My eyes lingered on Noctis’s sleeping face. It was a mistake I vowed never to repeat. Not even for love.
Still, I couldn’t regret my decision. He had changed. More than I ever thought possible.
“I would convince our brethren to restore your power, of course. Or I could share. Chaos suits you quite well, little queen.”
Those words, the sincerity behind them, made my heart clench with both dread and elation. He had no idea I had locked my powers away on purpose. Which meant… he had no ulterior motive for staying on the farm after he was healed. He had stayed for me. Because he wanted to be with me.
How could I not give him another chance? How could I not dare to hope?
I silently slipped out of the bed and moved to the window, settling down on the sill. The night was tranquil, only the chorus of crickets in the tall grass and the gentle rustling of leaves in the trees breaking the stillness. At this hour, the darkest of the night, the shadows were so profound they concealed all the visible damage to my farm. Yet I knew that much more had changed than just a destroyed henhouse.
I could not return to this life, to the peace I had found so unexpectedly. If I was honest with myself—I took a steadying breath—I didn’t even want to. Not anymore.
Noctis and I had moved past the pain and betrayal we had inflicted on each other. Was it foolish to think the world might do the same? That we could find happiness? Could people like us ever be forgiven?
Perhaps only a monster could truly love a monster.
I let my gaze wander upward to the sky, which was clear tonight, not a single cloud obscuring my stars. For a long time, I had scarcely been able to look at them, the memories too painful. But now Ilooked—truly looked—absorbing the way they gilded the darkness, drawing strength from it rather than being consumed.
I had sealed away my power, had destroyed part of me to free myself. In a sense, I had succeeded. That oppressive guilt, that unrelenting sense of failure that had plagued me for so long, had been miraculously absent when I followed Noctis into the Other to save him. Even—a slight smile played on my lips as I stretched, reveling in the delicious soreness between my thighs—when I had finally given in to the pull between us.
I knew what—who—I desired. And I was done feeling ashamed of it.
For the first time in nearly a decade, I reached out to the place where my power had once burned within me. Only barren silence greeted me. And yet…
My eyes found Noctis’s sleeping form, sprawled across my bed, his hair a sea of darkness on my pillows. No one understood better than I that some fires never fully extinguish, that a single spark could reignite them.
One day, I might find the strength within me to reclaim the Flame. With the one by my side who had always encouraged me to embrace my powers, who had never doubted me.
The faint light of the stars streamed through the window, illuminating Noctis’s face and the enticing, muscular lines of his body, revealing everything, beckoning me closer. My gaze caught on the dark lines over his heart, the constellation of stars I had placed in the night sky for him. The same constellation he had etched onto his skin when we were farther apart than ever before.
He is mine,something within me whispered with possessive satisfaction.He will always be mine.My Darkness. My Light.
A sudden chill brushed over my skin from the open window,making me shiver. I returned to the bed and snuggled against Noctis in search of warmth. A smile stole onto my face as he instinctively pulled me closer, mumbling softly in his sleep without waking.
This love was a scary thing, capable of the most glorious creation and the most devastating destruction. But I would not be afraid. I had let fear rule my decisions for millennia. No longer.
My hand found Noctis’s chest, fingers splayed wide to cover the beautiful image beneath them, to feel the steady beat of his heart.
From now on, I would let hope be my guiding star.
EPILOGUE
Shadowbane
The mouse perched on its haunches in a sunny patch of grass, nibbling on a sunflower seed as if it had no care in the world. I cautiously placed my paw on the ground, creeping forward with deliberate slowness, making sure not to emit a single sound. Saliva pooled in my mouth. Such a tasty-looking morsel, grown fat on the abundant summer harvest around the farm. I had wisely avoided the house since yesterday, the passionate moans and breathless laughter drifting from the bedroom window indicating that Rada and Noctis were still reveling in their reunion.
A twig snapped behind me. The mouse froze, its pale whiskers quivering, its tiny body tensing in alarm. I pounced. Triumph surged within me as my swift strike found its mark. My claws pinned the little rodent to the ground, preventing its escape.
“Tayshren,” a voice called out, smooth as silk, brimming with amused authority. “Release the mouse.”
A wave of disappointment washed over me as a familiar scent of magic, pine, and lightning drifted into my nose. Still, I obedientlylifted my paw, allowing the terrified mouse to scamper away, its squeaks of relief echoing in the air.
Turning around, I summoned my power. Magic coursed through my entire being, from my limbs to the bushy tail of my feline form. A radiant light burst forth from my skin, enveloping me. For a brief moment, I was disoriented, floating in an endless void as the magic filled all my senses, before it settled into my new form.
Shapeshifting was second nature for an Anima like me. One deep breath and I had readjusted to the slim, graceful body of an Elvish male I preferred when using a mortal form, my eyes now much higher above the ground. Clad in a simple vest and breeches, I met the bright, piercing gaze of the newcomer and pressed a fist to my chest with a respectful bow.
“My king,” I said, my voice raspy from disuse.
