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Evelina

Something cold and wet splattered onto Evelina’s forehead, jolting her out of her peaceful sleep. She blinked open her eyes as another droplet of water hit her. Through her blurry vision, she found a steady drip of water coming from the crack in the roof.

Sighing, she stretched her arms over her head. Birds chirped, replacing the creatures of the night and their song. The sun hadn’t fully risen, and the sky glowed a soft lavender. From the sounds of it, the rest of the camp hadn’t awoken yet.

She slipped on a fresh leather top and pants, wondering if she’d be able to ride with Zephyr today. And, of course, Zephyr’s Rider…the same Rider making her head a confused mess this morning.

At some point, Evelina had drifted out of her own dream realm into the first uninterrupted night of sleep she’d had in ages, maybe even since the early days of the war. Spending time like that with Daimon again brought back a flood of memories—and all the buried feelings that went with them. The repressed hurt and betrayal she kept locked in a box deep within her mind, one she tried to ignore. Even the anger she allowed herself to feel was only a fraction of the rage that stayed hidden too .

What if, deep down, he was still the boy she longed for?

A seed of hope blossomed inside her at the possibility. He might look and act older, might have been the commander of the most lethal legion in the empire…but she had seen glimpses of the boy she once knew.

For now, all she wanted was to tell him she missed him. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to forgive him for staying away yet, but it would help if he finally explained why.

She could give him a chance to explain, which was more than what she was willing to do in the past. She needed to know why he left before she could open herself any further to him. No more dancing around the topic without fully confronting it. She needed answers.

Her mind set, she left the cabin with her back straight and her gaze set on the dimly lit forest.

Daimon

Daimon set out on his morning patrol with Keir and Brielle. He’d slipped out of Evelina’s room as soon as the dream ended. He needed room to breathe—to think and separate himself from the intoxication he felt when she was near.

They were almost like their old selves last night. He hadn’t planned on sharing a dream with her—it was something far more intimate than two sort-of-friends should’ve done.

But recently, they had begun to ease into a familiar rhythm. It had started happening slowly—ever since the day he was injured in battle. As if more was starting to heal between them just as she mended his wound .

They were edging back toward becoming friends again, the safest option. But more and more he wondered if keeping the truth from her was the right thing to do.

It wasn’t lost on him that he was already putting her in more danger than he’d ever intended. Encountering rebels on patrols had become a more frequent occurrence, with no end in sight. Nothing came of the cave they had seen them running in and out—another dead end.

Daimon needed to be focused to keep everyone safe. Getting distracted by his feelings for Evelina was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

Keir, Brielle, and Daimon finished their patrol, landing their wyverns in front of their cavern. Evelina was standing at the side of the fleet’s cabin, her arms folded over her chest. Her hair whipped around her face from the wyverns’ landing. Leaves scattered and small trees bent in the rushing wind.

She locked eyes with Daimon and his pulse quickened. He slid off Zephyr and strode toward Evelina, Zephyr’s golden eyes watching them curiously as she shifted behind him. Keir and Brielle quickly peeled off, sensing their need for space.

The closer he got, the more nervous he felt. Something looked off about her; she was fidgeting, switching between messing with her hair and the hem of her shirt.

“You’re up early,” he said evenly.

She swallowed and took a deep breath. “We should talk.”

His eyes bounced between hers. “About?” he asked hesitantly.

With a small step toward him, she appeared to steel her spine. “You promised you would come back home,” she whispered. “And when you finally did, you didn’t try to explain why. You’ve had countless opportunities since we’ve been here.”

His chest tightened. This was exactly the kind of misstep he couldn’t afford to make right now. He knew he made a mistake as soon as he woke up, offering a piece of his heart when he could never give it to her in its entirety .

“Why did you stay away?” she continued, her eyes filling with tears. She angrily swiped them away as they fell. “Why wouldn’t you come back to visit or at least write to me?”

Daimon clenched his jaw, his mouth pressed into a thin line. It was an impossible question. How could she understand the truth? That he stayed away because he had the blood of a dark god running through his veins. That his birthright was to become the Lord of Shadows, a game piece manipulated by the gods.

That his fate was the kind that could only bring ruin.

“Please, just say something,” she whispered.

“Evelina.” He swallowed. “I?—”

“Pack a bag,” Keir shouted from behind them.

“—can’t,” he finished weakly, his eyes dropping to her frown. He turned around.

Keir had a piece of parchment in his hand. A hawk was sitting on his shoulder, a small tin attached to its foot. “There’s been word from the palace!” he yelled, walking closer to them. His mouth was set in a deep frown. “We’re to report back for a briefing on the recent attacks.”

Keir glanced up at Evelina, a brief glint of uncertainty in his eye, and Daimon knew it then. Something was wrong. Keir clenched his jaw and crumpled the paper in his hand. Whatever it was, he didn’t look inclined to share.

“Gloriana needs to stay in case a healer is needed with the ground troops,” he said without slowing down. “We leave in an hour.”