Outstretching his arms by my side with palms facing forward, he unleashed unending magic that filled the dome to the brim with his glorious essence. As if coaxed out by the siren call of his, I lifted my arms, hand splayed, and finally let go.
If my power was bright like the stars, his was its opposite—blackness so pure my light both yielded to it and shone brighter against it. Our magic colliding was like a galaxy’s worth of stars in a moonless sky, and it was the most beautiful sight I’d ever beheld.
Sweet relief washed over me with every second that my raw, unbridled power was unleashed, his beautiful blackness meeting me with equal abandon.
“Endymion,” I moaned, back arching into him.
“I know.” His voice was guttural, and I felt him shiver against me.
Patiently, he coaxed every last drop of starlight into utter contentment, and as the last of the brightness winked out, I let his calming darkness envelop me, its texture like cool silk flowing against my skin, its presence protective, reassuring.
“In this dome. For this moment,” I said softly, repeating his words.
Feeling utterly sated, I let myself lean back into him, head lulling against the hard ridges of his chest.
“In this dome. For this moment.” He rested his cheek atop my head, then wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight against him.
And in the pitch black, as his very essence enveloped me, I allowed myself to exist—with him.
Chapter 16
Starburn
“Up, up, lazybones!” Kai’s voice rang out as she flung open the curtains, flooding the room with morning light.
Ignoring her, I pulled the covers over my head and turned my back to the wall of windows.I was exhausted and, honestly, really didn’t want to face another day—or Endymion.
Gods, what had even happened between the two of us last night?He’d valenned us back to the residence wing, then wished me a goodnight before making the fastest exit I’d ever seen.
One moment I was nestled in tightly under my covers; the next, sunlight and cooler air assaulted my senses as Kai whipped away my sheets. “Up.”
“Why?” I groused, draping an arm over my eyes and blindly reaching for the sheets—only to come up empty. “What time is it?
“Time to get up.”
I rolled my eyes, not that she could see it. “But I’ve barely slept.”
“That’s what happens when you’re up all hours of the night doing stars knows what, Nyleeria.”
Nyleeria!She used my name. I sat upright and found her at the foot of the bed with a bony hand on her hip, staring down her longnose at me with the no-nonsense look that would make others wither. Smiling brightly, I popped up on my knees and slid across the bed, throwing my arms around her. “Thank you. And… I’m sorry.”
She huffed, then relented, giving me a quick squeeze before holding me at arm’s length. “Yes, well, Lord Endymion gave all of us a‘what for’this morning. Apparently, you weren’t only cranky with me yesterday.” She looked at me with an accusatory brow.
Ignoring her silent accusation, I said, “Why did you get thewhat forwhen I was the problem?”
“He doesn’t think it’s supportive for us to treat you… well, like you’re not one of us.”
I heaved a deep sigh and shut down the flit of emotions in my chest at what he’d done before it became a flutter.
Kai rolled her eyes at me, and I could have hugged her again for how normal it was.
“Now, if you’re going to be one of us—and treated as such—you need to stop avoiding the mirrors.”
“I don’t,” I said a little too quickly.
She raised a brow and put her hand back on her hip, tilting into it slightly. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you avoiding even the smallest glance, or how you cringe if I touch your ears. This is who you are now, Nyleeria, and there’s no point in avoiding it.”
Despite the truth in her words, blood drained from my face as my body turned leaden.
