Page 64

Daimon

They hit the ground heavily, far less smoothly than they normally did. Zephyr shook her head out, a nervous tic he had only witnessed a handful of times. She shuffled her wings, restless, and then tucked them in close.

Waves crested and broke, washing up along the shore beside them. They were near Zephyr’s cave, close enough that he could see its familiar shape even in the darkness.

But he froze when he saw the figure beyond the cave.

Evelina was standing on the shore of the Andronicus. She was wringing her hands together, fidgeting with the rings on her fingers. The crown had faded, no longer visible on her head. The flame had dimmed from her eyes.

Daimon unmounted, casting a fleeting glance at Zephyr. Her golden eyes shined with sadness as she laid her head down to rest in the sand.

The moment his boots hit land felt like a final nail in his coffin. He walked over to Evelina slowly, dragging out the inevitable.

When he stood in front of her, he wrapped his arms around her. Her arms instantly snaked around his waist, her head on his chest. He tucked her in close, stroking her hair with one hand while the other held her against him.

Evelina’s heart pounded so fiercely that he could feel it tapping against him, so at odds with the beats of his own. His was beating just as quickly, but they weren’t tapping in unison. Not anymore. Every time her heart paused, his beat.

He pulled back, stepping away. There was so much that he wanted to say to her. But with one look at her face, the words faded from his lips.

She looked down, her finger lightly tracing her palm. His hand itched, as if her finger was touching him instead. He squeezed his hand into a fist to stop himself from reaching out for her. When her gaze lifted to his, he braced himself.

“I—I’ve made my choice, Daimon.”

I will follow you anywhere, Eve.

“We can’t do this. We never could, and I think we both know it,” she whispered, looking down at her hand once more. She continued to rub the smooth skin where the scar should’ve been.

I will love you through the depths of despair, to the ends of our land, and into every blissful moment you offer me.

“I love you. But I love my people more.”

He held her gaze, drinking in the curves of her face, the hazel eyes, the soft lips, one last time. He couldn’t seem to speak the words trapped in his heart.

You are where I want my days to begin and end.

“I need you to go. Go be happy without me, and make a life for yourself. Because maybe you were right the first time for leaving. Maybe it’s too hard being close when we can’t ever be together…” Her voice faltered, her eyes pleading with him. “Daimon? Please say something.”

Every word was a dagger in his chest.

He swallowed, the words leaving his lips like a leaf blowing away in the wind. “I’ll go.”

The answer is always yes, to whatever you ask of me .

Daimon stepped forward, unable to stop himself from this final goodbye. He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers and searing the memory of it into his mind. She melted into him, greedily chasing every kiss he gave.

He pulled back, willing his heart to keep beating despite the pain wedged into it.

Their gazes locked, and his legs threatened to give out.

“Goodbye, Evelina,” he whispered.