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Aerix brushes his hand against my back as we continue our walk through the barns, his touch deliberate and approving.

“You handled that perfectly,” he murmurs, his magic wrapping around me like a caress. “You didn’t flinch from her accusations. Didn’t justify yourself. You continue to prove why the gods crafted you to be mine.”

His midnight eyes are fixed on me with an intensity that would terrify anyone else, his jaw tight, his body tense. As if he’s waiting for something.

I know exactly what he needs from me. It’s what he always needs from me.

But this time, I let him wait. Just long enough to feel it—to recognize the power I hold over him, even as he believes he’s the one with all the control .

“I am yours,” I reassure him. “Because I love you, Aerix. Always. And soon, I’ll be with you forever.”

The tension leaves his body in an instant, his wings relaxing against his back as a light, cool breeze blows around us.

“And I love you, Zoey,” he says, low and reverent.

“More than any creature has ever loved another. More than I thought I was capable of. More than I can survive, if I ever lose you.” He leans closer, his voice dipping into something possessive, quiet, and devastating all at once.

“You are my crown and my undoing. My chaos and my clarity. And I will freeze this entire world solid before I let anyone take you from me.”

My breath catches, and I tilt my head, letting my fingers trail up the edge of his wing. “You talk like you’re afraid you might lose me,” I say softly. “But you won’t, Aerix. I promise you won’t.”

Exhaling like I’ve given him oxygen, his fingertips trace the curve of my cheek, leaving a trail of cold that burns in the most delicious way. And then, he kisses me—slow and deep. Like he’s carving his name into me all over again.

“Now,” he continues after we break apart, “let’s find you someone worthy to sustain your new life.”

We move deeper into the barns, past dozens of cells filled with humans who don’t meet my eyes. Some stare at the floor, others at the wall—anywhere but at us. The silence is broken only by occasional whimpers or the shuffling of feet as people retreat to the backs of their cells.

“How far up does it go?” I ask, craning my neck to see the uppermost levels.

“Twenty tiers,” Aerix replies, his fingers laced with mine as we walk. “The highest cells are for those the nobles find less appealing.”

As we round a corner to view another section of cells, my breath catches in my throat. A flash of white-blonde hair, familiar blue eyes—for a moment, my heart stops.

“What is it?” Aerix asks, the air swirling protectively around us.

I step closer to the cell, my eyes fixed on the woman inside.

She isn’t Sapphire—not really. Her hair is a shade too yellow, her eyes more gray than blue. But something in the set of her shoulders and the defiant tilt of her chin reminds me so much of my best friend that it makes my chest ache.

“This one,” I say, my voice firmer than I expected. “She’s the one I want.”

The woman rises from her cot, wary but not cowering.

“What’s your name?” I ask her.

“Laura,” she answers, her voice soft but steady, just like Sapphire’s used to be when she was thinking through a problem.

Having someone who reminds me of Sapphire to keep me alive here feels like fate. A tether to who I used to be, even as I let go.

“A good choice,” Aerix murmurs, turning to face me fully. “She has spirit. Not broken, but bendable.”

“She looks like Sapphire,” I admit, although I don’t elaborate further.

“She does,” Aerix agrees. “Remember—I saw them, too.”

Them.

Sapphire and Riven. They were there when Aerix flew me away from the attack at the waterfall—when he saved me from those monsters who were going to drown me if I remained there any longer.

He studies my face, his eyes seeming to see far more than I’m saying.

“Your human life is fading, Zoey,” he says softly. “After tonight, the memories will feel like a dream.”

“I know,” I whisper, and I do.

I’m ready to let go of my old life—even of Sapphire. But having Laura will be like keeping a small piece of that past, transformed into something that fits my new existence.

Aerix lifts his hand to my face, his touch gentle as he tilts my chin up. “Are you having second thoughts?” he asks, a dangerous edge beneath the softness of his question.

“No,” I say firmly, since any hesitation will cost me. “I want this. I want you. Forever.”

The tension in his wings eases, and then he’s drawing me closer, his lips finding mine again in a slow, controlled kiss. It’s a claim. A promise. A quiet possession. His thumb traces along my jaw while his other hand finds my hip—the spot under the dress that’s signed with his name.

“You’re the only thing I’ve ever been certain of,” he whispers so quietly that the words are for me alone. “I knew it from the moment I saw you.”

Just like at the fountain when he had me drink his blood, it feels like he’s offering himself to me—every twisted, powerful, broken part of him.

The thought steals my breath away, making my heart race beneath my ribs.

This dark, deadly prince who commands fear from an entire court is offering me everything he is, and I absolutely love him for it.

I let my hands slide up his back, fingers finding the sensitive base of his wings where feathers meet flesh. I press lightly, watching his eyes darken as a shudder of pleasure runs through him.

“Careful,” he warns, his voice rough with desire. “Keep touching me like that, and I might ruin you right here in the barns. ”

I press deeper, feeling the tremor that runs through his wings as I caress the sensitive spot. And as I do, power floods my veins.

Intoxicating. Addictive. Dangerous.

“Then let them see,” I challenge, and then his mouth is on mine again, his wings tightening around us as he backs me against the nearby wall, his body pressing against mine with delicious urgency.

“You’re playing with fire,” he murmurs against my throat, his fangs grazing the sensitive skin there.

My fingers thread through his hair, pulling him closer. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not afraid of getting burned.”

His laugh is dark and hungry as he lifts his head to look at me.

“So eager to be consumed, little consort, even though we have a ceremony to prepare for.” His wings pull back, although his body remains pressed against mine, as if he can’t gather enough control to pull away.

“And believe me, when I finally make you immortal, I want you in my bed—not against a cell wall.”

I sigh, dropping my hands from his wings. “Fine. But afterward?—”

“Afterward,” he promises, his eyes gleaming with dark promises, “I’ll show you exactly what an eternity with me means.”

As we walk back toward the entrance, heads turn to watch. The humans in their cells, the guards at their posts—all witnessing the prince and his consort locked in their own private world.

Tonight’s just the beginning.

After my transformation, we’ll have forever to explore what we are to each other. Forever to love in our own dark, twisted way.

And I can hardly wait.