It came in handy with keeping others at a distance, to keep them from asking too many questions, like where I’m from or who my family is. Avery, Addie, and I had a shared background story memorized, but all it took wasonenosy lord or lady to unravel everything we had built.
Being at court again is going to be suffocating. I’ll be back to thinking through every word I speak, every muscle I move—each and every decision will need to be thought through before being acted upon.
Lunaria may have never felt like herself in Crea, but she’s about to experience a whole new level of pretending to be someone she’s not. Now she’s tasted what it’s like to have a family, have a home.
But tonight…we can just be us. Lunaria and Graylen. Not the man who lost himself in the Vale, or the woman with the weight of two kingdoms on her shoulders. And with the way she’s looking at me, I couldn’t care less who’s around.
At some point in our ascent up the stairs, our kisses turn slower, deeper.
And as we reach the small landing outside of our room, she just…holds me.
For a fleeting breath, we just stand there—our bodies molded perfectly together, every inch of my skin ablaze. I bask in the warmth of it, bathing in the glow that radiates from within her.
Her arms are wrapped around my waist, her cheek pressed against my chest. My free arm is curled around her while my other hand fumbles for the doorknob behind Lu’s back.
We stumble into the room, the feel of her heart pounding against my own driving me forward.
The moment the door shuts behind me, I pull her to the bed. I sit on the edge and position her to stand between my legs, her fiery hazel eyes burning into me.
I lean toward her, my lips brushing against hers, but she freezes—not melting into me like she so often does. She starts to pull away, a flicker of pain in her gaze as she puts distance between us. I can see hesitation written across her beautiful face, can see the way she’s unsure of what I can handle right now.
What she doesn’t realize is that all I need isher. I need her to remind me that she’s here—that she’s real.
“Little princess,” I rasp, the words low and breathless, “don’t pull away.” My voicecracks. “Please.”
The further away she is, the more I can see the things Vidaris made me watch in the Vale. I can picture the sword protruding from Lu’s throat, can nearly smell the stench of metallic ichor that filled my nose as I was forced to watch her die.
When I blink, the memory shifts to when I watched an image of Moros draining magic from Lu’s body, her shimmering skin fading to a dull gray as life dimmed in her eyes.
My chest tightens, and the familiar ache of my lungs constricting begins to crawl up my throat. Each of my fingertips and toes begins to tingle, the sensation numb and prickling as it works its way up my limbs. Darkness clouds my vision, my head swimming.
I need to know that this is real—that every image Vidaris showed me is in thepast. That I’m not still trapped in the Vale and this isn’t another one of her tricks. Lunaria is my future, but the ghosts of my past still haunt me.
There’s a small part of my mind telling me that I’m going to wake up any minute with blood rain pouring from the skies, my magic suppressed and my body bound.
I find myself needing to touch her, if only to remember thatshe’sreal.
Each time my skin connects with hers, it anchors me to the moment. To reality. It keeps my thoughts from spiraling and the painful memories of the Vale at bay.
A small, warm, and callused hand slides onto my cheek. Calluses that match my own. It’s something I’ve always loved about her.
“I’m right here,” Lunaria whispers. She reaches up to grab my wrist and guides it toward her, placing my palm over her heart. “Feel that? I’m real. Flesh and blood and a racing heart that beats for you.”
Beneath my hand, there’s a faint tapping—rhythmic and steady. Much steadier than my own.
“I don’t need space right now.” The words slip out in a soft growl.
If there’s anyone I know in this world, it’s Lunaria. I know how she thinks—how she worries for others before considering herself. She’s afraid of pushing things too far, like I’ll break if she does.
What she doesn’t know is that Vidaris broke something inside of me a long time ago, and Lu is the only one who can sew me back up.
I try to give her a small smile, showing her that while I may be broken right now, it doesn’t mean I will be forever. Healing takes time, and with her by my side, I know the day will come when I don’t close my eyes and see the horrors of the past few weeks.
“Graylen.” She’s so close that my name brushes against my cheek, her breath warm and voice soft. “Whatever you need, just say the word, and I’ll find a way to make it happen.”
She takes a deep breath, and her fingers sink into my hair. I briefly close my eyes, reveling in the sensation of her closeness.
“I don’t expect you to be anything right now,” she murmurs. “You don’t have to be happy or healed right now. I understand wanting to put a mask on—I did it foryears. And I know you did too, in your own way. There was this pressure to look brave, to prove to everyone else that no one could hurt me.”
