Page 77 of A Legacy of Storms and Starlight

She looked up at Raif and he smiled down at her, and for a moment, she wanted to ask him not to go ahead with everything, to leave with her tonight. But she couldn’t find the words.

They reached the gardens, taking the goods entrance into the first dome. Zylah felt the new wards pressing at her skin the moment she stepped through them. Saphi had told her to expect them; only Fae could pass through, and to anyone else, the botanical gardens would appear closed tonight, as they always were at this hour.

Orblights were scattered amongst the trees and along the pathways, illuminating the dome in a soft golden glow and Zylah marvelled at the sight, just as Saphi let out an excited squeal. “You’re all going to love it!”

“You both go on ahead,” Zylah said, tugging gently at Raif’s hand. “I’d like to give Raif his gift first before we go in.”

Saphi raised an eyebrow. “I’ll bet you would.”

Rose elbowed her gently in the ribs. “What have I said about innuendos about my brother when I’m in earshot?”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Raif said with his most convincing smile.

Zylah led him up the ramp towards the back of the waterfall, and he followed silently, his hand warm around hers. She turned to face him and took a deep breath.

He was holding a narrow black box, tied with a black velvet ribbon. “Ladies first,” he said, dimples on full display as he waited.

Zylah bit her lip as she looked up at him, wondering if her gift for him was entirely off the mark. She said nothing of it; instead, she reached up to place a soft kiss on Raif’s lips. “Thank you.” He’d tied his hair back for the evening, and Zylah traced a hand along his jaw as she wrestled with her emotions.

She turned her attention to the box. The ribbon slipped away easily, and Zylah hoped the tremble in her fingers didn’t show as she opened the lid. Nestled on a bed of black velvet sat a delicate silver necklace with a small circular stone in the centre, the same shade of blue as Raif’s eyes.Gods above.It looked like a sapphire, a gemstone she had only ever seen once before in the prince’s quarters. She frowned at the memory.

“You don’t like it?” Raif asked, his voice quiet with disappointment.

Zylah shook her head. “I love it, it’s just… This is an expensive gift.”

“Fit for a goddess,” Raif said, one corner of his mouth twitching. “May I?”

Zylah nodded, and he gently eased the necklace from the box and stood behind her to fasten it. She lifted her hair for him to pass the necklace around her neck, his fingers tracing along her shoulders and sending a shiver down her spine. He pressed a kiss to her skin before he let her hair fall back into place. Zylah reached a hand to the stone as she turned to look up at him; it sat right at the base of her throat, the chain a perfect fit.

A week from today, she’d be several days on her way away from Virian. Away from Raif. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Her eyes stung, and she looked away and cleared her throat, gesturing to the waterfall. “My gift is going to seem a bit ridiculous now, I think.”

“Ridiculous is never a word I would use to describe you.” His playful tone was back, the one Zylah had become so accustomed to, the one she now recognised he used to put her at ease.

Zylah led him down the path that opened up in front of the waterfall, to the small pond at its base. The lily pads had begun to flower, and she admired the way the white flowers turned golden in the orblights, the water glittering in ripples across the pond. She rubbed a sweaty palm against her thigh before pointing. “There.”

A small tree sat beside the pond; it stood barely to her waist, thick green leaves hanging from trained branches, the edges already tipped in small violet buds. It had taken weeks to get it looking presentable, although Zylah was disappointed it hadn’t flowered yet. She’d wanted it to be perfect. “It’s a cousin of the alyssina flower,” she began, her nerves getting the better of her. “The flowers are small but plentiful, and it usually flowers for most of summer, but this one is a little late to bloom. You can see it from above the waterfall, but I thought it would be easier to show you from here. I wasn’t sure it was going to survive the transport; half the leaves were gone when it arrived, but—”

“It’s perfect.” Raif wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck as he held her back tightly against his chest.

She tilted her head to look at him. “You’re sure? It’s not, I mean… it’s a tree, I know it’s not a normal gift, but I—”

“I love it.”

“Really?”

“I do. But…”

“What is it?” She turned to look up into his eyes.

He played with the necklace. “I hoped tonight might… convince you to stay. I wasn’t going to ask you. I don’t want to ask you to give up anything for me. But this. The thought of coming here, and seeing this tree grow, without you…” He let out a shaky breath and smoothed a hand across his hair. There had only been one other time she’d seen him this rattled, and she thought back to the night at the Pig’s Tail when he’d killed all the Black Veil members for her.

“Come with me.” The words hung in the air between them, and she knew it was a mistake to ask the moment she’d spoken them.

Raif took her hand, his thumb stroking her knuckles. “Liss, I can’t. You know that.” His gaze remained fixed on her knuckles as he spoke, as if he couldn’t look her in the eye.

It already felt like goodbye. And she wasn’t ready for it. Not yet. Tears pressed at the corners of her eyes, and she willed them not to fall. For so many months her life had been about just surviving. Leaving Virian after Arnir was gone was her gift to herself: life on her own terms.

“For you, it ends with Arnir. For us, Arnir is just the beginning. I can’t abandon my friends. My people.”

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