One more step and she'd cross the border.
One more step and the Star Court's protection would mean nothing.
One more step and she'd be his.
Her foot lifted—
A hand clamped around her wrist spinning her away from the border with force that nearly took her off her feet.
She crashed into a solid chest, arms wrapping around her, and she fought. Her hands came up to shove, to claw, anything to get free because Malus was right there, she had to go to him, the marks were burning and pulling and demanding—
Lips crashed against hers.
The kiss was hard,demanding, nothing gentle about it. Strong hands cupped her face, holding her still, and the warmth in her chest exploded outward with violent recognition.
It surged outward, enveloping the person kissing her like it had been drowning and just found air. Golden light erupted from her skin, flooding through her in waves that made her gasp against his mouth. The autumn marks recoiled, their hold shattering under the onslaught of warmth that knew—that recognized—that sang with joy at finding—
Finding what?
The compulsion broke.
Briar's knees gave out and she would have fallen if the arms around her hadn't tightened, holding her up. The kiss gentled, became something less desperate, and when it finally ended she was left gasping, her forehead pressed against a chest that wasn't Eliam's.
Arion.
She jerked back, or tried to, but his arms stayed firm around her waist.
"Easy," he said, his voice rough. "You're safe. You're still on Star Court land."
Her mind was spinning, trying to process too many things at once. She'd been walking to Malus. Arion had stopped her.Arionhad kissed her.
She looked back toward the border stones, toward where Malus had been standing.
Empty. Just snow falling beyond the barrier, peaceful and quiet.
Had he even been there? Or had she dreamed it all, sleepwalked to the border in some nightmare she couldn't remember?
"We need to get you inside," Arion said quietly, his arm still around her waist. "You're freezing."
He was right. Now that the adrenaline was fading, she could feel how numb her bare feet were, how the thin sleep shirt did nothing against the wind. She nodded, not trusting her voice, and let him guide her away from the stones.
They'd barely made it ten feet when a figure appeared in the garden path ahead of them.
Eliam.
He was fully dressed, his hair slightly disheveled like he'd thrown clothes on in a hurry. His eyes went immediately to Arion's arm around Briar's waist, then to her bare feet, her thin nightgown, the way she was leaning against the Star Prince for support.
His expression went absolutely cold.
"Take your hands off her." The words were quiet, controlled, which made them more dangerous than if he'd shouted.
"Eliam, she was—" Arion started.
"Now."
Arion's arm loosened but didn't fully release her. "She was sleepwalking. Heading toward the border. I found her at the stones."
Eliam crossed the distance between them in three strides. His hand found Briar's arm, pulling her away from Arion and against his chest with possessive force. She felt him trembling with barely controlled rage, of perhaps fear, as his arms wrapped around her.
