Heat floods my cheeks. “I’m not?—”
“I’m not judging you for it,” she cuts me off smoothly. “But you need to be careful. Because while our realm has no laws against vampires feeding from other supernaturals, the samecannot be said for the mortal realm. The penalty for it there is death.”
She studies me carefully, as if making sure her words are sinking in.
I take a moment to let them.
“So, if I wanted to taste Riven’s blood while in the mortal realm, then I could,” I say, standing straighter and meeting her gaze straight-on. “Without being hunted down and killed for it. Because I’mnota vampire.”
“Is that so?” She raises an eyebrow, testing me.
“Yes, it isso.”I lift my chin, steel threading through my voice. “I’m a star touched fae-vampire hybrid. Which means the laws for vampires don’t apply to me.”
“Precisely.” Her lips curve into an approving smile. “Words matter. Dissecting them is key to finding loopholes. You’ll learn, in time. But for now, you’ll need your rest for tomorrow. It’s sure to be… eventful.”
The knowing gleam in her eyes makes my skin prickle.
“You mean my forced marriage to someone who traded away his love for me without a care in the world?” I say, red-hot pain flooding my veins at the unwanted reminder.
“I mean the beginning of your destiny.” She opens the door, pausing before stepping through. “Whether you choose to embrace it or fight it is up to you.”
When she’s finally gone, I drop onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Fate. Destiny. Heritage. Marriage.
It’s too much.
And even with the wall separating us, I know Riven’s there.
I shouldn’t be thinking about him. But the memories come anyway, like a waterfall crashing into the depths below.
Waking in his arms after falling into the fae realm. My gratitude when he returned my lost bracelet to me in that tent—of knowing he went out of his way to find it. The way he whispered my name in the cave before we gave ourselves to each other for the first time, and how I reached for him while we slept in the igloos, his hands sliding over my skin with a love that no longer exists.
The promise in his eyes when he told me he’d fall in love with me all over again.
I shove the memories away as fast as they came, flipping onto my side and curling my fingers into the silk sheets.
Because those moments are from before he let the dryad take his love like it meant nothing. Before he looked at me with that cold, detached stare, like I was just another piece in his endless game of strategy.
And yet, before I fall asleep, I hear the words he spoke to me before throwing everything away.
You’re my compass, Sapphire. And you don’t just navigate the stars—you navigate my heart.
