Daimon clenched his jaw, and a flicker of pain flashed through his eyes.
If this was the only time she was going to see him, she would give him the truth. One last time.
“But our hearts already belonged to another,” she continued. “We both lost our Rider during the war.” She took a small step forward and his eyes widened.
“Senna—”
“And Keir,” she finished quietly. “He didn’t talk about it much, just as I couldn’t bring myself to talk about you.”
She could see his mind racing, trying to piece together his old friend’s hidden feelings.
“Keir was always a private person,” he gritted out, his voice thick with pain.
Evelina felt her own pain stab at her chest, the loss of Keir as fresh as the day he died. She never imagined her life turning out this way all those years ago. Being married to Senna, being queen. Losing Daimon…
Daimon cleared his throat. “Thank you for telling me.”
She wanted to tell him so much more.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” she whispered.
Daimon’s bottom lip trembled and he looked away. Unable to stop herself, she walked to him and closed the spaceseparating them. He looked down at her, his eyes suddenly giving way to emotions so clear that it startled her.
“It’s really good to see you,” he whispered.
She threw her arms around him—as best she could with her pregnancy at full-term. He bent down and buried his face in her neck.
They stayed like that for several breaths, holding each other and listening to the bugs sing.
She couldn’t believe he was here, that he wasreal.That he felt just as he did in the waking realm, smelled just as she remembered. It was like experiencing euphoria and heartbreak at the same time. Like holding on to the sun, only to know she’d lose it when the night came. She didn’t want to let go.
Daimon moved first, slowly peeling himself away from her and taking a step back.
“Daimon—”
He vanished. Evelina whirled around, finding herself entirely alone.
Sixty-Nine
Daimon
Daimon awokein his empty castle. His hands were shaking and a tear had trailed down his face in his sleep.
Evelina was there. She wasthere.
He shook his head and pulled himself off his bed.
The Harvest Moon still hung high in the sky, but he wouldn’t have long to get the dagger ready. He could feel the traitorous human king’s shadows leaking from the cave like smoke from a fire. Vidaris had hidden Moros right under Daimon’s nose, or at least let him weasel his way to the edge of the Shadow Realm, straddling the line between Penyth and Daimon’s domain.
He needed to get to Moros and end this once and for all.
There was even more to fight for now, Evelina carrying a child of her own. He couldn’t think of it now—the child wasn’ttheirs.
He stalked out of the castle and into the Wailing Woods to retrieve Nightfall. He knelt beneath a tall pine tree and began to dig. He pulled the damp soil apart until he felt a lump of cloth. It was caked in dirt, but still wound tightly around the dagger. He unrolled it and released a breath when he found the blade still inside.
It was warm when he wrapped his hand around the hilt. His magic sang in answer to its silent call. His shadows flared, whispering in his ear, begging him to use the blade on anyone who stepped into his path.
He took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. Reluctantly, his shadows withdrew into the depths of his soul.
