Page 38 of Burning Star

Something in her words feels like permission. Like validation for the choices I’ve been making. Like an invitation to confide in her.

“The others hate me now,” I say, thinking of Victoria’s barely contained rage and Sophia’s withdrawn disappointment. “It’s like I crossed a line I didn’t know existed.”

“They don’t hate you. They fear what you represent.” Her smile turns knowing. “Separate can be lonely at first, but I think you’ll find it’s worth the price.”

I think about Aerix—his touch, his hungry kisses, and the way he looks at me like I’m the only thing worth seeing. About the safety I feel in his arms, despite knowing what he is and what he’s capable of.

Because here, in this strange, beautiful prison, I’ve found a kind of agency I never had in the human world.

My life at home was full of directionless wandering. The string of abandoned hobbies, and the desperate search for something that felt meaningful.

Here, every moment feels consequential. Like itmeanssomething.

Especially my moments with Aerix.

“I want what you have with the king,” I admit, surprising myself with my honesty. “I want to matter here. Tobesomeone here.”

“Then take it.” Aurora’s smile is radiant with approval. “The prince has already shown his hand. He wants you. Use that. Become the one thing he can’t lose.”

“How?”

“Give him something no one else can.” Her big eyes gleam with excitement. “Your humanity. Your warmth. Your willingness to see him as more than just a monster.”

I think of Aerix’s wings unfurling around me, of the vulnerability in his eyes when I touched the base of them. Of the story he told me about Kallista, and the pain that lingers in his voice when he speaks of betrayal.

“I already know he’s not a monster,” I whisper, my heart racing. “He never was.”

“Then you’re already halfway there.” She picks up her book from the table, regal and composed. “The rest is just commitment to the path you’ve chosen.”

As she leaves, I know she’s right. My feelings for Aerix aren’t just a game anymore. I don’t know if they everwerea game.

Because I want him. I wantallof this.

And I’ll take everything he has to give me. Because when I’m done, Aerix won’t just want me. He’ll need me, like I need him.

And I’ll never be powerless ever again.

ZOEY

Aerixrequests me for dinner the next day, like he always does.

By now, the ritual is as familiar as it is intimate. The slow approach. The tilt of his head. The touch that comes before the bite.

When he finishes up, the pain is already fading into a dull, pleasant throb that sends waves of warmth through my body.

“Delicious, as always,” he murmurs against my skin, his breath cold where my blood pulses hot.

His wings unfurl behind him, stretching to their full span before folding against his back. They’re breathtaking—midnight black and impossibly vast, feathers gleaming like obsidian, each one catching what little light exists in the room and swallowing it whole.

“Happy to be of service.” I mean it to sound teasing, but my voice comes out breathless.

His eyes darken, and his hands slide from my shoulders to my waist, pulling me closer with that effortless strength that makes my stomach flip.

“Your service,” he murmurs, low and dangerous, “goes far beyond feeding me.”

And then, his mouth is on mine, and I taste the metallic tang of my own blood mingled with the wintery pine essence that’s uniquelyAerix.

His kisses are always like this—possessive, demanding, and consuming. Like he’s trying to devour me piece by piece until I forget who I was before he took me. And now, my fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine.

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