Tears glimmer in her eyes, but she doesn’t let them fall. “I do,” she whispers. Then louder: “I do.” I’m not sure who she’s trying to convince. Me or her.
Zephyr shifts closer, pressing his forehead to my temple from the other side. “Liar.”
“You’re both terrible liars,” I murmur, chuckling. “But thank you for trying.”
A quiet falls over us, not uncomfortable, just heavy. Honest. The kind of silence that says everything we’re too afraid to voice. I close my eyes, feeling the rhythm of their breathing. Zephyr’s long and steady. Evangeline’s slower, calmer now. Both of them ground me, anchoring me here.
Alive.
“I used to think I’d meet my end in battle,” I say into the dark. Not to be morbid, but speaking of death has never bothered me. It’s something everyone will face. Some earlier than others. So I think about it a lot, especially since being cursed. “Sword in hand. Blood on the ground. I thought maybe that would mean something. That I’d earn a story, or a song. Something worth remembering.”
Evangeline stirs, her hand sliding up to rest above my heart. Perhaps I’m breaking my own rules not to speak about curses and dying, but I don’t care. I can’t keep it pent up inside.
“You will,” she says. “You already have.”
“I don’t want a song,” Zephyr mutters. “I want you alive, you stupid bastard.”
I huff a quiet laugh and squeeze his hand. I should have expected that response from him.
“I’m not going anywhere.” I don’t think it’s a lie, but it certainly feels heavy hanging in the air between us. “At least not tonight.”
Zephyr shifts again, looping one arm over my waist, careful not to put too much weight on me. Evangelinemirrors the gesture on my other side, her hand slipping beneath the hem of my shirt to rest directly against my skin.
They wrap around me like armor. It is exactly what I need.
“You’ll come back to me,” I whisper, mostly to myself. “Both of you.” Because facing my death is one thing. But having to face the reality of both my mates dying? That twists a knife deep into my heart, a pain I can’t properly describe.
“I swear it,” Evangeline says immediately, her voice fierce despite its softness. That’s exactly what my Evangeline is. Soft but fierce.
Zephyr doesn’t answer, but I feel the slight tremble of his fingers as they press tighter to mine. That’s enough.
I tilt my head, resting it against his. My body aches, bone-deep and cold despite the warmth of them on either side. The curse curls in my belly, slithering through my veins like smoke. It won’t take me tonight, but it’s waiting and slowly stealing my health.
Still, I let myself relax. Just for this moment. Just for this night.
“I love you,” I say, because I have to. Because it’s the one truth that matters more than the rest, and they need to know it before they leave. “Both of you.”
Evangeline kisses my chest, right above my heart. “I love you too.” It’s the first time she’s said those words. I had guessed she felt the same way, but hearing it confirmed makes me feel stronger than the poisontrying to kill me. I have someone—two someones—to live for now.
Zephyr doesn’t speak, but I feel the way he presses closer, the way his breath catches. He’s always been quieter with his emotions, more guarded, but I know him. I know what he means when he doesn’t say it. The way he squeezes my hand a little tighter tells me exactly what I need to know. I read him like an open book, no matter how guarded he tries to be.
We lie like that for a long time, the weight of the world falling away bit by bit beneath the hush of our breathing and the low crackle of the fire across the room. Evangeline’s fingers rest gently against my chest, feeling each beat of my heart like she’s trying to memorize its rhythm.
In this small, stolen moment, I let myself believe that everything might be okay. That they’ll return safely. That the curse can be undone. That I’ll still be here when they come back—and not just the shell of a man they once knew. I will be the king my kingdom and mates deserve.
Sleep pulls at me slowly, winding its way through my limbs like vines tugging me down. I don’t fight it, going peacefully into the darkness with my mates by my side. Their warmth and love surround me, engulfing me like a blanket.
Chapter 35
Evangeline
Leaving has never been easy for me. I’m a creature of habit and enjoy spending my time in familiar settings. Changing my patterns and surroundings fills me with utmost dread. Perhaps it’s the unknown, or maybe it’s simply learning new patterns and routines, but I’ve never been okay the night before leaving.
And yet somehow, I slept like a baby.
I awake, still wrapped in Niko’s arms. He’s asleep, chest slowly rising and falling with his shallow breaths. My eyes linger on the black veins cursing his body, and wish I had the power to take it away. I do…just not in a way that gives both me and Niko what we want. To save one, the other must sacrifice their very existence. It’s an impossible choice, and yet, no choice at all.
I know what I must do.
