They’dmade me alake.
An onsen.
Julien stays in the silence with me, and when another breeze catches my hair, his heat holds steady. Always.
He draws me from my awestruck state with a gentle touch, the back of his fingers trailing down the side of my neck, over my shoulder—as he slowly steps away. Wordlessly inviting me to follow.
As we head back inside, just when I thought I’d seen everything, movement catches my eye. Sai, lounging in the shadows like he’s been there the whole time, smirking.
He steps out into a soft shaft of light that bathes him from above.
I frown, then glance up.
A wide skylight stretches over the bed, a circular window mirroring the size of the fur rug. Soft twilight seeps through, deep blue bleeding to grey at the edges, and the last pinpricks of starlight still flicker, caught in the pre-dawn haze.
The air hums, then Sai’s arms reach around my waist, chin nestling into the crook of my neck.
“What you looking at, Red?” he asks, quiet, but with that twinge of mischief he always carries.
“Was this you?” I whisper.
His lips brush my cheek. “You said you liked stars.”
That stops me.
Because I did say that—once. Casually. A throwaway comment about the reason behind my name.
And he remembered.
I lean back into his hold, and crackles of violet spark in the air.
He lifts a hand beside my face, pointing towards a specific patch of sky.
“And that one,” he murmurs, voice warm beside my ear. “That’s all yours, Red.”
What?I turn in his hold, just enough to catch his gaze.
“You bought me astar?” I breathe.
“No, baby.” He smirks. “A constellation.”
A constellation.
Not just one star—many. Something mapped into the sky. Something… eternal.
Heat presses behind my eyes, but I force it down as I stare at him. At this ridiculous, infuriating, beautiful fae who taunts and teases—
And gifts me galaxies.
I kiss him. Just a chaste touch to the edge of his mouth. His fingers twitch at the abruptness, but then tighten—arms circling around my entire waist as he leans in to take my mouth fully.
“Is it a kiss per star?” he murmurs when we part. “Because there’s five in yours.”
I laugh, breathless, happy and… something else.
Ezekial steps from the shadows next, tablet in hand like he’s been waiting for his cue. He walks to us, then holds it out for me.
On the screen, there’s a sky speckled with stars. With a tap, a thin line appears, threading through five of the brightest points, shaping them—creating the constellation.
