Tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the day I see her again. The day I hold her in my arms and can breathe knowing she is safe.
These weeks without her have been the worst torture of my life. It’s a feeling no one could understand unless they’ve experienced it firsthand. It’s like trying to live without your heart.
Cool water curls around my ankles as I stare out at the onyx waves. Jace paces halfway down the beach, glaring out into the ocean, no doubt envisioning all the ways he plans on tormenting Kylian for what he’s done. He’s not exactly what I’d call a friend, but I’ll be there right alongside him, waiting for my turn.
Mar sits cross-legged before the dying fire, tracing patterns in the sand while Dover’s sleeping head lolls in her lap.
I take a seat beside her. “How long did Serena know? About you?”
“The night she got back from bonding the dragon. She told me everything. She trusted me, so I returned the favor.”
“She’s lucky to have a friend like you. You coming out here, using your power again even though it could put you at risk…I know how much it will mean to her. And you should know it means a great deal to me, as well.” I pause. “My mother was a Blueblood.”
Mar looks up at me, surprised.
“She refused asylum to stay with my father.”
“I didn’t know,” she murmurs, studying me for a moment. “I’ve missed my magic.” Her admission sounds almost guilty. “I worried that leaving it untouched for so long, that power would dwindle away to nothing, but it’s the opposite. There is no greater honor than to use it to help save a friend.”
A sad smile tugs at her lips.
“Why did you leave your clan?”
“I was tired of hiding.” She looks away, using the beat to shift topics. “When we get her back, are you going to tell her, or are you going to wait until the next time she’s stolen and made prisoner to speak up?”
I shift my gaze back to her. “Tell her what?”
She tips her head, her keen eyes narrowed as the breeze rustles her auburn hair. “That you’re in love with her, obviously.”
The statement sends a jolt through me. There’s no use in denying it— Mar is too smart for her own good. She’d call bullshit in a second.
“I’m her familiar.”
“Zadyn, comeon.”
Dover shifts in his sleep. I lower my voice and say, “She’s in love with Jace.”
“She thinks she is.”
It’s clear from her tone that she isn’t a fan of that particular relationship.
“Right now my sole focus is getting her back. The rest we can figure out in time.”
“We will get her back. And believe me when I say she’s going to open her eyes eventually. So you’d better be ready.”
“Aren’t you the nosy one.” I crack a small smile, and she shakes her head, returning it with one of her own.
The truth is, I don’t know if there is anything to figure out. For as long as Serena has known me, she really hasn’t knownme. She’s known the faces I wore, the disguises I took on in her old life. Sometimes I forget that I’m as new to her as this entire world is. Eventhough I’ve known her forever, even though I have always seen her, I don’t know if she sees me. Even now.
How can you love someone that’s invisible?
We fall silent, lost in our own thoughts. Playing out every possible outcome of our rescue mission until a sliver of sunlight peeks over the horizon.
It may be the last one we ever see.
Tomorrow is almost here.
