Page 243 of Emylia

That made me pause–my heart cracking wide open, like he’d peeled back something I hadn’t meant to reveal. And suddenly I felt too seen.

My eyes lowered, unable to hold the weight of his stare. Tentatively, I skimmed my fingers across the nearest pillar, trailing through condensation. The stone was slick and cold, humming with something I couldn’t name.

“You’re impossible.”

He grinned. “You say that like it’s news.”

Despite myself, I smiled.

Then his voice turned thoughtful. “I don’t think this place belongs to the Gods. The flames, the carvings… they’re for someone whoneedslight. Not someone whoisthe light.”

I nodded, slowly. “There’s no way they carved all this through that tiny tunnel.”

“There must be another entrance,” he agreed.

“Besides,” he said, tipping his head back, “the lights aren’t stars. They look like… living creatures. Almost like worms.”

“Glow worms,” I breathed. Awe stole the edges of my voice. “I’ve always wanted to see them.”

A memory surfaced—one I hadn’t touched in years. “Olag once told me a story about two children who got lost in a cave and found their way out by following glow worms. I thought he made it up. Swore it was a bedtime lie.”

But it hadn’t been.

They were real. Existing.

Right here.

Another laugh escaped me, soft and disbelieving. It echoed through the cavern like it belonged there, bouncing off stone and shadows. “Worms that literally glow.”

Sebastian turned toward me then, and the sight of him—bathed in ethereal light, the blue glow softening his sharp jaw and setting his eyes on fire—stole the air from my lungs.

Gods, he was beautiful.

“Exactly,” he said, that boyish grin blooming like sunshine through storm clouds.

“You are utterly ridiculous,” I murmured, unable to look away.

But the truth was... in that moment, I’d have believed anything he told me. This place made belief easy.

“It’s true,” he insisted, nudging my shoulder with his. “Olag wasn’t lying. And let’s be honest, this skepticism is coming from a woman who can shoot fireballs from her hands.”

“Touche.”

Our steps echoed gently, reverently. Like the cave itself was holding its breath.

“But,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him, “you honestly expect me to believe you climbed the side of this cavern to see them up close? The walls are slick with water—you’d have slipped and broken your pretty little neck.”

His grin turned devilish, crooked and full of mischief. “Didn’t have to. Half a mile in, the floor drops into a pool. If you follow the stream, you can get so close it feels like you’re walking through stars.”

My breath caught. The thought of it—glowing creatures so close I could touch them—was breathtaking.

“You’re a liar!”

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Wanna find out?”

Gods.

My heart fluttered, traitorous and eager. Of course I shouldn’t. But of course Iwould.

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