Ryker clears his throat. “This is nothing more than gossip. Okenen will not respond to the gossip blogs.” He looks to his mother, who nods in approval. “We will run with the story and nothing more. If interviews are needed, fine. We will address specific questions, but Iwill not engage in this, nor drag Raea through it. As she said, we are friends with a powerful Bond. That’s all anyone needs to know.”
With Ryker staying on Kyrr with me, after dinner, I decide to take him to one of my favorite spots when I need to think and be alone. Today was a lot. And the word love was tossed around quite a bit. Ryker and I haven’t even said those words to each other, and now we’re supposed to share them with the whole system?
I’m wrapped in my cloak when Kuron leads me to the smaller pod. My usual pilot, Sam, is waiting with a genuine smile. I haven’t seen him since I left for school.
“Princess Raea,” he bows.
I smile back and accept his hand as he opens the door to the pod. The floors light up green as I walk to the front, where it opens into seats beneath a glass shell. These pods are used mostly for touring and therefore have the most visibility of them all. They can’t leave the planet, so the glass body is perfect for on-planet transportation.
“Sam, please take us to the Drift.” I throw my hood back. I settle into the seat and buckle. The hair on my arms and neck stands on end as ripples of light hit me.
“Princess,” Rune says, taking the seat ahead of me.
Ryker sits behind him and beside me. Close enough that our knees brush. As soon as the pod dims, Ryker pulls me into his side, wrapping an arm around me. At this moment, words aren’t needed, and he knows that.
We fly over the edge of the palace island before we begin our descent to the forest floor. The Drift comes into view once we break free of the cloud bank. The huge rip in the ground is such a mystery. Nobody has ever been to the bottom, or ever returned. I don’t know why I like coming here, but I’ve always felt drawn to it.
People around the system refer to it as the heart of the system. I’ve always chuckled at the idea. Now, I hate it. After being on Sgya, myonce safe world feels exposed and upended. I draw patterns on Ryker’s thigh. The same ones I saw stamped on my spine in that vision. I’ve been thinking about it a lot today. That vision, our future, the prophecy. He was the arrogant prince assigned to guard my future. I never expected him to become it. And now, I don’t know what I’m feeling other than being stuck, like sitting in a waiting room, waiting for my life to start. I may not be ready, but I’m willing to face what the stars have decided.
Before dinner, my father, my mother, Queen Priana, Ryker, and I met with our guards to plan a two-day trip to Mori to search for Elison. We sent word to King Osiris and Queen Meganna, requesting permission to visit and stay at the palace. We’ll start our search in the capital. We haven’t heard back yet.
Sam lands just outside the treeline, and before the transport is off, I grab Ryker’s hand and lead him to the familiar trail that leads straight to the edge. Kuron keeps his distance as we navigate the moonlit path. Around us, the trees sway in a light breeze, filling the air with the scent of fresh rain and damp soil.
“It’s up here.” His grip on me tightens.
When the gaping hole in the ground comes into view, I lead him right to the edge, plopping down and letting my feet dangle into the cloud bank that stretches across the Drift. It’s so thick, it’s almost as if you could just walk across. No matter the time of day, no matter the weather, this cloud bank is here, so solid, blocking any view of what’s beneath. No amount of technology can penetrate either. Ryker does the same, sitting close enough that our thighs brush against each other.
The sky is bright from the light of our single, large moon that takes up a quarter of the sky and makes the clouds in the Drift reflect the moonlight. Toward the center, you can make out the outline of a tree. We don’t know if there are more. If they’re really tall or if there’s a ledge or a floating island. We don’t know anything.
I’ve been here enough times to know pretty much everything there is to know. When it rains, the raindrops seem to disappear. When it’s storming at night, there are flashes of light in the clouds. It looks likethere might be some sort of electrical creature flying around. Nobody has ever seen them, though. In the early mornings, before the sun rises, there’s a loud cry of something from the bottom. It doesn’t happen every day, making it hard to learn anything.
“This is a mess,” I sigh.
“Raea, look at me.”
I look up into his sapphire eyes, and what I see nearly breaks me.
“Together. We do this together,” he whispers, cupping my cheek. “So what. Let them find out. Let them see how madly in love with you I am. Because I am, Soraea.” He turns to face me directly, taking my hands in his as I criss-cross my legs. He runs his thumbs over my hands, soothing my racing pulse.
“I’m in love with you,” he says again, softly. “I have been, I think, for my whole life, and I’m done hiding it. You aren’t some dirty secret or some scandal. You aren’t a piece of gossip or whatever else they want to call you. What you are is mine. My friend, my future, my fate. You’re my heart and soul, and I can’t thank the gods enough that they chose me to be your mate. What a privilege that is. Even if I have to wait another year, and wait for some ridiculous ceremony to tell me what I already know, I will thank the gods for every second, because in the end, I’ll have you. And if our lifeforce or magical bloodline is restored, or if it’s not, I won’t waste a single second. A human lifespan, or an immortal one, I will always love you. The stars may have already chosen me, but I chose you long before.”
Tears track down my face, puddling in his hands where he’s tenderly holding me. Something in me calms like never before. It’s as if those were the words I’ve been waiting for my whole life.
“You love me?” I ask, my voice breaking despite the feeling of my heart taking flight.
“I do. To the very end, I will love you.”
A whimpering cry escapes me as I lean forward and crawl into his lap—my safe spot. I hold tight, my voice no louder than a whisper. “And if the prophecy is wrong?” I don’t think it is, but my heart and soul feel as if they already belong to him, and if we don’t Bond, I think I might shatter.
“Then my devotion will be enough.” Something ancient tingles at my spine, like the words have branded themselves on me.
“I—” I start, but his finger crushes my lips, pausing me as he leans back.
“No, not tonight. I don’t need you to say it because I did. Not until you’re ready to give your whole heart to me. I know your heart and soul, and that’s enough for now. When you say those words, I want you to know without a doubt that you love me.”
He holds me as both of us settle as the night stretches on in silence. Tears flow every now and then, and he silently brushes them away, but we stay here on the edge, at the heart of the system, where he gave me his heart. The night stretches on, silent save for the hum of the Drift and the beating of our hearts, finally, truly, in sync.
This is everything. This is forever.
