His gaze dropped to my mouth. His hands curled into fists at his sides, shoulders tightening as though bracing against something unseen. My pulse stumbled, a pull drawing me forward, urging me to close the distance and stop thinking altogether.
Theo’s head dipped, just slightly. His focus never left my lips.
The light in his eyes throbbed in time with my heartbeat, and I saw it then, the fracture in his resolve. Before it could give way completely, I straightened and lifted a hand between us.
“I am sorry, Theo, but we have to go now. Let me be the one to be strong this time,” I rasped. And with that, I exitedthe Veil and left Theo to follow whenever he was ready.
When I stepped out from under the veil the others were already waiting.
“Theo forgot something at the Lodge, he will be here in a little while,” I said happily.
Hopefully nobody noticed my shaking hands.
* * *
We were greeted by a scary looking female fairy with long black hair that nearly covered all of her face and shoulders. She welcomed us to Vhalyra, the capital of the God realm.
“Where exactly are we?” I whispered to Lydia.
“This is a designated arrival place for anyone wanting to enter the Celestium. It is forbidden to travel straight into the Celestium, hence the meeting spot out here on the bridge.” Auretheos had told me about the Celestium in one of our many lessons in preparation for the conclave. It was the temple of all Gods, a place for them to meet, conduct business or to solve their disputes. The temple could house hundreds of people and now that I was standing in front of it, I understood what Theo had meant when he had told me that the Celestium was one of the most beautiful places in the realm.
We stood on a rounded plateau at the base of the Celestium, the floor underneath our feet shimmering in cream-colored hues and reflecting the changing light of the sky, making the building appear as if it shifted and breathed. The tall, round building in front of us tapered as it rose, with multiple terraces and balconies spiraling around it. The building was covered in ivy and vines of flowers, neatly trimmedaround the windows to let in as much light as possible. It was truly awe-inspiring and my anxiety spiked at the thought of entering these sacred halls to meet with the Gods.
We were led to our rooms, which were all on the same floor. I hadn’t seen Theo since our few stolen moments inside the Luminaris and even now he was nowhere to be seen. We were instructed to get settled in and make ourselves at home. There would be a small welcome drink on the south side terrace later tonight, followed by a grand meal in the winter garden. Our bags had already been delivered, so when I entered my room, my new dresses were hanging up neatly in the closet. I debated which dress I should wear first and opted for the dark blue cocktail dress that Lythandra had raved about because according to Lythandra, the form-fitting dress “hugged my curves perfectly”.
The lace bodice clung to my upper half, intricate patterns of dark floral details weaving across my chest and shoulders. The high neckline added a touch of elegance, with delicate cap sleeves barely grazing my arms. The satin fabric shimmered in the light, falling smoothly down to my knees, where a cascading ruffle danced along the side slit. It swayed gently with every step I took, adding just the right amount of drama to the dress.
I looked at myself in the mirror and almost couldn’t believe that this was me. For the past few years there had not been many occasions to dress up, so I had never minded my practical wardrobe. Still, I had to admit that I had never felt as beautiful as I did right now. I had caught the sun while riding with Lydia, and freckles had appeared across the bridge of my nose and over my cheeks. My hair was no longer blunt and dry from long days in the stuffy surgery. Itnow fell down my back in gentle silken waves.
But what astonished me most was the change in my eyes.
Once, they were ringed with dark circles, evidence of too many sleepless nights and too little sunlight. Over time, they had grown dull and lifeless, like the eyes of a forgotten doll gathering dust in the back of an antique shop. But something had shifted since coming to Aerethia. Something inside me had stirred awake, and it showed in my eyes. A light flickering back on, reminding me that I wasn’t hollow. I wasn’t fading. I was alive.
It wasn’t just Aerethia itself that had brought me back to life. It was the feeling of belonging, of finally being surrounded by people who understood what I was and didn’t fear it. For the first time, I wasn’t a burden or a weapon to be used.
And then there was Theo. Somehow, he saw me—truly saw me—in a way no one else ever had. He didn’t want to control me or shape me into what he needed. He simply believed in me, in all my contradictions and flaws. After years of being treated like a pawn, a thing to possess or use, his quiet faith in me was both terrifying and healing.
* * *
We had agreed to meet before heading downstairs to the party. I stepped out of my room, closing the door softly behind me, and took a deep breath as I made my way toward the staircase. Lythandra was nowhere in sight yet, which at least made me feel slightly less late.
Theo, as always, was impossible to miss. Tonight, he wore a deep blue jacket tailored perfectly to his frame, two rows ofgold buttons running down the front and along the sleeves. Decorative embroidered loops traced the lines of the buttons across his chest and arms, giving the jacket a formal, almost military precision. The standing collar framed his thick neck, emphasizing the sharp angles of his jaw, while the matching trousers hugged his thighs and back in ways that made my thoughts veer dangerously off course.
I reminded myself to go touch some grass.
For a brief second, our eyes met, and I thought I saw his pupils flicker when they landed on my dress. Distracting myself, I greeted the others, exchanging compliments as they did the same. Only Theo remained silent, subtly watching me as if keeping score. When Lythandra arrived, he motioned for us to follow him down the stairs, never addressing me directly.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the Gods and Goddesses were all stunning in their own way, but somehow I hadn’t anticipated this level of glamour.
Lythandra leaned over to me. “Now the orgies do make a lot more sense, don’t they?” She winked and sauntered off into the crowd, greeting people left and right.
Theo had donned the golden paint on his hands again, but not on his face. He gestured for me to walk in front of him and it might have been the crush of the crowd, but it felt like he was walking way closer to me than usual.
It was relatively easy to tell the Gods apart from the other Faeries that attended the event, because all of them were dressed in similar attire to Theo and Lythandra. Theo towered over most of the other Gods, drawing attention to us as we made our way over to where Lythandra already stood, talking to a man in a gray uniform.
Many heads turned into our direction, and I heard people whispering in languages I didn’t understand. Some of them tried to hide their obvious curiosity, others blatantly stared at Theo and I couldn’t blame them—he was simply stunning. We finally made it over to Lythandra and had only lost Malek on the way, who had stopped to talk to two females whose skin was just as black as his own.
“Auretheos, what a pleasure to see you! Always thought this kinda event wasn’t for you!” the God in the gray uniform said cordially and smiled at me with his perfect white teeth. “Maelis, may I introduce you to Veridus, The Silver-Tongued, God of Stories and Lies.”
