Page 41 of Frozen Star (Star Touched: Fae Bound #7)

The elevator rises smoothly, its quiet hum doing nothing to calm the storm of nerves in my stomach.

Riven stands beside me, winter-cool and steady, his silver eyes watchful. His fingers are laced with mine, our magic in perfect harmony since Eros balanced the bond.

“You’re nervous,” he says, not a question but a statement.

I exhale softly. “Is it that obvious?”

“Only to me.” His thumb traces circles on the back of my hand, sending shivers of the best kind through my body. “But you already survived meeting your father once. This is just the second wave. And if anyone can navigate the stormy waters of family reunions, it’s you.”

“Maybe,” I say, leaning closer to him. “Although if you keep touching me like that, I’m going to want to navigate us back to our suite instead.”

His thumb pauses, pressing against my pulse, his eyes twinkling wickedly. “Is that motivation, or a threat? Because either way, I accept.”

“Call it incentive,” I murmur, a playful challenge in my gaze. “The faster we finish this, the sooner we can continue cementing our membership to the Vampire Skyscraper Palace Club.”

He leans in, brushing his lips to mine—just enough to leave me craving more—before stepping back as the elevator’s ding signals our arrival.

The doors slide open, revealing a sprawling apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of Central Park. And standing in the center of the room, tall and imposing, is my father.

Damien Fairmont, the vampire king of New York, has blond hair that’s a bit darker than mine, and the same blue eyes I see in the mirror every morning.

He’s dressed in an impeccable suit that probably costs more than most people make in a month, his posture radiating the kind of authority that comes from centuries of power.

He glances at Riven, then settles his gaze on me.

I shift slightly, unsure what to say. How am I supposed to speak to someone who’s supposed to be so close to me, but has been forced to be a stranger?

Luckily, he speaks first.

“The others are all here. Come in and allow me to make the introductions,” he says, and with that, he leads us through the penthouse to a spacious dining room where three others are standing around a sleek glass table, motioning to a girl with dark hair and striking turquoise eyes.

“This is Ruby Grace, chosen by Luna, the moon goddess. Like you, she thought she was human until being star touched. From there… well, I’m sure you’ll get the details another time. ”

Ruby looks about my age, dressed in jeans and a fitted t-shirt that’s seen better days. There’s something refreshingly normal about her in this world of supernatural perfection.

“College student one day, star touched wolf shifter the next,” she says with a shrug that doesn’t quite hide her lingering disbelief.

The tall, broad-shouldered man beside her steps forward, his presence commanding in a way that’s completely different from Riven’s cold authority. He has a solid, earthy strength—like an ancient oak tree that’s weathered countless storms.

“Connor Ward,” he introduces himself with a respectful nod. “Alpha of the Pine Valley pack.”

Riven’s quiet assessment buzzes through the bond as he sizes Connor up. But there’s no hostility in it—just the natural caution of powerful beings meeting for the first time.

Damien breaks the tension by gesturing to the blonde woman standing nearest to him, who’s around the same age as me and Ruby.

“This is Amber,” he says, his voice softening when he says her name. “My wife.”

Amber gives me a hesitant smile as I try and fail at wrapping my mind around the fact that she’s technically my stepmother. From the way she watches me, I have a feeling she’s working through the same exact thing.

Immortality certainly complicates family dynamics.

Amber was star touched by Sunneva, the sun goddess. From what I know so far, she and Damien got off on a rocky start. I’m sure I’ll get the details later… but hopefully not all the details, given the family relation.

“It’s a shock, isn’t it?” Amber finally says. “Learning there’s a whole other world hiding in plain sight.”

“A shock is putting it lightly.” Ruby laughs softly. “It’s been over a year, and I’m still getting used to it.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it,” I say, which earns me an understanding smile from both of them.

Maybe it’s too early to say, but I like them already.

Damien gestures to the table, approval in his eyes. “Please, sit,” he says, the introductions apparently complete. “We have much to discuss.”

As we settle around the table, I sneak glances at Ruby and Amber, my magic humming beneath my skin as I do. It’s like it recognizes them and feels safe with them, as if the three of us being in this room together was written in the stars.

“So, what do moon and sun magic do?” I ask them, hoping that bringing up the big thing we have in common—being star touched—will ease some of the tension between us.

Ruby holds out her palm and gives me a knowing smile. “Illusions,” she says, and a miniature forest appears in her hand, complete with wolves running between the trees. “I can make people see things that aren’t there… or not see things that are.”

With that, she disappears. Full blown disappears—there one second and gone the next, although she shimmers back into sight a moment later.

“Invisibility,” Connor explains for her, and while his tone is matter of fact, his eyes reflect pride. “It’s saved our asses more than once.”

“I imagine it would.” I smile slightly, thinking about all the times invisibility would have been helpful on my own adventures. There are so many of them that it’s impossible to count.

Suddenly, bright light flares through the room, coming straight from Amber’s direction.

What looks like a small sun hovers above her palm, radiating heat.

“Sun magic.” She leans forward in excitement, the light brightening further. “I can shoot out solar flares and heat things up.”

The temperature next to me drops, and my attention snaps to Riven, whose frost is crackling from his hands up to his elbows.

I narrow my eyes at him, my magic prickling along my skin.

“Please tell me you’re not going to attack one of the two other star touched in the world within the first hour of meeting her,” I say to him in warning, although part of me gets a thrill about how his protective side is always ready to step up, even now.

“Think of it as precautionary frostbite—better safe than sizzling.” He shrugs and reins in his magic, although a bit of it lingers around his fingers, just in case. “Plus, if I was going to attack, I’d have already brought out my sword.”

Connor smirks at Riven with what looks like approval. “I like your style, Ice Prince,” he says, leaning back in his chair and continuing to size him up. “Never thought I’d say that to a fae, but protective instincts are something wolves understand.”

“And I never thought I’d sit in the same room as a wolf without turning him into a fur coat, but yet, here we are.” Riven’s smile is sharp and deadly, although there’s a surprising amount of warmth in his tone.

Could my Winter Prince be making a friend? Because I really, truly love that for him.

Ruby smiles knowingly at me and rolls her eyes, silently mocking Connor and Riven for taking jabs at each other, which makes me like her even more.

Damien, on the other hand, watches Amber with admiration as she closes her fingers around the orb of light she was holding.

“Moon, sun, and stars.” He looks around at us with a calculated calmness that makes the centuries of life he’s had over us clear. “Three celestial powers, and three supernatural species represented. Shifters, vampires, and fae.”

Connor’s expression grows serious. “Which brings us to why we’ve gathered today—allying against the Blood Coven.”

Riven looks around the table, quickly snapping back into politics mode. “The Winter, Summer, and Night Courts stand ready,” he says, his voice carrying the weight of royal authority. “Queen Lysandra and Queen Mirena agreed to the proposed terms.”

Mirena didn’t have much of a choice, given the ironclad terms Riven offered when we invaded her palace, but a tense alliance is better than no alliance.

“As does the Pine Valley pack,” Connor affirms with a nod. “And through us, all the major shifter packs of North America.”

“And of course, the vampires of New York are with you,” Damien adds.

A powerful, collective silence settles over us, broken after a moment by Ruby’s thoughtful voice.

“You know, now that Luna, Sunneva, and Celeste have chosen their star touched warriors, only Tempest remains,” she says, pointing out the big fact we all know but haven’t mentioned yet.

“The storm goddess,” Amber says. “Whoever she chooses?—”

“Will likely be connected to the witches,” Damien finishes, as if they’ve had this conversation before. “And that means fire magic.”

“Tempest,” Riven repeats, as if tasting the name.

Everyone at the table turns to look at him.

“What is it?” Damien tilts his head with subtle interest, urging Riven to go on.

Riven’s silver eyes meet mine before he addresses the group. “Have any of you ever met a pilot who goes by the name T?”

The others exchange glances, shaking their heads.

“No,” Connor says. “Why?”

“She flew us to Italy to retrieve the Ember of Prometheus,” Riven explains, frost patterns moving along his fingertips as he speaks, as if they’re thinking right along with him.

“The air felt charged around her, like lightning before it strikes. And there always seemed to be a storm following our plane, even though we never hit turbulence.”

“Wait,” I say, the pieces clicking into place. “You think our pilot was the storm goddess? That ’T’ is short for Tempest?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.” Riven’s expression is dead serious, but it turns conspirational a moment later. “Although to be clear, Starlight, having a goddess pilot our plane was far from my favorite thing about that flight.”