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Chapter Thirty-eight

Calix

Waking up, I immediately noticed the difference between my bed the night before and my bed now. The warmth cuddled into my side made me sigh in relief, my head falling back against the pillow.

I reached a hand up to run my fingers through her hair, the dark tresses seeming slightly darker. I’d noticed since her transformation that Asteria was a bit tanner, the golden glow of the Earendel line shining through. But now, her hair also seemed a bit darker.

I shrugged it off for now. I was much more invested in pulling her on top of me. She whined slightly, always slow to wake up. Even though she no longer had to deal with the pain she felt in the past from the spell keeping her body and magic locked up unnaturally, she would never be a morning person.

She glared at me adorably, and I couldn’t help the lazy smile I gave her in return. She huffed, face crashing back into the pillow, grousing, “You’re way too chipper for this time of day.”

Her hand still came up to run her fingertips over my chest, tracing over my tattoos absentmindedly. I ran my hand down her back, caressing her soulmark. Still in awe, that I didn’t think would ever go away, that she was finally here.

“How can I not be? You’re here with me,” I told her, burying my face in her neck. I’d never been someone who overtly displayed their emotions before—outside of anger and fury. I didn’t keep the kingly front up in front of my family and friends, but I also had never imagined such words coming out of my mouth before. And just because I found them somehow spilling out confidently, it didn’t mean they came out easily. The strange vulnerability that putting the truth of my feelings out there caused remained ever-present.

But Asteria managed to bring this side of me out without my permission. Maybe it was being soulmates, maybe it was just her , or maybe some combination of the two, but I couldn’t help it whenever I was with her.

And she made it so worth it. Humming happily, if sleepily, and cuddling into me. I could spend the next thousand years waking up exactly like this.

At least until, when I finally stole a morning kiss, intending on seeing if she was too sore from last night for breaking in the bed this morning, a knock sounded on my door.

I groaned loudly, throwing a spare pillow at the door and hearing the satisfying thud as it connected. My head fell back to the bed, and Asteria cracked an eye open, yawning as she stretched against me languidly. Giving me all sorts of ideas.

“Calix!” Eryx knocked urgently, and my head lifted off the pillow in worry this time. He never bothered me in my room unless it was actually an emergency.

“ Fuck ,” I cursed, kissing Asteria’s head as I lifted myself out of the bed.

I went to open the door when the thought hit me, and I turned to Asteria. Her perfect breasts were peeking out the top of the blanket. Hard nipples pointing in the air and momentarily distracting me. I shook my head to shake myself out of my Asteria-induced haze.

“As much as I’m enjoying the view, unless you want to flash Eryx, you’re going to want to pull the blanket up.”

She grumbled, still trying to wake herself up. Like a little kitten trying to open its eyes for the first time. I smothered my smile as she pulled the sheet up, covering herself. Allowing me to open the door without risk of an incident.

“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately, my brows furrowing.

“An urgent message came for Asteria from Prince Arien,” Eryx explained, holding up the letter in his hand. “The messenger said it was extremely urgent, and that they needed help.”

My brows flew upward, but Asteria had managed to pull herself from sleep at the thought of her brother potentially being in danger. I could feel her heart racing as she bounced over, wrapped in only my sheet, and took the letter, ripping it open.

Her eyes widened as she read, her panic and rage rising like a tidal wave inside her. I put a hand on her lower back, hoping to brace her and remind her I was here. She took a deep breath, and handed me the letter. I read it over quickly.

“ Fuck ,” Asteria cursed, looking to me pleadingly. “I have to go. They need me.”

“ We will go.” I reminded her. “You’re not alone here, my réalta. I can bring our best warriors on my back while flying. We can get there quickly. Hopefully, we can arrive before Aelius’s forces converge on Arien.”

“And if we don’t?” She asked nervously, swallowing hard. “If they’re already there? Or—” She shook her head, cutting the thought off completely. I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t want to consider that possibility either.

Arien was growing on me. Unlike Aurelia, he truly respected Asteria as a leader and valued her as a person. Aurelia would need to work harder to achieve any kind of esteem in my eyes.

“If they are there already,” I dipped my head to meet her eyes, my hands taking hers and squeezing. “Then we will join the fight. You’ve done well these last months in training. I have full faith in your abilities. You were born with the dragon song of rage within your heart, and there is no better place to release it than a battlefield.”

“ Beautiful brutality ,” she whispered, her eyes lighting a bit. “That's why they say you fight like that. You have your own song of rage.”

I nodded with a proud smile, kissing her lightly, trying to ignore Eryx’s pointed cough. Pulling back, I leaned my forehead to hers. “Your destruction will be more beautiful than anything I could conjure; I guarantee you that.”

“This is all Aelius and Cyrus, but neither will be there.” She pointed out, looking disappointed.

I chuckled truly, shaking my head. “Just wait. The time will come. And for now, you can slake your bloodlust on their underlings.

She proved exactly why I loved her so much when she smirked delightedly at the thought.

* * *

We quickly got ready, donning our armor and arming ourselves for the fight to come. I helped Asteria into her armor since Delia wasn’t here. Truthfully, I didn’t feel like being interrupted during the last moments I’d have alone with Asteria before we left.

She looked so insanely gorgeous in her new armor, just as I knew she would. The silver, black, and purple were perfect. Her colors fit so well with my own. A testament to that was on her chest, where the revised sigil of the Night Kingdom for the Star Queen herself sat.

But we unfortunately had no time for me to enjoy her in the armor as I wished. It would have to wait until after the battle.

Titan, Eryx, Baach, and Harpina were all waiting for us outside, along with Rhidian, Ciaran, and Jasira. The other lords would hold down the fort, but they’d refused to be left behind. Well, Ciaran had insisted when Jasira had, and I knew he’d never forgive me if he didn’t go with her. Those two were a complicated disaster I wanted no part of, honestly.

Better to let them figure it out themselves.

I watched as Asteria shifted into her dragon form, the beautiful silver scales shining in the light of the sun. The sun was the largest star there was, and it only made sense it would be drawn to her as much as the stars in the night sky were.

I shifted once she was up in the air, as did Eryx, and I let the others climb onto my back. I hated being used as a Tartarus damned pack horse, but it really was the most efficient way. I’d take any advantage in a battle, and leaving great fighters behind for the sake of my pride wasn’t going to help anything. Still, Asteria was the only passenger I’d ever truly enjoyed having.

I found myself roaring delightedly in the sky, excited for the battle to come. While I worried about Asteria, it had been too long, and I’d been storing up plenty of rage. I needed to let some of it out, and battle was always the best place for that.

It didn’t take us very long to reach Day Kingdom, and as we neared the capital of Avalon, I saw right away the golden dragon in the sky, purple scales around the edges, and purple horns standing out quite obviously against the bright gold.

Arien was breathing fire on our enemies while his armies defended the city. Aelius’s forces had it surrounded. The stupid circular design made it overly difficult to defend. Asteria broke off to help her brother, while I went to drop off our warriors to help on the ground. Eryx shifted back above an enemy Fae, pulling his sword quickly and driving it into his back before he even knew he was there.

That’s my brother.

I took off, trusting Titan to find the best place for everyone, and joined the other two dragons in the sky. It had been so long since I’d fought next to two dragons, so I was exhilarated as I let the fire rise in my throat, swooping down and taking out a line of screaming enemy soldiers.

I almost wished we’d taken the phoenixes, to add their own power to the fight. But we didn’t want to give away our allies too early. Any who escaped today would run back to Aelius, who’d inform Cyrus. We needed any element of surprise we could get.

As the two armies below began to crash into one another, it became too dangerous to use our fire on the front rows. We don’t want to scorch our allies, after all.

“ Head to the back, ” I told Asteria and Arien, and their huge dragon heads turned to me in midair. I flew around the front lines to where the stragglers were, the silver and gold-scaled twins following suit behind me. We boxed the soldiers in with flames before taking them out. When we’d taken out as many as we could that way, we quickly flew back into the thick of things.

I shifted before I hit the ground, pulling an Eryx as I unsheathed my black blade and drove it into the first enemy I saw as I hit the ground. My blade sang in my hand, the runes shining as I swung it into the next person.

These were all Lord Aydun’s men, I realized. The green and copper coloring gave it away quite easily. I spied the red-headed lord himself mounted on his horse, far away from the mob of fighting soldiers and completely surrounded by his guards.

The coward .

Asteria landed beside me, and I kept her in my line of sight as she kicked out at a Fae who rushed her, knocking him off balance. She unsheathed her shining silver blade and drove it straight through his neck.

As the blood spurted out, and he fell to the ground convulsing, I saw her little smirk before she wiped it off her face.

That’s my girl.

A loud cheer of Asteria’s name went up from the back of Arien’s forces, and I realized with surprise that those were humans in Arien’s ranks. I raised a brow at him as he landed.

“Little busy at the moment,” he complained as he swung his blade at a green and bronze-clad man.

I rolled my eyes, unimpressed by his inability to multitask. But I ignored it for now, and just appreciated that Asteria was being recognized. Even the Fae following Arien watched her carefully when they had the rare spare moment in the heat of battle. Everyone wanted to see their future queen.

She needed to be here for this. Arien was right about that. Just as the people of Night had needed the reassurance that she was there for them, Day needed to know who she was and what she stood for. They needed to trust her to lead them, and that was a big ask. Especially for someone who was essentially a stranger and an outsider by all measures except blood.

I danced around the battlefield, my blade swinging faster and faster as we chopped down the men before us. Asteria was now grinning widely, getting into it as her blade slashed through the air.

She may think me poetry in motion with a blade in hand, but she was quickly becoming a whole song unto herself. That light that existed in her, it shone so brightly whenever she let go like this. Every time she tried to stifle and suppress her feelings, it dimmed.

The only way to make it to the light was to get through the darkness. That was a truth everyone knew.

Asteria embraced darkness everywhere else but within herself.

But right now, she let it in.

Blood was splattered on her face and chest. Her hair was being tangled by the wind. And she grinned as she cut off a Fae soldier’s head.

I’d never seen a sight so beautiful in my entire life.

Her eyes lit up with starlight, and it began to slowly surround her. I wanted her to embrace that fully, and let her light shine for miles.

I swung my blade into a soldier’s neck, pulling it out to gut the next. The numbers were beginning to dwindle slightly on the opposing side, and the humans who’d apparently decided to help fight in Arien’s army began to move forward to help clean up the stragglers.

“Asteria!” A voice called, and I turned in tandem with her. A copper-headed male with hair to his shoulders and emerald-green eyes stepped forward. Her eyes widened, and I growled as I realized who this must be.

“Soren.” She gasped, and I immediately cut my way over to her. I watched him pull her into a quick hug, distracting her. I snarled, pushing him away and stabbing the Fae who was sneaking up on her.

Asteria panted with wide eyes, looking at me, before her eyes cut to Soren. She winced, grabbing my hand. “Sorry, I won’t get distracted again.”

“You better not.” I insisted, smirking slightly as I pretended not to feel Soren’s glare. If looks could kill. But given I felt similarly about him, he could fuck himself. “If I have to drag you back from Elysium, you’ll never forgive me for stealing you from paradise.”

I could feel the Fae trying to sneak up behind me and stabbed my sword backward, catching him right in the stomach. I pulled the blade out, and Asteria watched me with a heated look, biting her lip.

“If you’re not there, then it’s not paradise, my dorchadas.” She winked, and I struggled not to grab her right then. But she kept her promise, paying attention as a mounted Fae in fancy bronze armor with a green surcoat galloped toward her.

“We will never bow to a feeble woman!” he screamed, a snarl on his face. I noticed Lord Aydun watching him proudly. I narrowed my eyes, marking the man for death right then. I’d make him feel all the pain of Tartarus before he enjoyed his permanent stay there.

“For King Aelius!” The man shouted again as he charged.

Soren went to grab Asteria and pull her behind him, holding his sword aloft. I rolled my eyes at him. Asteria brushed him off with a growl, making his head rear back in surprise. She bent her knees slightly, and as the rider approached, Asteria let her wings out and used her knees to get a boost up, giving her more air more quickly.

She flew above him, leaving the man gaping as he tried to readjust. But there was no time. The swing of her sword was a thing of beauty. The man’s head flew off his neck while the horse kept running, albeit more slowly without anyone directing it, and the man’s body slumped off to the other side.

Asteria landed on her feet, her wings rustling. Nox, I loved that woman.

Seeing that display from the future queen they dreaded seemed to inspire the enemy soldiers to regroup. Maybe she was more of a threat than they expected, maybe they just feared her regardless—I couldn’t rightly say. But they managed to line up a charge, which would take down many of Arien’s men if they succeeded.

“Calix! Asteria!” Titan called, and I looked to where he was running toward us. “Lord Freyr’s men! They’re coming from the other side. We’re going to be stuck between them.”

As he finished, a horn blew, announcing the approaching army. Fuck . The people of Day were obviously getting tired. We needed to swap out men quickly.

“Arien!” I called to my mate’s brother. He whipped around to face me after cutting open the stomach of the man he’d been fighting. “Tell me you have reinforcements!”

Arien shrugged helplessly with a grimace. “If they show up in time!”

By the Otherworld. I guess it was up to us. Thank Nox we’d come.

“Asteria, stick with me,” I instructed her, dipping my head and sending my near begging through the bond.

“Who are you to order her around?” Soren spat, stepping up to me like he was going to abandon the battle to take out his petty grievances.

I raised an eyebrow slowly, growling at him.

“Hey!” Asteria shouted, pulling Soren back. “He’s not ordering me around, you ass. And we have a battle to fight if you didn’t notice. Go fight that. I can speak for myself.”

Soren looked injured at her words, and I couldn’t blame him, honestly. Just because I wanted to disembowel him slowly and painfully with my claws didn’t mean I didn’t understand.

If I’d had Asteria and lost her, I’d lose my Tartarus damned mind.

Titan and Arien thankfully broke up the tension, ordering everyone into new lines. Asteria stayed with me, but Soren was sent to the other side. A smart move. I couldn’t guarantee my patience for the human lusting over my mate would last amid bloodlust.

I grabbed Asteria’s hand, kissing her knuckles. She smiled at me, nodding slightly. I nodded back before turning to face the coming charge.

As the horses began to gallop, I could hear the horn blowing from the other side. If we could break this charge, we could move over to help with Lord Freyr’s men. We could not let this city fall to Aelius.

Asteria and I both let our wings free, flying up into the air as the riders galloped toward us. We were in the middle of the line, so most were able to see us. We flew right into the first two enemies we saw, knocking them down for someone else to finish. Then we continued on, knocking the men off their horses like dominos. Those who struggled, got a sword slashed across their throats.

The gush of blood spraying on my face only made me smile. The thrill of battle beat in my heart. It was even more incredible than normal. Amplified, thanks to Asteria feeling the same rush.

Their charge was destroyed, thanks to our work, so we left the other men to finish them. They cheered us on as we flew around to the other side of the palace where the next battle awaited.

Fuck . This was not good.

Arien’s forces were severely outnumbered here. It put us at too much risk of losing this battle. That would leave Arien, and more importantly, Asteria, down hundreds of valuable fighting men for the war to come.

Arien had clearly already charred who he could with his flames, but the fighting was too messy to do much more in our dragon forms. I hated this setup. This would never happen in Night. Our cities were built to defend, while Avalon was built in this ridiculous circle, meaning everyone was in a weird position and spread out too thin to be in any way helpful.

All we could do was join the fight, so that’s what we did. I let my shadows bleed out as a group of soldiers made the mistake of targeting me. The men, a group of maybe ten to twelve of them, began trying to surround me. They clearly had no idea what they were dealing with. I let a smirk creep up my lips as I sent my shadows out, circling around their necks as they tried to fruitlessly pull at the black, snaking shadows that formed their noose.

My shadows were mine to command, and my will made manifest. I used that will, yanking hard on the shadows and snapping their necks in a moment. Their lifeless bodies fell to the ground with a thump of satisfaction.

I spun my blade, moving into the crowded fighting quarter and shoving it into the back of a Fae attacking a smaller Day Kingdom soldier. As his friend rushed me, yelling his vengeance, my shadows surrounded him. I let them have some fun, choking the life from the soldier as he suffocated on my darkness.

All the while, my black blade kept moving. I stabbed and slashed, blocked, and parried. It had been too long since we’d gone into a battle like this. I needed the rush of fire in my veins it provided me. Maybe it was twisted, the need I felt for bloodshed, but I knew no better way to exercise my demons. It gave me a clarity of mind I could find nowhere else.

Well, maybe one other place.

I kept a close eye on her. Ensuring my mate was well the entire time. While she was a bit tired, understandably, she was still going strong. Thank Nox.

I spotted Lord Freyr across the field, and the thought came to me that his men might abandon him if he fell. It happened often enough. Take the leader down, and the rest will follow. If we could get Freyr, we might be able to get a surrender out of them.

I turned to Asteria and explained my plan, holding off the soldiers barreling down on us with a wall of shadow so we could talk. She agreed quickly, and I let the wall drop. Their surprise, as shadows, starlight, and steel were suddenly on them, was gratifying.

Asteria and I got into a rhythm as we fought our way through the mass of fighting soldiers. We fought back-to-back, and it felt like the bond between us was a living, breathing thing in that moment.

I knew every move she was about to make, and she could clearly sense mine. We moved so fluidly; it was almost eerie. I swung high; she ducked low. She twirled right; I shifted left. We were able to swing around each other’s blades with ease, never once tripping up and getting in the way.

Usually, the rage and bloodlust kept me going during a fight. But right now… wonder and a sense of rightness, of balance, took me over. A feeling of peace so strong it rattled me to my bones.

I watched Asteria as she found the strength inside herself to continue despite her fatigue, pushing herself through it. And I wasn’t the only one watching her in wonder. The Fae soldiers and humans around us were doing the same. Whenever they weren’t actively engaged against an enemy, the ones near us cut their wide eyes over to her.

It was like watching a goddess touch down on Adamah.

We were halfway through the mass of people when it happened. A horn blew, and my head whipped around to find Lord Kem’s forces approaching. The blue and white banners and surcoats made it clear whose army it was.

“ Fuck !” I snarled, that familiar rage rising once more. If they engaged, we were done for without a huge show of magic, and I couldn’t be everywhere at once. It was easy to form a wall, but it was more difficult and needed more concentration to attack while holding it. Already, our forces were being pushed back. I sent out an enormous wall of shadow, despite the risk of attack from the soldiers around us, and blocked Kem’s men from approaching.

Asteria lifted her hand with a smirk, and a blast of starlight shot out. It seemed like the entire world paused as everyone stopped to watch. This power that shouldn’t exist in our world, but somehow, now did. It arced straight over our soldiers and blasted into Lord Freyr and the men around him.

They flew back, and I watched in amazement as they flew far . The soldiers fighting us a moment ago stopped and dropped their swords as Asteria held up her glowing hand, starlight consuming it entirely, like I remembered from our shared dreams. They fell to their knees, bowing their heads in surrender.

I let the darkness drop from in front of Lord Kem’s army, letting them see what had happened. Kem snarled and called for them to charge, but Asteria brought her arm down from above her head to aim straight at him.

Kem charged, and I brought my arm up to match Asteria’s. I nodded at her with a smirk, and she matched the movement. Our magic erupted from our fingertips, and began to weave around the other’s until a mass of starry darkness hovered before us. Together, we sent it forward, a swirling cyclone of starlight and darkness that barreled down on them.

It sent them flying backward, too, their entire force now in complete chaos. I laughed in delight, picking Asteria up and spinning her around. Her giggle was an amazing thing to hear, and I wanted nothing more than to bury myself in her right now. To feel all that tight heat surrounding me with the thrill of battle and blood still racing through my veins.

The look in her eye told me she wouldn’t mind that one bit.

“They’re retreating!” someone shouted. And sure enough, the armies were scrambling up and away. I knew there was no chance Cyrus wouldn’t hear about Asteria’s power now, but we’d managed to at least save Day from Aelius and his goons.

And as the men around us all hit their knees, calling out praise to Queen Asteria…

I’d say it was definitely worth it.