SAPPHIRE
The Summer Court.
My heart jumps.
I finally have a reason to go to the place that might hold answers about my heritage. At least, for the summer fae half of it. I know I’m not defined by what I am, but it sure would be nice to learn more.
“Riven’s going to love that,” I say sarcastically instead.
Amusement dances in Celeste’s eyes, but it’s quickly replaced by seriousness.
Then, with a wave of her hand, she creates a shimmering projection in the air between us. Images shape together inside it—a towering tree with golden sap dripping from its bark, a berry gleaming in the twilight, flowers opening to the dawn, a crystal glowing with pale light, and a vial full of blood.
I recognize the crystal and the flowers. They’re the two ingredients that Riven knew of before meeting me, and he carries them with him, always. The crystal amplifies emotional magic, and the flower represents new beginnings and fresh perspective.
“We already have the moonshard crystal and dawn’s first dew,” I tell her, since those are the names of them.
Out of all the other ingredients, the one that makes me sick to look at is the blood. It reminds me of when I had to kill the dove to create the healing potion for Zoey. Yes, the dove came back to life, since I performed the ceremony correctly, and yes, I now have more experience with hunting for blood. But it was different with the dove. The bird was so pure. I don’t want to do something like that again.
“You’re on the right track,” Celeste says with approval.
“What are the others?” I ask, studying them in the projection.
“First, there’s the amberdew sap,” she says, and the image of the towering tree with golden sap comes into sharper focus. “It flows from an ancient Black Tupelo tree in the Summer Court. The sap has a unique property—it captures and preserves fleeting emotions.”
“And that will help stabilize the king’s mind?” I ask.
“Correct.” She nods. “His emotions are volatile and unstable. The amberdew sap will act as an anchor, helping him maintain emotional balance once the potion takes effect. However, the tree’s importance is not lost on the summer fae, and they do not give its sap freely.”
“So, what do we need to do to get it?” I ask.
“It’s different for everyone who ventures there,” she says, although from the trouble that crosses her features, I have a feeling that getting the sap is going to be harder than scraping it off the bark. “But the tree thrives off strong emotions. So, be prepared to deal in them.”
Unease expands in my chest. But before I can ask another question about the sap, the projection shifts to the dark, luminescent berry.
“That’s a duskberry,” she explains. “They’re incredibly rare, even in the Summer Court, found only in its queen’s garden. It’sessential to use one for the potion’s base, because duskberries open pathways to locked emotions.”
“They’ll help the king remember how he felt before the Winter Queen’s death,” I say, recalling the devastation on Riven’s face as he told me about his father’s descent into madness after his mother’s death.
“Exactly.” Celeste waves her hand, and the final image comes into focus—the vial of blood. “For the final ingredient, you’ll need summer fae blood.”
My stomach drops.“Myblood.”
“Your blood will suffice.” Her galaxy eyes study me intently. “Though I suspect Riven already knew this. It’s part of why he’s kept you close, although his reasons have grown far beyond the practical by now.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks as I think of how our relationship has evolved—from his cold manipulation when we first met, to the depth of feeling between us now.
“That’s why he was so insistent at first about keeping me alive,” I say. “Even before he...” I trail off, remembering the moment outside the cave when he first told me he loved me.
“Before he fell in love with you?” Celeste smiles knowingly.
Butterflies form in my stomach as I remember the moments Riven and I spent in the cave and igloos together. The desire in his eyes when he looks at me, the shivers he sends through my body when he touches me, the way I feel perfectly whole when he’s…
Realizing where my mind is going, I snap back into focus. Fantasizing about Riven isn’t where my head should be right now.
The ingredients,I remind myself as I ground myself in the present.The blood.
“The blood has to be mine specifically?” I ask now that I’m focused again. “Because I’m also half vampire?”
