Page 34 of Frozen Star (Star Touched: Fae Bound #7)
“So, this is it,” she says softly. “After everything we’ve been through.”
“Not an ending.” I somehow find strength in my voice, despite it all. “Just… a different path than the one I thought we’d walk together.”
“We were each other’s whole world,” she says, one hand drifting to her stomach in a protective gesture that makes my heart ache. “For so long, it was us against everything.”
“And now we’ve both found something else.” I glance back at Riven, feeling the pull of our bond, warm and steady. “Something we never thought we’d have.”
“Our futures.” She smiles sadly.
“Yes,” I agree. “Our futures.”
The Star Disc gleams between us, and I let my fingers brush its edge, silently telling it to keep Zoey safe until it returns to me.
“Glimmercut will protect you,” I tell her, the nickname slipping out before I can stop it.
Her eyebrows shoot up, a flash of the old Zoey breaking through the vampiric composure. “You named your Star Disc?”
A laugh escapes me, surprising us both. “Riven named his sword Frostbite. And when he suggested Glimmercut for my Star Disc… they sound sort of perfect together, don’t they?”
“Glimmercut.” Zoey shakes her head with a small smile. “It’s such a Sapphire thing to do.”
“Says the girl who named her plants after characters from Harry Potter,” I playfully shoot back.
“Snape the snake plant was a noble companion… until I overwatered him.” She squares her shoulders with mock indignation, and for a fleeting moment, we’re us again—Sapphire and Zoey, best friends since childhood, sisters in all but blood.
Then her eyes drift to Aerix, who’s watching us with barely concealed impatience, and the moment shatters.
“He’s your future now,” I say to her softly. “He and your child.”
“And Riven is yours.” Her gaze shifts to the Winter Prince behind me.
Water swirls around my fingertips, as if it’s reminding me it’s here for me, even after Zoey’s gone.
“I hope you’re able to find happiness,” I tell her, meaning every word. “I hope you both do.”
She nods, her grip on Glimmercut tightening. “You too, Sapphire. You deserve it more than anyone.”
I want to hug her. I want to pull her into my arms and tell her what she’s meant to me over the years.
But if I do, I might never let go.
So, I step back, returning to Riven’s side. “When I count to three,” I say to Zoey, steadying myself and gathering my magic around me. “You and Aerix will run toward the edge. Just before you jump, I’ll give you the lift you need.”
Aerix moves to stand behind Zoey, his arms encircling her waist as his wings extend to their full, impressive span. There’s something both beautiful and terrifying about them together—something deeper than I think I fully know.
“Ready?” I ask, wind stirring around my fingertips.
Zoey raises the Star Disc, positioning it above her head. “Ready.”
“One...” I begin, feeling the magic building inside me.
“Two...” The air around us swirls, responding to my call.
But then Aerix looks over his shoulder at Riven with a satisfied smirk.
“You’re not cold like him, Riven,” he says, his voice smooth and dangerously soft. “But one day, you might wish you were. Because now you’ll get to wonder—every time you close your eyes—if you should have killed me when you had the chance.”
Before either of us can reply, Aerix tightens his grip around Zoey’s waist and launches into a sprint.
Her surprised gasp cuts through the air as they race toward the edge of the roof with supernatural speed, and for a heart-stopping moment, they hang suspended over the dizzying drop—Zoey clutching the Star Disc and Aerix’s wings fully extended, ready to either fly or fall.
I thrust both hands forward, and wind explodes from my palms, water swirling into the mix as I pour everything I have into creating a powerful updraft beneath them.
Aerix’s wings catch the air, stretching wide. The Star Disc flares to life in Zoey’s grasp. It blazes brighter as they rise, gliding them over the dark forest that borders the Night Court.
My heart hammers as I watch them go, anger and adrenaline burning through my veins. Because that manipulative jerk made sure I had no choice but to help them after his parting shot at Riven.
“Clever,” Riven mutters beside me as Aerix and Zoey glide farther away from us, growing smaller in the midday sky. “Forcing our hand while denying us the last word.”
Aerix and Zoey are far enough away that nature and the Star Disc’s magic have taken control, so I drop my arms and turn to look at Riven, studying the sharp lines of his face and his silver eyes that mirror the flecks in his brother’s.
“He can try to haunt us, but only if we let him,” I tell him. “And I refuse to give him that power.”
Gazing out at where Aerix and Zoey are nearing the horizon, he wraps his arm around my waist, the chaos of his emotions pouring into me stronger now that he’s touching me.
“Do you think he’s right?” he asks after a moment. “That I’ll regret not killing him today?”
“Would you have been able to live with yourself if you had?” I ask in return.
“I don’t know,” he admits. “All I know is that I couldn’t have lived with you hating me for killing the father of her child.”
“And that’s one of the many reasons why you’re not like your father.” I reach for his hand, ice and water mingling between our palms. “Because even when faced with an unimaginable enemy, you chose mercy. You chose love.”
“I love you, and I will always choose you,” he says simply, a hint of that smirk I know and love appearing on his face. “And I suppose family reunions were never our strength, anyway.”
“No,” I agree, a laugh bubbling out of me. “I suppose they’re not.”
The laughter dies as quickly as it came, leaving behind a hollow ache as Zoey and Aerix disappear over the horizon.
And I know, with a feeling that sinks deep in my gut, that the best friend I thought I’d always have is gone forever.