Page 48 of Burning Star

I follow Riven cautiously, my eyes scanning the chamber for possible threats. And I’m glad I’m aware of our surroundings, since Riven is only focused on one thing.

“Ghost,” he says again, reaching the altar and placing a trembling hand on the snow leopard’s head. “What happened to you?”

Ghost doesn’t stir. His chest rises and falls in shallow breaths, but otherwise, he might as well be carved from stone.

“He’s sleeping,” I say, drawing closer to examine both animals. “They both are.”

“But why?” Riven’s voice is tight with frustration and worry. “And the cheetah… they’re familiars of the Summer Court. Of summer fae.”

Something in what he says resonates with me, and I reach for the cheetah, my fingers hovering over its golden fur. The ivy covering its body hums at my presence, responding to my summer magic, and I’m drawn to it in a way that’s impossible to explain.

But before I can touch the cheetah, the air around the altar shimmers, and words form on the stone beneath the sleeping animals.

Awaken them with a love that cannot break.

Riven’s expression darkens with impatience. “I don’t have time for riddles,” he says, running his fingers through his perfectly tousled hair. “Tell us how to save Ghost.”

The words shimmer and change.

Not just any love. A love that defies endings. A love that can’t be shattered.

“A love like ours,” I say, understanding blooming inside me.

As if in response, light spills across the floor and comes together in the shape of a man with golden wings and eyes that hold the wisdom of eons.

“Princess Sapphire Hayes Fairmont Solandriel Draevor of the Summer Court, Winter Court, New York Vampire Clan, and the star touched warrior of Celeste,” he says my full, utterly pretentious name and titles. “And Prince Riven Draevor of the Winter Court and Summer Court. I’ve been waiting for both of you.”

Riven steps protectively in front of me, frost forming a shield between us and this ethereal man who looks startlingly familiar. “Who are you?” he asks, keeping it simple.

“I am Anteros,” the man says, inclining his head. “God of requited love. Brother of Eros, although he views love as a weapon, whereas I see it for what it is: a gift to be honored.”

Water droplets form around me, so defined that they’re pointed, and I take an angry step toward the god.

He—to his credit—steps back.

“Your brothershot me with a lead arrow,”I say, the memory of that hatred still fresh, even though it—thankfully—hasn’t come back since we emerged from the Cosmic Tides. “He made mehate the man I love.”

Riven steps next to me, his ice joining my water. “I was the one who deserved to be punished,” he says, his gaze locked on Anteros’s. “Not her.”

Anteros raises an eyebrow. “Were you not punished, Winter Prince?” he asks. “By her rage? Her hatred?”

“That wasn’t punishment. That was torture,” Riven replies. “I took it because I deserved it. But watching her hate me—watching her burn because of something your brother did—that wasn’t justice. That was cruelty.”

Shards of ice explode out of the floor near the altar, and I fear Riven’s about to attack this god on the spot.

Even though I hate what Eros did to us—and am prepared for anything from Anteros—attacking this god for his brother’s actions doesn’t strike me as the best idea. I’ve already incurred the wrath of one god too many in my lifetime.

But I’m still ready to reach for my dagger at a moment’s notice.

Finally, Riven exhales shakily, his eyes meeting mine.

“Eros took the shot, but that arrow was tipped with my mistakes,” he says, the words breaking my heart. “And I’ll never stop trying to make up for them.”

“Youdiedfor me,” I say, and I’ll repeat it a thousand times if it means he’ll understand how much his sacrifice—regardless of how reckless it was—meant to me. “You deserve all the love in the world. And I’m never going to stop giving it to you.Ever.”

Riven’s breathing slows, and it’s like we’re the only two people in the universe.

But then Anteros moves toward us, his steps leaving trails of golden light in his wake, drawing our attention back to him.

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