Page 4

Farron

I ’ve seen more new and incredible things in one night than in the whole last decade of my life.

But none are so incredible as the man sitting next to me.

A mystery that, for once, I’m not rushing to uncover.

Who are you? Why are you showing me all these places?

Does your heart nearly beat out of your chest when you look at me like when I look at you?

For now, those questions can wait.

At least until the sun rises.

We sit on the morning-cold sand, toes buried deep. Around us, the Summer Realm begins to awaken. Farther down the beach, fishermen make their way to small skiffs. Bustling noises drift in from the city as the markets set up.

Soon, I’ll have to find my way back to Soltide Keep and face all the consequences and judgment of my mother. The High Princess of Autumn and High Prince of Summer certainly wouldn’t like me spending time with this ruffian. It would not be a match they’d approve of.

I sigh and lean forward over my knees, running a hand through my hair. What am I thinking? Match? I’m never going to see Day after tonight.

“Hey, look.” Day’s fingers brush the nape of my neck, and he draws my gaze upward.

The first hints of dawn paint the sky in delicate hues of pink and lavender. There’s a crispness in the air, and the faint scent of salt and seaweed. Waves gently lap the shore.

“I don’t want to return,” I whisper.

“Then don’t.”

I turn and realize he’s been watching me the entire time with that piercing turquoise gaze.

“Everyone has some idea of what my future is supposed to be,” I say. “If I dare voice something different, it’s met by closed ears.”

“Tell me about it,” Day says. “If anyone knew I was out here with you, then I’d be deader than a fish in a net.”

“Really?” I say. “I can’t imagine you letting anyone tell you what to do.”

“If my family had their way, I’d be married off to a boring, snobby crybaby.”

My stomach churns at the thought of him with someone else.

Which is ridiculous. But when my fingers glided over his skin earlier, it was like I put a claim on him.

The sun’s rays peek above the horizon, making the faded blue lines on Day’s chest appear golden.

I could have touched him for a thousand years, memorized every muscle, every dip of hard flesh.

“Instead, you’re out here with boring old me,” I murmur.

“You’re anything but boring, Fare.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I just want to exist in the moment, instead of being caught up in thoughts of the future.”

“I’ve never been able to think like that.”

“Why not start now?”

“It’s not that simple.” How can I explain that my decisions affect an entire realm? He’d never understand.

“Then start small. If you could do one thing right now , what would it be?”

I chew my lip and think. If I let go of the years and years of my future spreading out before me like an endless scroll of duties, what would I want in this moment?

I turn to look at Day, who is now gazing at the sea as if it holds all the answers he’ll ever need. The rising sun casts a golden glow around him, haloing his figure with divine light. He belongs here, as if the sunrise has been painted for him.

His profile is sharp and striking, reminiscent of the statues in Soltide Keep.

Strong jawline, high cheekbones, and eyes that hold a thousand untold stories.

His hair, tousled by the sea breeze, catches the light, turning it to spun gold.

He’s beautiful, achingly so, in a way that feels otherworldly.

“I know what I want.”

He lifts a brow, a smile curving on his lips. “And?”

My heart pounds in my chest, a wild, unsteady rhythm. I’ve always been cautious, measured in every action, but now, as I look at Day sitting there, bathed in the morning light, something in me breaks free.

Before I can second-guess myself, I close the distance between us. Day turns, his eyes meeting mine, wide with surprise. I grab his face in my hands, skin warm beneath my fingers. A slight tremor runs through him.

“Day,” I whisper, my voice raw and trembling. And then, before he answers, I press my lips to his.

The kiss is soft at first, tentative, but then Day responds, his lips parting, and it deepens. A sensation of warmth and light and sweetness wafts over me, leaving me dizzy. Everything else falls away—the beach, the sunrise, the whole world—until there is only this, only us.

We pull apart, breathless and wide-eyed. There’s a new glint in Day’s gaze, something that mirrors the wild, unrestrained emotion I feel inside.

“Was that impulsive enough for you?” I grin. A storm swirls in his eyes, and for a moment, I wonder if I’ve made a terrible mistake. What if he hated that? “I’m sorry, I?—”

“Fuck it,” he growls.

Then he’s on top of me, throwing us to the sand.

His hand grips tight to my hair as he crashes his lips against mine.

The kiss deepens, becoming something more urgent and consuming.

Day grasps my shoulders as if to anchor himself.

His touch burns, igniting a fire beside my heart that grows hotter and hotter.

We tumble, grains sticking to our skin, a tangle of limbs. He pulls me closer, and I can’t get enough of him. His taste, his scent, the feel of his body pressed against mine. I never imagined it could feel like this.

I lift my hips as our bodies rub against each other.

The deep moan in the back of his throat emboldens me further.

My lips trail from his mouth to his jaw, along his neck.

His skin tastes like salt and sunshine. His breath hitches again, and he arches into me, his hands roaming over my back, drawing me closer still.

My fingers glide across his body, mapping every inch, before resting against his heart. It beats wildly in the same cadence as my own.

Day’s hips grind against mine, and I can feel his growing need. Our kisses become hungrier, more desperate, as if we can’t get close enough, can’t find enough ways to express the heat that’s building between us.

I forget everything except salt and sunshine and him . I’m painted in the gold of his light, and I never want to leave. We roll in the sand until I’m above him.

He reaches up and brushes his knuckles along my cheek, and for someone with so much strength, the gesture is tender. “That’s the perfect amount of impulsiveness, Little Leaf.”

For once, I’m out of words and offer him what I can only imagine is an awkward smile, but he looks at me like I’m beautiful anyway. He told me I’m beautiful.

A noise snaps me out of the moment. Clattering footsteps, urgent and quick, approach from the distance. I narrow my gaze and see them along the docks. Autumn soldiers marching alongside Summer legionnaires. One of them stares in my direction, and my heart drops into my stomach.

I scramble to my feet, and Day follows. Sand clings to our bodies, the blue radiant essence smudged. The guards draw closer, eyes widening as they take me in.

“It’s him!” one guard shouts, pointing at us.

“Oh fuck,” Day swears under his breath.

“Don’t tell me you actually are a thief?”

“Not exactly.”

“Don’t worry,” I sigh, attempting to straighten the mess that is currently my toga. “They’re here for me.”

He laughs. “Not to say you aren’t important, but I don’t think they’d send this host for a wayward servant.”

“Correct. They wouldn’t.” I give him one last look before I don a princely disposition and step protectively in front of him. “I never told you I was a servant.”

Before he can respond, the first of the Autumn guards are upon us. “We’ve been searching all night for you, Prince Farron.”

I sigh, unable to look back at Day.

But he, of course, breaks the silence. “Prince fucking Fare -on?”

Whirling, I don’t see confusion on his face, only…anger. He storms up to one of the Summer legionnaires and grips him roughly by the shoulder.

“Listen here, Vitus,” Day snarls, voice low with venom, “you and your little cronies will whisper no details of how you found me to the High Prince, or you can bet by low tide, I’ll let everyone know about your escapade last full moon when you partook in too much honeyed wine.”

“You can’t assault a member of the royal guard!” I cry and grab Day’s arm, but he easily shrugs me off.

The legionnaire’s face blanches. He nods. “As you command, Prince Daytonales.”