I realize why it’s here.
“I know you’re there, Farron,” I say. “I’ve come to find you. I willalwaysfind you. And I’m not frightened. You don’t have to be either.”
The wolf growls and snaps at the will-o’-wisp that flutters around its snout.
“You and I are alike, Fare. The world has always been too big for us, hasn’t it? Too loud. Too bright. But when we’re together, I can face the whole damned realm and everyone in it. Because you are my strength. You are my courage. I feel it here, within my chest.” I clutch at my heart, reveling in its steady beat. “My fire is within. I’ve always been afraid to see what happens when it burns. But I will light the whole world up for you.” I take a step toward him, chin held high. “I will light up for you.”
The beast lowers its head to the ground, stalking forward. Something flashes in its golden eyes. Eyes I know so well. Eyes that I love.
Blue light surrounds me. More will-o’-wisps. They paint my body with shimmering light. A single teardrop whispers down my face, but I’ve never felt stronger. “The fires of your heart cannot burn me, Farron. I have felt their warmth, and I would have them engulf me.”
The wolf lunges, and so do I. I wrap my arms around its massive neck, letting it tackle me to the ground. My face burrows into its fur. I barely notice the putrid scent or the sticky feel of rotten leaves on my fingertips. All I care about is that he’s in my arms.
“I love you, Farron,” I whisper. “I love you.”
At first, there is only the wolf’s guttural snarl, its hot breath on my skin, the pounding rain.
And then there is a spark.
It shudders through me, shifting and twisting, that invisible tether that’s been guiding me all morning. The wolf pulls back to stare at me, gaze wild but in a different way than before. More will-o’-wisps descend, now covering the wolf, too. A glow burns within my skin, calling to a kindred flame.
To the wolf’s flame.
Farron’sflame.
His body shimmers and shivers, the fur becoming flesh, claws to tender hands. All the while, the eyes remain the same. Magic ignites around us, and I can hear our hearts like a chorus: not separate, but a single entity, beating stronger than I’ve ever heard.
Farron’s fae body collapses against mine, still covered by the will-o’-wisps. Through their wavering blue flames, I see something that makes my heart take flight.
His body is healed, the wounds of the wolf faded away. And his mate bond… It’s not tangled anymore. It’s bright and beaming and beautiful. A glowing star.
I reach for him, and the will-o’-wisps disperse, their movements playful as they dance away into the forest. I clutch Farron’s face in my hands, staring at him with eyes that seem to see for the very first time.
Rain slicks his hair to his forehead, runs over his lips.
“You found me,” he finally says.
“No, Farron,” I say, “you found me.”
Farron, High Prince of Autumn and my mate, kisses me. A kiss born from the ashes.
68
Farron
Thereisnothingbutthe taste of her lips, her sweet breath whispering over my face, the tangle of her wet hair in my hands. Everything that I once was has floated away like cinders in the wind, and now there are only the parts of me held together by her.
She and I.
Woven together for eternity.
We kneel in front of each other, mindless of the mud and rain. I brush the damp strands of hair off her forehead. I have gazed upon the most precious art in the history of the Enchanted Vale, read poetry that would make the ancient gods weep, and studied maps of every wonder in the fae and human worlds.
But nothing compares to Rosalina’s beauty. It’s as if I can see her heart—her kindness, her joy, her humor, her generosity—wavering around like spirals of color. She’s glowing.
Mate.
My mate.
