But I’m no longer naïve.
It’s an impossible task on my own, and even if I could ask for help, I wouldn’t.
Celine deserves her happiness, even if it doesn’t include me. And if that’s the last thing I’m able to give her—the final way to honor our vows—then by all gods alive and dead, I’ll do it.
We gather in the kitchen and share a simple meal.
A soft, flat bread, as dark as the stone walls, covered in a thick, creamy sauce Riven prepared. He’s been quiet since his return, but a strange energy hovers around him.
He took one look at the mark on Celine’s neck and nodded.
Then his eyes flickered to me.
I forced myself not to react. He can’t know; there’s no way, but his attention returns to me multiple times throughout the meal.
Celine is softer tonight. Her wings are out, the downy white feathers framing her body. I’ve seen wings my whole life. Most echelons have them, but no one wears them as well as my truth.
I take her in, memorizing the details. I want to have this picture of her forever. Deep inside, where no one else will ever be able to reach it. Her lips, smiling and puffy from her time with Luca. Her hair, damp and loose, curls around her shoulders.
My stomach flips, and after a moment of hesitation, I take a second memory. Of the rest of them.
Luca’s watchful stare travels around the room, checking in on everyone.
Alistair’s fang-tipped smile is free of anger as he reclines in his chair.
Ciprian’s laughter is softer than I’ve ever heard it. His jokes are easy, kind, and pressure-free, as if he’s left everything behind but genuine joy. It fits him so much better.
And Riven, who seems surprised, then nervous every time he’s reminded that we’re here.
Our differences are too many to count, but Celine is more than enough to make them inconsequential. When her hand slips into mine and squeezes, I cling tight, reluctant to let her go, now or—another sharp throb hits my temple.
I drive it away by force, running the fingers of my free hand over the polished wood table. The grains run deep. A testament to life’s stubborn endurance—first in the forest and now in Riven’s home. Like no force could erase it... not even time.
Perhaps I’ll be that lucky.
Celine holds my hand for the rest of the meal. Her fingers, smaller than mine, are strong and covered in new callouses. Her warmth sinks into me. I get so lost in the feeling that the memory takes me by surprise.
“You’ve got to stop,” Celine says. Her brown eyes are tight with worry.
A bruise curls around the top of her arm, visible every time her sleeve rides up. She thinks I don’t see it, but I’ve seen nothing else for the last half hour. Anger burns in my belly, unfamiliar and deep. Someone hurt her, and I think I know who.Why didn’t she tell me?
“I won’t allow this to continue,” I tell her. “I’ll stop him.”
I want to convey strength, but I sound like a child. Instead of being relieved, Celine’s wings twitch, then turn to blades. She glances around the courtyard for listening ears, but we’re alone out here—training together as we’ve done for years.
“You don’t understand,” she whispers, switching to my family’s dialect. It’s frowned upon to share words with anyone who isn’t related, but once I started teaching Celine, I couldn’t stop. When she speaks to me in my tongue, I can pretend she’s mine.
“If you try to intervene, it will only make things worse.” Celine glances down, her brow creasing with an emotion I’m not used to seeing from her: shame.
I step closer and slide her sleeve up to reveal the mottled bruising. The urge to commit violence on her behalf startles me. Even while longing to bash his face in, I keep my touch feather light.
“I cannot let him hurt you,” I say. “It dishonors our... friendship.” I stumble over the final word, and Celine’s head snaps up.
“That’s a lie,” she says, her voice sharp. “Why did you lie to me, Malach?”
My stomach pitches right, left, and back again, then flips upside down. I scrape a hand through my curls. They’re messy from training. “It’s not a lie, exactly,” I mumble.
“Then what is it?” Her chin tilts, stubborn and proud, and I’m so relieved to see her looking more like herself that I forget all about my embarrassment.
