The air grew colder the longer she stood outside the ballroom, but she stayed. She let herself get lost in the formation of the stars, sought out the clusters that Daemon had shown her, and allowed her mind to wander. She’d just found the ones that made the shape of an archer when she sensed Daemon behindher. She kept her face tilted toward the sky and smiled as his arms wrapped around her torso. She leaned back into his touch.
“Find what you’re looking for, my star?” His breath was hot against her neck, his lips soft as he trailed a line of kisses down the column of her throat.
“I think it found me.”
She felt him smile as he pressed another kiss to her neck before gently turning her to face him. “Do you think they’ll miss us if we escape for a little while?”
Auraelia quirked a brow, her head canting slightly as she searched his face in the dim light that filtered out of the ballroom. “Escape to where?”
Daemon’s mischievous grin was infectious, and she couldn’t help but return it. He pulled her to him, and shadows whisked them away into the night.
When the shadows dissipated, Auraelia’s brows pinched as she took in the familiar line of trees. “Nefeli Lake?”
Daemon’s arms slipped from around her, his hand sliding into hers as he guided her through the trees. “While I was in Kalmeera, I did some digging in the archives for any information that may be helpful in the battle against Davina. And though I didn’t find anything that would help you or us, I did find something interesting.”
“Oh?” Auraelia asked, intrigued—but also slightly confused—as to where this conversation could possibly be going and what it had to do with the lake. When the silence lingered, she let out a small laugh. “Care to share what that discovery was?”
“Patience, my star.” He replied, laughing when she groaned in disapproval. “It’s worth the wait, I promise.”
When they arrived at the willow, Auraelia sent a wisp of magic to pull the vines aside and let Daemon guide her through them and to the bank on the other side. Fireflies danced in the tallgrass surrounding the lake, and the stars were a shimmering reflection on the water’s still surface.
They sat in silence, staring up at the stars that twinkled overhead, but when it lingered too long, Auraelia turned toward him. “Daemon—”
“When you brought me here the first time, I remember my first thought being that it looked like a piece of my home had been dropped into yours. And at the time, it seemed far-fetched and nonsensical. But, when I was in the archives, I found a box full of journals and letters.” Daemon pulled his gaze from the stars and turned toward her, grasping her hands. “Journals and letters from Killian and Astraea.”
Auraelia’s heart leaped into her throat, her eyes flicking frantically between his as she waited for him to continue.
“Those dreams we’ve been having? They truly are memories, Auraelia. And this place?” He released one of her hands to gesture around them. “This was a gift from Killian to Astraea.”
“I—I don’t understand.”
Daemon pulled her into his lap and cupped her face between his hands. “I don’t know how he did it, he didn’t say in the journal entry I read, but somehow he got a piece of the Sapphire Isles to Lyndaria. He gave her a piece of his home, ofhim, after she became engaged.”
“But, he was married… wasn’t he?”
“He was.” He nodded gravely. “But it seems that he was still holding onto some shred of hope that they could be together. That if she wasn’t married, he could still have her.”
Auraelia tracked his movement as he dropped her hand and reached into his vest pocket. When he pulled out an aged piece of parchment, her breath caught in her throat.
“Here. It might make more sense if you read it for yourself. I think it’s a draft of the letter he sent to her.”
She didn’t understand why her hands were trembling as she gently took the paper from Daemon. Tears were already welling in her eyes as she thought back to the pain she’d endured in her dreams. Pain that had felt so real…because it had been. She’d beenrelivinga love that had ended in heartbreak.
She unfolded the parchment with gentle fingers, smoothing out the creases before running her finger along the one jagged edge from where Daemon had pulled it from its binding. The writing seemed rushed; some of the lines had been crossed out, and there appeared to be tear stains where the ink had run.
Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Auraelia inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly as she read the first line on the page.
Tears streamed down Auraelia’s face.
Tears for the love that was lost lifetimes ago and for the love that had been renewed between herself and Daemon.
Carefully, she refolded the parchment and handed it back to him. “How—how could she just let him go?” Her voice quavered as she spoke, and he gently wiped away the tears that continued to fall.
“She did what she thought was best for her people; they both did.”
His words struck a chord, like a bolt of lightning straight to her heart. She’d done the same thing. Repeated a history that had been lost or unknown for centuries.
“I’m so sorry, Daemon. I—”
