I arched a brow. “Oh really?”
“Yeah,” he said, nudging my knee with his. “I think my life would’ve led me straight to yours, one way or another. Even if I didn’t have a title. Even if you didn’t have Kaelith.”
I leaned into his side, resting my head on his shoulder. “You’re such a sap when you’re not wrapped in Dark Fire.”
He chuckled again, his arm sliding around me. “Don’t tell anyone. It’ll ruin my reputation.”
“Your secret’s safe with me, prince.”
For a moment, there was no prophecy hanging over our heads.
No politics.
Just us.
Two people sitting in a turret, watching the moon over a sleeping kingdom, pretending the world wasn’t ending one dragon fire and betrayal at a time.
Zander turned his head, just slightly, and his eyes found mine in the quiet dark. The ocean wind played with the edges of his hair, and the moonlight turned the lavender of his gaze to liquid silver.
His fingers brushed my cheek.
Gentle. Reverent. Like he was afraid I might vanish if he moved too quickly.
I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
His touch anchored me, pulling me from the whirlwind of battles and broken loyalties, of blood-soaked skies and fractured futures. Right here, in this breath between chaos, he was justhim.And I was justme.
He leaned in slowly, giving me every chance to pull away.
I didn’t.
When his lips met mine, the world didn’t stop, itdissolved.
Everything else—Theron’s manipulations, Cade’s betrayal, even the prophecy slipped away. His kiss was warm and slow, but it held the echo of a thousand unsaid things. Regret. Longing.Love.
His hand slid into my hair, drawing me closer as his mouth claimed mine more deeply. There was no hunger in it. No rush.
Just need.
And choice.
Because no matter what fate demanded of us, I had already chosen him.
And he had chosen me.
When we finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine, his breath mingling with mine in the dark.
“Despite everything…” he whispered.
His thumb brushed over my jaw, and he smiled softly.
“You’re still my everything.”
The wind whispered around the turret like it was holding its breath, and the waves below churned against the cliffs, a steady rhythm beneath the silence we shared. Zander still held me, his fingers twined with mine now, as we sat together in the hush that followed that kiss.
I shifted, just enough to see the way his expression had changed—calmer now. Resolved.
