Page 33 of Frozen Star (Star Touched: Fae Bound #7)

The Star Disc weighs at my side as I study Zoey, who’s standing across from me with protective hands wrapped around her stomach.

None of it feels real. Because I was going to save her. I’ve spent weeks fighting, bleeding, and nearly dying, all to bring her home. But as I look at her now, the truth slams into me with brutal clarity: Zoey doesn’t need saving. She never did.

“I was too late.” Water swirls around my fingers, as if it can absorb the grief I’m trying and failing to process. “If I’d gotten to you sooner, before you were turned…”

“But you’re…” I gesture helplessly at her, at the protective way Aerix’s wing curves around her body, at the hand she has pressed to her stomach. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s not supposed to end this way.”

A sad smile touches her lips. “Life rarely goes the way we think it’s supposed to.”

Riven shifts beside me, the silent strength of his touch grounding me. Because he’s my family now, just like how Aerix and Zoey’s unborn child are hers.

And as much as it hurts, I know what I have to do next.

“Then let’s both live the life we choose,” I tell Zoey as I unstrap the Star Disc and hold it in my palm, feeling its familiar weight, the thrum of its magic connecting to my soul. “Here. You can use it to escape.”

Aerix’s posture changes, surprise crossing his features that are undeniably similar to Riven’s. “You would give up your celestial weapon?” he asks. “For us?”

“No.” I laugh, which makes him frown. “I’m letting you borrow my weapon. When it’s done what I sent it to do, it will come back to me, like it always does.”

His eyes narrow. “And how, exactly, is a throwing weapon supposed to help us escape?”

“It’s not just a throwing weapon,” I start to explain. “It can also work as a glider.”

Zoey steps forward, her eyes fixed on the glowing sapphire at the center of the Disc. “I’m not following,” she says. “Do you want us to hop on and ride it like a hoverboard?”

I can’t help smiling at her reference to one of our favorite movie trilogies, Back to the Future.

“You’re not going to hop on,” I tell her. “You’re going to raise it above your head and hold on.”

“So, it’s not like Elphaba’s broomstick, either,” she mutters, the words feeling like they’re ripping my heart out of my chest. Because who am I going to watch all those movies with in the future?

I don’t see Riven as the type to sit down and watch Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and Moulin Rouge back-to-back.

Well, he would if I asked him to, and he’d enjoy the time spent with me, even if he didn’t like the movies. And isn’t that also the point? The time spent with each other, no matter what you’re doing together?

I don’t know. What I do know is that my spiraling thoughts aren’t doing me any good. I need to snap back to the present and focus.

“Aerix.” I force myself to look at the Night Prince instead of at my best friend. “You’ll hold Zoey securely from behind.”

He crosses his arms defensively. “Why?”

“Because your wings will help propel you forward faster,” I explain. “And you’ll need all the speed you can get.”

Zoey looks uncertainly between Aerix and me. “How do we know it will hold both of us?”

“I’ve used it to carry both Riven and myself,” I say, the memory of our escape in the Cosmic Tides flashing through my mind, when we glided from the celestial tower down to the spectral ship.

“You’ll need a running start. When you reach the edge, I’ll use my air magic to give you extra lift during takeoff.

Then Aerix will spread his wings and propel both of you over the forest border of the Night Court. ”

Aerix’s wings twitch with anticipation. “And then what?”

“Once you’re safely on the ground beyond the Night Court’s territory, release the Disc.” My voice hardens as I add, “If you don’t release it within a reasonable amount of time, I’ll rip it back with my magic. And trust me, it won’t be gentle.”

Water swirls around my fingertips to emphasize my point, the droplets catching the light like tiny, threatening daggers.

“You wouldn’t hurt Zoey,” Aerix says, his hand tightening protectively around her waist.

“I wouldn’t need to.” I call my magic back inside myself with perfect control. “The Disc responds to my magic. It’s bound to me by Celeste. Trying to keep it from me would be like trying to hold back the tide with your bare hands.”

A heavy silence falls between us, broken only by the whistling wind, and none of us move. It’s like we’re all suddenly aware of the weight of this choice—of letting enemies escape, of saying goodbye to best friends, and of choosing love over duty.

I meet Zoey’s eyes, searching for any hint of doubt, any flicker of the girl who used to stay up all night with me talking about our dreams of the future. But all I see is the steady resolve of a woman who knows exactly what she wants.

Riven steps forward, ice crackling along his blade. “Before you go,” he says to Aerix, his voice carrying the quiet authority of a prince born to command, “there’s something else you need to know.”

Aerix’s wings fold closer to his body. “And what would that be, Brother?”

The word hangs between them, sharp as a blade and twice as dangerous. But this time, Riven doesn’t flinch.

“If you join the Blood Coven,” Riven continues, “know that they will fall. The star touched warriors, the combined forces of the Winter and Summer Courts, the vampire clans, the wolf packs, and whoever the next and final star touched gathers will defeat them. If you’re fighting on their side.

..” He pauses, something almost like regret crossing his features.

“I can’t promise your safety. Either of you. ”

Zoey’s fingers twitch against her stomach, her gaze sliding to Aerix.

Aerix, however, remains calm.

“Is that a threat?” he asks, ice gathering at his fingertips.

“It’s a warning,” Riven says simply. “One I wouldn’t bother giving to anyone else who stood against me.”

Aerix tilts his head slightly, his gaze hard but thoughtful. “Keep your warnings,” he finally replies, moving closer to Zoey. “And take care of Isla. I saw you already met her. Luckily, she has enough sense to have stayed back in the hall and not followed you into the tower quarters.”

Riven’s hand tightens around the hilt of his sword. “You care about a human girl?”

“Isla was born in the Night Court. She was raised by the king, and therefore, as my sister,” he explains. “She’s smart, and she deserves to be taken care of in the Winter Court.”

“The Summer Court,” I cut in. “She asked to go to the Summer Court.”

“As I said.” Aerix’s eyes narrow. “She’s smart.”

“Understood.” I give him a small, steady nod. “We’ll do everything we can to get her safely to the Summer Court.”

Aerix nods back, making it clear that the issue has been acceptably handled. It seems like the fae version of thanking me, without speaking the words that would bind him to a favor of my choosing.

With that settled, I step toward Zoey, the Star Disc cradled in my hands. Each heartbeat feels heavier, each second stretching unbearably long.

She moves forward too, meeting me halfway, and I look at her, trying to memorize every detail of her face.

The hazel eyes that watched over me since I saved her life when we were children.

The stubborn set of her jaw that’s gotten us in and out of more trouble than I can count.

The small scar above her left eyebrow from when she fell off her bike defending me from neighborhood bullies when we were twelve.

“Here.” I extend the Star Disc to her, unable to stop my hand from shaking. “It’s time.”