Ilta pulled out a long silver dress that seemed more like several panels of fabric than a full dress, but in thebestway. It was off-the-shoulder, with a shimmery purple rope cutting across the chest to hold up the fabric that covered my breasts in two panels. It covered them fully, aside from where a bit of cleavage would appear in the middle, leaving the skin there bare.
Two high slits up each leg met at the band around the waist, which had similar purple detailing from the neckline along it. The sleeves were long, sheer, and billowy, truly magical, and my favorite. All in all, it was the perfect dress for playing with starlight in the night with my mate.
* * *
Walking out of the palace,the panels of my skirts swishing around my legs, I reached up to touch my necklace, only to remember I wasn’t wearing it. I still had no idea how to explain it to Calix when I didn’t even know how in the Otherworld I ended up with it.
But it was a connection to the parents I’d known all my life that I desperately craved. And maybe the connection it represented to Calix wasn’t a bad thing, either.
Maybe.
Just a tiny bit… amazing, even?
Calix met me on the path, still in his court clothing but with a few layers removed, leaving him in a fancier version of his black button-up and leather pants. I barely stopped my laugh from escaping as I realized that he basically always wore armor or some version of this same outfit, just with a hundred small variations.
Such a man.
“Ready to shine, my réalta?” Calix nearly purred as I reached him, smirking down at me.
I raised a brow back at him, allowing myself to flirt back a little, despite myself. Unable to help it, really. “Only if you’re ready to let me shine against you, my dorchadas.”
His groan made me smirk in triumph, and his wide eyes, as they skimmed over the curves highlighted by my dress, only added to it. The warm glow that lit my blood in response was so alike when it lit up in rage, but this was a much more thrilling sensation.
“I’m ready when you are.” Calix leaned in and whispered in my ear, causing my breath to catch. I swallowed hard, knowing that statement was true on multiple levels. I looked up at him thankfully, hoping he understood how much I truly appreciated that he didn’t push me when it came to the state of our bond.
Cyrus had done nothing but push and push until I snapped from the pressure. But Calix seemed to only want to help me build myself into the best version of myself.
Starting with helping me with my powers. He led me out to the Dragon Cliffs, and I smiled with wonder as I stood at the peak of the cliff, looking out over the starry night sky reflecting off the ocean. The Aurora swirled around the stars, and I couldn’t help thinking that it was oddly fitting that the power in Calix’s eyes and the power in mine found themselves mated here.
I stepped back, turning to face Calix, who was waiting for me with an indulgent smile. “Ready to begin?”
I nodded in confirmation, and he launched into helping me through several techniques they used to help train the little ones. While embarrassing, I couldn’t deny my level of experience was honestly similar.
After trying and trying with no success however, I couldn’t help the aggravation that I was failing at something children managed to accomplish.
“It’s no use!” I groaned in dismay. “I can’t access it!”
Calix chuckled huskily, shaking his head at me.
“Of course you can.” He grabbed my hand, leading me further toward the edge of the cliff, until we stood right over it, looking out at the sea of stars and dancing lights. He turned me so I faced that sea and slid his hands around my stomach. His palms pressed me back against his chest, and I let myself lean into him.
Relaxing into his body, I felt the magic of Night wash over my skin like a balm, while Calix’s own strength bolstered me, through my very soul.
“Close your eyes,” Calix whispered into my ear. I followed his instruction, closing my eyes against the magnificence before me. “Now, breathe in deeply. Let yourself really feel the magic within you. Connect to it. Just like you can feel our bond within you, feel the connection to your magic the same way. Our magic is different from other Fae’s.”
My breath caught as he continued, giving me a deeper explanation of Fae powers that I never could have imagined before the truth was revealed. “Royals have a direct connection to the gods that grant us our power, but yours is to your namesake. Just like you feel our bond linking our souls together, you can locate the bond between you and Asteria. She may have given you access to her power, but it’syoursnow. It lives within you, my réalta. You just need to let it out.”
I breathed in, and out, and let myself truly look deep inside myself. But my fear over this power was still heavy. I’d spent so much of my life hating the Fae, that I couldn’t help the resentment that lived within me.
“Let it go,” Calix murmured softly. “You are greater than fear, greater than anger—you are as brilliant as the stars and as strong as the magic you can wield. Meet it on equal footing.”
His voice had dropped into a sultry tone that sent a shiver through me as I realized that he was right. I was greater than this. Fear wouldn’t rule me. I had promised myself that after leaving Cyrus. I needed to fight through it and prove myself as strong as I knew I could be.
The idea of letting go and letting the magic take over, however, was one I would have to adjust to. For someone who spent their entire life fighting to control their fate, leaving it in the hands of magic and gods and everything that went with them was….
“You’re not out of control, my réalta.” My breath caught in my throat, realizing that in my haste to find the bond, I’d let it slip wide open. He could feel my struggle, but I didn’t let myself dwell on that. Not when I could actually feel Calix, as strong and resilient as the moon. I could feel his wonder, his awe, and a warm feeling I didn’t let myself examine too closely.
“What you are…” he continued in a whisper in my ear. “Is finallyfree. Let yourself embrace who you truly are, Asteria.”
