Aerix doesn’t care. He walks beside me like I belong to him, his hand resting on the small of my back with a touch that says:mine.
When we reach the heavy wooden doors of the human wing, he stops, his hand tightening on my lower back as if he can’t stand the thought of letting me go.
“I love you,” I tell him, the sentiment pouring out of me naturally now. “The fact that you’re letting me try to make this right with Sophia and Victoria means a lot to me.”
His magic stirs around us, sharp and cold, like frost seeping into bone.
“I’m going to keep you safe, Zoey,” he promises me. “No matter what it takes. No matter who I have to destroy to do it.”
Before I can ask what he means, he crushes his mouth to mine, his teeth dragging against my lower lip like he’s holding himself back from biting down.
“Until tomorrow,” he whispers when he pulls away, trembling, each syllable heavy with need.
“Until tomorrow,” I echo, soft and breathless.
His fingers trail down my arm, stopping at my wrist. He doesn’t just hold it—he clutches it, his thumb circling over my pulse like he’s memorizing the rhythm of my blood.
When I step back, his grip loosens with agonizing slowness, his fingers trailing along my skin. And as the doors close between us, I catch one last glimpse of him—dark, beautiful, and dangerous—his wings flared as he watches me with a look that promises he’ll burn this court to the ground if I asked.
Only when the doors shut do I exhale, pressing my palm to my hip, feeling the still painful wound beneath my dress and smiling.
Because Aerix’s name is carved into my skin.
Into my heart.
Until the end of time.
