across features that are hauntingly similar to my own. His wing remains curled around Zoey, ready to shield her from an attack that will no longer come.

“Go,” I finally say. “Take her and go.”

Disbelief flickers across his face. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.” Ice crackles beneath my feet, and it takes all my effort to contain it.

“Fly off with Zoey. Escape the Night Court and never return. Just know that from this moment on, you and Zoey are banished from setting foot on Winter or Summer territory, or into any land under our courts’ dominion.

If you do, I won’t hesitate again. There will be no second chances. ”

Aerix’s eyes narrow, shadows dancing beneath his wings as he slowly shakes his head.

“This tower was built to hold those transitioning from fae to vampire. It was designed so even the strongest among us can’t escape by flying, especially not during the day, when we’re weakened by the sun.

” He gestures toward the steep drop below.

“Either you kill us, or we jump and let fate decide our ending.”

Zoey moves closer to Aerix, the action making her intentions clear. If he jumps, she’ll jump, too.

Beside me, Sapphire remains quiet, her fingers curled around mine.

However, it’s not her I’m focusing on right now. It’s the Star Disc strapped at her side. Because it can save them.

But the weapon isn’t mine to offer or wield.

It belongs solely to Sapphire. And all I can do now is let her decide what kind of ending this will be.