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Evelina

My father is Nyx, the God of Fear and Dreams.

Evelina froze. The words slammed into her over and over again.

“My mother was fae,” Daimon continued. “ She was the one that worshiped a dark god, devotedly and without fail.”

The blood drained from her face.

“How long have you known?” she whispered.

He ran his hand roughly through his hair. “Nyx came to me the day I was supposed to return back to you. He showed me memories—” His voice broke and he took a steadying breath. “Memories of my mother being burned alive just after my birth. It was at the hand of the villagers in her own town—people that had known her since she was a child.”

Evelina swallowed thickly. Her mind raced as the words sunk in. Daimon was the son of a dark god. The shadow boy with midnight eyes who comforted her when she was plagued with sadness. The soldier who left her behind. The commander who shared a dream with her when she was overwhelmed.

“A midwife was supposed to come in after my Essence released, but she came too soon,” he continued, looking at the ground. “She saw the way my Essence cut off, the way it didn’t seek out anyone other than my mother. Maliena ran out the back of our cottage with me in her arms. She’s hidden the truth all this time.”

He wouldn’t look at her. There was so much pain in his eyes that she felt his sadness mingle with her anger. He’d dealt with this alone for nearly his entire life.

“Maliena knew?” she asked softly.

He nodded his head and looked up at her. “If anyone learns who I am, whose blood runs in my veins, they would treat me just as they did my mother. What future would you have with a forsaken god’s bastard?”

She held his gaze, her body unnaturally still as she took his words in. Worshiping the dark gods was punishable by exile to the wildlands—untamed forests with creatures straight from the Vale.

“I refuse to doom you to the same fate,” he vowed.

She reached forward and took his face in her hands. “That is still my decision to make.”

“But it’s more than that,” he added quietly. “Nyx wants me to rule over the Shadow Realm as Vidaris’s right hand.” He gently pulled her hands away from his face, putting space between them. It felt like an entire mountain separated them.

“It’s my birthright. Whether I will it or not, one day the gods will ensure I take up the helm and fulfill my duties.” He shook his head and laughed bitterly. “Only one born of both worlds can sit on the throne of darkness in the Shadow Realm. It’s written in the stars for me.”

Her breath caught. She fought against the tears threatening to spill—blessed Divine, she was tired of crying. Her body was exhausted, but buzzing with energy at the same time.

“You don’t have to carry this alone anymore—you never should have done it alone. All this time we could’ve…” She trailed off, unable to keep the frustration from her voice. “Nyx doesn’t know what our future holds. No one does.”

His gaze landed on her tears and his face fell, the mask of the commander crumbling again. She stared into the eyes of the boy she once knew, his vulnerability seeping through his normal facade at her words.

“But it doesn’t make it a risk I’m willing to take.” He held her gaze, his midnight eyes blazing with determination. “I want to keep you safe. To prevent you from the possibility of losing me all over again.”

Evelina growled in frustration. She placed her palms against his chest and pushed him back a step.

“You didn’t have to decide this alone!” she shouted, her temper flaring. She pushed him again, and this time, her hands curled around the collar of his shirt as she seethed. “This is my choice. I’m willing to chance it. We’ve seen so much death, Daimon. So much pain and loss. Our days could be numbered as it is, and you want to spend it being in fear?”

His eyes traveled down to her mouth, her hands still gripped in his shirt. She didn’t know if she was pulling him closer or pushing him away.

He’d had countless chances to tell her this, yet he hadn’t. Despite the grief she felt for what he’d gone through all alone, she was still furious with him.

“I always thought you never came back because you grew tired of me,” she admitted. “You led me to believe that. You had the chance to tell me the truth and you chose not to.”

“My heart will never tire of you,” he said immediately, his voice a low hum.

Her nostrils flared as he stared down at her. She squeezed the fabric bunched in her hands tighter and pulled him a little closer.

She didn’t know where her pain ended and his began.

She needed him to fight for her, to show her that he wouldn’t abandon her again. As much as she wanted to fall into his arms, she couldn’t forget the years he’d stayed away. He’d built walls around himself so high that she didn’t know how they would ever truly come down. But she needed to see him try.

“Then don’t give up so easily,” she begged. “Don’t let me go this time.”