EDINA POVOne step.Then another.My dress moved around me as I descended the stairs, the delicate fabric sweeping the edges of each stone step. Baelorin didn’t look away. Not once. Not even when people began to shift, to notice, to glance in my direction. Staring at my dress, my eyes, all of me.I was halfway down when I heard someone murmur, “Is that her?”I didn’t care.By the time I reached the bottom, Baelorin was waiting, hand extended, his posture like he was expecting me to change my mind.Maybe I should have.But I placed my fingers in his palm.His grip closed around mine—warm, steady, and absolutely maddening.“Glad you finally tossed the wedding dress. You clean up alright,” he said quietly.I raised a brow. “Only alright?”His mouth curved, just barely. “Didn’t want to give you too much credit. Thought it might go to your head.”“Right. And you being dressed like the male version of a thunderstorm isn’t supposed to make people faint?”“Let me know if you feel lightheaded.
EDINA POVThe silk was softer than anything I’d ever worn.Cool against my skin, light as air—but the weight of what it meant settled heavily in my chest.I stood still as Feena fluttered around me like a one-woman storm, her fingers tucking, adjusting, smoothing the folds of the pale violet and pink gown that clung to me like mist. The gold detailing wrapped around my waist like vines, delicate and intricate, catching the candlelight with each breath I took.“You look like something out of a dream,” she said, stepping back to admire her handiwork with a satisfied hum. “They’re going to stare, you know.”“I really don’t need them to,” I muttered, pressing my palms against the soft fabric.Feena ignored that completely. She reached for a cuff, sliding the gold onto my upper arm, then adjusted the way the draping fell from my shoulder. I had barely seen her breathe in the last five minutes, and yet her cheeks were already flushed with excitement.“And your hair—gods, Edina, why don’t yo
MAERWYNN POV"How did your stroll with Luna go?" Valen murmured against my skin, trailing kisses down the length of my bare back. His voice was low, lazy with contentment, each word sending small ripples across my spine as we sat together in the massive, glass-like tub. The water was warm and laced with silky soap, the surface scattered with soft pink petals and steam.We’d abandoned the formal guest quarters and claimed the private suite Aurocen offered us instead. Honestly, I was thankful. My cheeks were sore from how much I’d been smiling today—genuine smiles, sure, but still... exhausting.The people here were gracious. Kind. Warm, even. Dare I say... more receptive than the ones at my own court."It was divine," I said, settling back against his chest, letting his arms fold around me beneath the surface. "Although Luna was highly inquisitive. She studied me like I was some adorable polar bear she'd never seen before."Valen chuckled, the sound deep and warm, vibrating against my
MAERWYNN POVThe air shimmered before us.Like we were walking into a dream spun from moonlight.The moment we crossed the invisible border into Celestial Court territory, everything changed. The ground itself seemed to glow with a faint starlit sheen, as if dusted with crushed pearl and frost. Trees towered in delicate silver spirals, their branches veined with glowing strands of light, blooming with translucent flowers that opened and closed like breathing things.It was like walking through a living constellation.Even the sky—gods, the sky—hung deeper and darker here. Midnight blue, flecked with starlight that pulsed brighter the further we rode. I leaned slightly out the window of the carriage to get a better look, my fingers curling on the frame, wind catching in my hair.It really was like living among the stars.No—within them.“Tell me,” I said, glancing sideways at Valen, “how does it feel knowing there’s finally a court more beautiful than yours?”He turned to me slowly, br
EDINA POVI woke to warmth.Not the kind that seeped from thick blankets or a sunbeam pushing past the curtains—but a gentler kind. The kind that told you it was early morning, that time had passed quietly while you lay cocooned in dreams you could barely remember.Only, I remembered everything.The nightmare. The pain. The scream.And him.Baelorin.Even now, the memory of his arms around me lingered like heat pressed into my skin. I hadn’t imagined it. I knew the way it felt when he held me—too firm, too careful, like he didn’t want to admit he cared. But he did. He’d been there. He'd been here.So why wasn’t he now?I stirred beneath the sheets, blinking as the soft light of dawn filtered into the room, pale and gold. The shadows were long, the air still cool against my skin, but there was a softness in the light that hadn’t been there before. Morning, then.The bed was empty.He hadn’t stayed.I sat up slowly, back pressed against the carved headboard, pulling the sheets around me
EDINA POVFeena sat at the table in a lilac-purple dress, soft silk draped over her slender frame. Delicate. Beautiful. A book rested in one hand, a drink in the other—tea or wine, I wasn’t sure. Probably wine, knowing how these fae worked.I walked toward her slowly and took the seat opposite hers. She looked up briefly, offered me a small smile, then went right back to reading.“Hi,” I offered awkwardly.“Hi,” she replied, her green eyes meeting mine. Too familiar. Too much like his. I looked away quickly.“I’m, uh…” I tucked a few strands of my own messy blonde hair behind my ear and sighed. “I’m sorry about last time. I wasn’t… nice.”Her smile widened. “Thank you. And honestly, I understand. All of this has to be hard for you. I didn’t take it personally.”She set her book aside and exhaled softly, like she’d been holding her breath waiting for me to just come around. “I’ve been hoping you’d talk to me.”I smiled back. Something about her felt easy. Kind. I would’ve been furious