Page 27

Chapter Twenty-seven

Asteria

Calix had ultimately won the argument about how many guards to bring with us to Sunrise. Since we’d be flying to avoid detection and traveling swiftly, only a few of his most trusted, whom he was willing to have on his back, came with us.

Neither of us was comfortable having me fly with passangers. Not when I still got distracted from time to time, and forgot to flap my wings. The heart-dropping fall out of the sky was a rush, no doubt, but for Nox’s sake, I wasn’t willing to accidentally kill someone.

That would be super embarrassing.

For me and whoever fell.

We were getting my things gathered for the trip to Sunrise when a knock on the door had me looking up from the items Delia and Priscilla were helping me choose from. Delia quickly ran to the door, so I went back to packing until I realized I could smell Calix.

My head snapped up just as he walked through the door to my bedroom. He was dressed down in just a loose shirt and tight pants, but it still made my mouth water.

“There’s no way you missed me so much already you couldn’t wait an hour.” I teased, tilting my head to the side.

He laughed, his smile bright as he shook his head at me. He tilted his head toward the door, extending his hand out to me, “Come with me for a second?”

I bit my lip, looking to Priscilla, who was trying to hide her smirk. I hadn’t explicitly told anyone what had happened yet. We just hadn’t had the time. But I couldn’t help my smile as I stepped closer and took his hand. He laced our fingers together as he led me from my rooms.

“Where are we going?” I asked, looking up at him curiously.

He smirked slightly. “I have something for you.”

“What is it?” I raised my brow expectantly.

He chuckled warmly, but a hint of something mischievous remained in his eyes. “It’s a surprise.”

When I opened my mouth to ask further questions, he continued, “Meaning I won’t tell you.” He laughed. “You’re not very good at surprises, are you?”

I faux glared at him, but he just tugged me along toward wherever we were going. He turned right and led me down to what I realized were his rooms as we entered.

The entire back wall was windows—no, glass doors, I realized. Ones that would slide open to access the balcony and let the entire room open up to the sky. The other walls were left as the pure star opal the palace was made of; the shimmering white gem gleaming in the sun. The sofas in the living area were black, much like the ones at the fortress. Bookshelves lined the wall opposite them, giving easy access to reading material.

He had a desk facing the wall of doors that would provide an amazing view while working, with a light gray wooden table and a comfortable looking black, tufted leather chair that swiveled. There was a small dining area with a black wooden table and two grey chairs, but that was it. No long, ten-person table like Cyrus had in his rooms.

Calix’s living area was done in a simpler, calming palette as well. And as he led me into his bedroom, I could see the need for it, since this room was dominated in the black and purple royal colors, it probably helped to break it up. The bedroom was even more similar to the fortress, with a looming dragon head over the headboard, and scales carved into each of the four posters, with carved fire burning at the top of each.

Lucky me, this bed was also clearly built for a family of giants. Plenty of room to play.

Across the bed, however, he had laid out several pieces of armor. Women’s armor, done in silver, purple, and black. Night’s colors, and my own. The dragon-scaled portion was still black, as it came from black dragons, but the shoulder straps were now purple, while a revised version of the sigil was right in the middle of the chest. The moon was done in silver instead of purple, with the rest of the circle colored black with silver stars floating inside it, and the wings on each side remained their usual purple color. The metal piece the revised sigil was affixed to was a sparkling silver that reached across the chest on each side.

The leather pants now had silver panels going down each leg, while the armbands were completely redone in silver, with scales outlined in purple going up them and a purple band of runes at the wrist and the top of the band where it sat on the bicep.

“Calix…” I trailed off, looking up at him, finding myself surprisingly emotional at the gesture.

“You need armor fit for the queen of Night.” He smiled, and I couldn’t help reaching up and pulling him down for a kiss. He smiled against my mouth as my tongue invaded his, my hand winding around his neck as I pulled myself into him.

“As much as I’d love—” Calix mumbled with every breath he stole, “to continue this. I have something else for you.”

I forced myself back, mourning the loss of his lips already but wanting to see what it was as I smiled wide, bouncing on my toes. “You do?”

Calix laughed, the Aurora appearing in his lilac eyes. “Yes. I must admit, if I knew gifts made you this happy, I would have bought out the kingdoms by now.”

I slapped him on the shoulder, but he wasn’t wrong. I’d never gotten a gift before my necklace, which was now proudly back on my neck with no reason to hide it anymore.

Calix grabbed something off the long black and purple velvet bench at the foot of his bed. It was wrapped in cloth, and he placed it on the bed, gently removing the pieces of cloth to uncover it.

My breath caught as my hand came to the base of my throat, completely speechless.

“You deserve a blade worthy of you,” Calix said softly.

Where Calix wielded a blade made of a material as black as night, mine was a shining, sparkly silver. The entire blade shone, except for the row of runes down the middle of the blade. The runes were matte black instead of Calix’s shining silver runes. I ran my fingertip down one in amazement before my eyes caught the hilt of the blade.

It was a dragon, of course. With its nose dipping down onto the blade, and its tail spiraling up the hilt, where the pointed star-like end of the tail ended at the pommel. Its wings crested out to each side, hugging the crossguard. Its eyes shone with star opal, and I nearly cried to find our soulmark engraved onto its back.

“The same maker who did my sword made this one,” Calix informed me nervously. “It’s twin, in effect, for as opposite as it may be. I wanted to do something on it that tied you to both Day and Night kingdoms, and thought our soulmark would be perfect.”

“It is.” I breathed out before I grabbed the hilt. My hand fit comfortably around the hilt, the wings cleverly set low enough to not get in the way of the hold of the sword. The guard underneath the hilt was black and inset with gems the colors of Calix’s eyes. A beautiful touch of purple on my starlit blade.

The feel of it was incredible in the hand, and lighter than I thought it would be. It felt like it had been made just for me, and I suppose it had. I placed it carefully down on the bed, noting the new leather sword belt crafted with star opal accents to go with it.

I threw myself at Calix, jumping up to wrap my legs around him as he grabbed my ass to hold me up, his lips finding mine unerringly.

“Thank.” I kissed him again, and again. “You.” And again. Until we fell to the bed, laughing as he complained about potentially breaking my sword.

* * *

When I finally made it back to my room, my new sword and armor in hand, Priscilla and Delia were waiting for me with smirks on their faces. I rolled my eyes at them both.

“Very mature,” I admonished, causing them to break into laughter.

“So, does this mean you two have figured things out?” Priscilla asked softly, looking slightly concerned.

I bit my lip, trying to think of how to explain it to her. “Mostly. Together? Yes?—”

A high-pitched squeal had me jumping in surprise, and I shouldn’t have been surprised that Ilta was to blame. She came through the doorway and launched herself at me, making me laugh.

“You are?! Really?!” She looked more emotional than I was, and my nod had her practically strangling me with her hug. When she finally let go, Priscilla took over, hugging me tightly.

“I’m so happy for you, Asteria,” she whispered in my ear. “You deserve all the happiness in the world.”

Delia was next, but she also looked concerned as she sat down. “If you’re now together, then what’s wrong?”

I sighed, miserably. “We need to find a way to make it work. I’m to be queen of Day, which means to be queen of Night, we have to figure out a way to simultaneously rule both kingdoms, without upsetting either. Since they have to remain in balance, it’s not like we can just merge them.”

“Oh.” Delia blinked, stunned. “Shit.”

I nodded in agreement. “I promised Calix I would find a way. We mean to change things anyway, right ?”

They nodded, and I continued with a firm nod that I wished had any confidence behind it. “Exactly. So, we’ll make it work.”

“I know you will.” Ilta smiled, beaming at me. “If anyone can, it’s you and Calix. We all thought abolishing slavery was impossible, but Calix managed it. We thought starlight power was impossible, but you managed that. I have no doubt that you two will find a way forward. You two just make the impossible happen.”

I thanked her with another emotional hug before it was time to go. Sunrise awaited, and we didn’t have time to dally.

“Pris, walk me down?” I asked, tilting my head toward the door.

She raised a brow at me but nodded, and I wished I had more time to talk to her. I’d have to take what I could get.

“How are you dealing? With Callisto being away?” I probed, knowing if I wasn’t here to talk, it was likely she was keeping it all inside. When we last spoke, she had told me she wouldn’t move forward with a relationship until the fighting was done, and I was curious how she was holding up.

Callisto had been sent to the Dusk border just before we left, and while I knew Priscilla had been keeping busy helping Harpina and Lilith settle the humans in, it couldn’t be easy.

Priscilla sighed just as miserably as I had. “I hate knowing she’s there. It’s got to be one of the more dangerous spots, and I know that’s why Calix wants her there. It makes sense, but?—”

She cut off, shaking her head.

“But you hate it anyway?” I pushed, making Priscilla look at me, big brown eyes locking on mine as she nodded with a distinct pout. I pulled her into another hug, and she clutched me to her.

“I think what I hate even more is knowing she loves it. That she wants to be there,” she murmured, dejected.

“You two will figure this out,” I promised, having to believe it. “This war won’t last forever.”

Priscilla nodded, forcibly putting on a smile. I hated this for both of them. Despite what she said, I knew Callisto couldn’t be fully happy being gone since she also knew Priscilla hated her being there. I was sure the two of them would figure it out eventually, though.

If Calix and I could do it, so could they.

* * *

Flying toward Sunrise, I watched the rest of Celesterra pass below us. We’d been careful not to pass over Dusk, so we first flew over Day before passing over Dawn. As we neared Sunrise, my heart beat harder.

We’d be passing over my old village on the way to the capital of Panchaia, and I wasn’t nearly ready to deal with that thought. I had no idea what to tell my parents or how to explain the truth to them.

Would they hate me? For not being the child they so desperately wished for? For being Fae?

I couldn’t bear to find out.

So we flew on, and as the jungle became visible, I found myself inexplicably excited. I had never had the chance to see it before, but since meeting Calix, my life had been full of the unexpected.

The capital slowly became visible within the jungle, and I swooped down to get a closer look. I had never seen anything like it, and found myself almost angry that this had been so close all my life, and yet I’d never had the chance to explore it.

The palace was situated where the jungle met the ocean, getting the best of both worlds. Tall jungle trees and hanging plants surrounded the palace, while the sea lapped up behind it. The palace itself was multilayered, and it was hard to figure out where one level turned into another. It wasn’t like other palaces I’d seen with clear floors all the way across. Instead, it seemed to cut across at different points, some levels rising higher in some places, others lowered at points. The entire back of the palace sat on stilts within the water and helped support the back end of the palace, which seemed to be built partially on the rock wall coming from the Tritonian Sea.

Large balconies also extended off the palace over the water, all done in the same yellow-tinged stone the palace was made of. Each tower and turret had a pointed teal cap, making the palace match their royal colors of yellow and teal.

Flying around the front of the structure again, I could see that the jungle had actually started to encroach onto the palace itself. There was greenery growing through the stone and places where hanging plants dangled down from it. There was a winding staircase leading up to the main entrance from the ground, and the plants and flowers surrounding it had started to grow up the railings as well.

The stairs also had water under them, I realized, but not from the Tritonian Sea. It looked like the palace was built over where a lagoon had naturally formed before the sea, and they built directly over it for some reason.

The palace had definitely been designed to become part of nature, and seemed to welcome being swallowed up by it.

When we landed, we had to do so one at a time due to the lack of space with all the water and trees in the way, so Calix landed first, and I waited to follow suit. I quickly shifted upon touching the ground and brushed out my dress. Since this was my first introduction as the future ruler of Day Kingdom, I had conceded to wear a dress that was purple, gold, and silver.

The bodice had purple metalwork on the front, with gold around the sides and back. It, of course, had my favorite neckline, the sweetheart cut accentuating my cleavage. The sleeves were also created with my love of dramatic bell sleeves in mind, but were made to look like dragon wings. They started out purple but shifted into silver at the bottom, and gold lined the edges while gold dust dotted all over the sleeves. The skirt was layered with purple and silver fabric, and gold designs were added over them. Including both gold trimming on the edges and right down the front, starting where the metalwork on the bodice ended and extending to the floor, where dragon scale designs were mixed in with swirling patterns.

It was a little heavy for the hot and muggy weather, but I was told repeatedly that first impressions were important. As beautiful as the dress was, I wanted to rip a few layers off the damn skirt before I melted into literal stardust.

“Ready for this, my réalta?” Calix asked with a slight smirk, taking my hand. I looked up at him nervously.

“I have to be.” I shrugged my shoulder, and he chuckled, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. I closed my eyes, wishing we had the time to just explore being together. Exploring the bond between us, or even getting to finally test out that sex swing together.

Ugh, what I wouldn’t give for that right now.

I couldn’t help feeling like I had wasted too much time stuck in my own head. But only slightly. I knew that time had been necessary. Just as I knew that I could have used more .

But war waits for no one.

And I wasn’t going to spend another moment without Calix, my own fears and insecurities be damned.

I straightened as guards in bronze armor opened the main doors, and a woman in a flowing dress began walking down the stairs toward us. The dress was a style I’d seen many of the Fae who visited the vineyard in Sonmathion wear; the breezy, flowy fabric was cut up high on each thigh, and the neckline dipped low, making me insanely jealous as I sweltered in the heat. Her dress was a bright teal color with bright yellow embroidery on the bottom of the sleeves and around the skirt, and yellow jewels dotted across the neckline and waist.

Her long, black hair fell to her waist in a pin straight line that I was wholly jealous of as well. I needed her secret to fighting frizz in the humidity.

“King Calix, as I live and breathe!” The woman laughed as she approached, her light brown skin shimmering in the light. “You’re alive!”

Calix rumbled a laugh. “You knew that very well.”

She shrugged her shoulder casually. “In theory, but that gorgeous face has been missing for too many years. What else am I supposed to look at during functions?”

“You could try your husband?” he replied, a smirk lifting his lips as she finally crested the bottom of the stairs.

She scoffed, waving a hand back and forth. “Boring! Now, is this the lovely creature I’ve heard so much about?”

Calix raised a brow. “If you mean my mate and the heir of Day Kingdom, then yes. Allow me to introduce Princess Asteria Faelynn Earendel.”

I took a deep breath; the name and title were still so fucking bizarre.

“That would be her!” The woman smiled widely. “I’ve heard so many things, but to know a woman has actually done it.” She sighed happily and grabbed my hands in hers, surprising me.

“I can’t tell you if my husband will support you or not.” She looked me straight in the eyes, and I was taken aback by how straightforward she seemed. She played the flirt with Calix, but the mask dropped as she observed me with a serious expression. Whatever facade she wore for court, she was letting me see past it for some reason.

“But I want you to know, I am rooting for you.” She smiled widely, and it lit up her brown eyes, the yellow ring around them reminding me of the sun. “A woman has never been chosen, until you. It must be for a reason. One I hope will change the tides, so mothers like me don’t need to watch our daughters be looked over for less worthy men.”

My brows flew skyward, and she winked.

“This is Queen Idalia.” Calix smiled as he stole me back from her. “She’s much more reasonable than her husband.”

Idalia laughed, “Isn’t that the truth! Now, come along, you two. I’ll show you to your rooms.”

I looked at Calix in confusion, and he leaned in as Idalia led us up the stairs, his hand bracing on my lower back. “Idalia and Gravadain don’t see eye-to-eye on much. They were a political match.”

Which didn’t answer why the queen was leading us like a slave or servant normally would in this situation.

But Nox, were there any Fae royals who actually loved one another? I knew Calix’s parents had, and from what my mother had said, there had been some affection between her and Aelius once upon a time. But Astraeus and Stelara, along with Tariq and Oriana, certainly didn’t give a shit about one another. It seemed like ninety percent of these royal marriages were political. It was only when a soulmark appeared that things went differently.

Walking inside the palace, the interior reminded me a bit of Sunset Kingdom’s, with arches and fanciful decorations, but there were definitely differences. The windows were all made of colored glass, with geometric shapes etched into them that created patterns on the floor as the sun shone through. The floors themselves were elaborately colored tiles, and even the ceiling had been painted teal and adorned with gold.

And it wasn’t just their house colors; every color of the rainbow could be found somewhere . From the floor and the ceilings to the columns in between that were decorated with all sorts of colored crystals.

“These are your rooms.” Idalia smiled widely and pushed the double doors open. “Since these quarters are reserved for royal guests, you have a private lagoon.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me with a smirk.

I fought a blush, biting my lip and as I tried to contain a laugh, but actually seeing the room had the laughter dying in my throat as I took in the gorgeous space before me.

The living space was open to the lagoon outside, with accordion-style doors that let the breeze blow off the water. The sun lit the white tile floors, which were partially covered by a teal and pink rug under the main seating area. The wall opposite the lagoon was made up of wide arches that went to the ceiling, each filled in with different designs in pink, blue, teal, and purple.

A sparkling crystal chandelier fell over a low, round coffee table crafted in the same colors. Long swaths of teal fabric fell around the room, billowing out from the chandelier across the ceilings to the walls. A crushed velvet lilac sofa the same color as Calix’s eyes sat lower to the ground than normal. A pink chaise lounge sat opposite the sofa, and teal ottomans were scattered throughout. Tons of pillows were tossed across the sofas, and even several large ones had been put on the floor for additional seating options.

A peek out at the lagoon revealed that they had added tiles with cobalt blue spiraling designs under the crystal-clear water. The columns surrounding it had been grown over with jungle plants that made the space completely private.

“I’ll leave you two to settle in.” Idalia smiled widely as she glanced between us. “We’ll be having dinner together in a couple of hours, but please, enjoy yourselves until then.”

With a final wink, she showed herself out, and I was left staring at the lagoon until Calix came up behind me, his arms snaking around my waist and pulling me into him.

“Hmm.” He rumbled into my neck, pressing a kiss to it that had me tilting my head to give him better access. “However shall we pass the time?”

“Well.” I drew the word out, putting my hands on the arms he’d put around me. “I must first insist you get me out of this heavy dress. It’s much too hot.”

“Gladly,” he growled, but as his hands went to tear it, I laughed and quickly grabbed his hands.

“Without tearing it.” I insisted, his disappointed sigh echoing in my ear. “I’m as saddened by that as you are, my dorchadas. But I do like this dress. Just not for this heat.”

He chuckled, and laced his fingers with mine. “Come on then, grá.”

“You never told me what that actually means.” I reminded him as he brought me toward the bedroom.

I was momentarily distracted as I took in the bedroom. This room was primarily done in pink and white, making the room feel very light and airy. It was open on one side to the lagoon as well, contributing to that feeling. The floor itself was completely teal, but that was it. The walls were white and draped with pink fabric, while the bed was done in pink silk, except for the white frame that mimicked the columns outside.

Calix pulled me into him and lifted my chin with his finger. His eyes were full of color as he smiled at me. “It means love in ancient Fae.”

I melted a bit, which wasn’t really difficult to do in this heat, but his words had me grabbing his face to kiss him.

“Wait, wait.” I quickly forced myself to pull back.

“What’s wrong?” Calix asked, his brows furrowing.

“It’s too damn hot. Let me change and meet you at the lagoon?” I smirked as his eyes lit up.

He growled as his lips quickly crashed into mine before he disappeared just as fast, a breeze blowing in his wake.