Page 53 of Stolen Star

“Thalia, wait!” I call out, raising the Star Disc. “We need to coordinate?—”

Her primal scream cuts me off, and she charges at the creature, her blade drawn, water swirling around her as she plunges her sword through the monster’s chest.

SAPPHIRE

Steam explodesoutward as Thalia drives her sword deeper into the monster’s molten skin. Its fiery eyes widen, and then it gives one final, earth-shattering screech, collapsing into cooling stone.

Thalia stands over its remains, her blade embedded in its chest, her shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths. Burns are already healing along her arms, and blood trickles from mending cuts across her face, but she doesn’t seem to notice.

“He’s gone,” she says, her voice hollow as she yanks her blade free, her eyes glazed with grief. “Maeris is gone. Just… gone.”

A gust of wind scatters what remains of Maeris’s ashes across the crater floor, golden flecks of summer magic rising with them before dissipating into nothing.

Thalia looks… shattered. And my heart breaks for her. Because I know what that feeling is like. The moment when you think the love of your life—yoursoulmate—is gone. The devastation when you realize you’ll never see his beautiful eyes again, or have him give you that soft smile reserved only for you, or feel his heartbeat under your palm…

It’s the type of pain that empowered me to project my soul into Riven’s body and drag him back from death.

But there is no bringing Maeris back. He’s really, truly gone. And Thalia will have to live with that awful feeling—the devastation that I only had to endure for minutes—for the rest of her immortal life.

Riven’s eyes are fixed on what remains of the scattered ash, his jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle jumping beneath his skin.

“This is my fault,” he says, the words barely audible.

I move to his side, reaching for his hand. “Riven?—”

“No.” He jerks away, ice spreading out from the ground where he stands. “I was the one who split us up. I told Maeris and Thalia to take that monster while we handled the other one.”

Thalia turns, her eyes meeting Riven’s. For a moment, I think she might attack him—there’s something dangerous in her expression—but she simply stares, her grief too fresh for blame.

“I should have done it differently,” Riven continues, his voice rising. “ I should have?—”

“Stop,” I interrupt, stepping in front of him, forcing him to look at me. “You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

But even as I say the words, a small, treacherous part of me sees his point.

Riven and I together have more magic than either of the summer warriors individually. If we’d split differently, maybe Maeris would still be alive.

I hate myself for even thinking it. But the thought is still there. And now that it’s surfaced, I can’t push it back down.

Riven must see it in my eyes, because his expression hardens.

“You see it, too,” he says quietly. “You know I made the wrong call.”

I say nothing for a few seconds. Because firstly, I can’t lie, since I’m fae. Secondly, Riven would be able to feel it if I tried to dance around the truth. He knows me too well for us to play those sorts of games anymore. The soul fusing made sure of it.

“What I know,” I say firmly, keeping my eyes locked on his, “is that we were faced with two deadly monsters and had seconds to react. You made the best decision you could with the information you had.”

But Riven is already shaking his head, pacing now,frost spreading with each step. His hands curl into fists, his breath coming faster.

“I told you to fight with me, and the others to fight together,” he says. “I did that. I gave that order.”

His guilt radiates through the bond—a crushing, suffocating weight that threatens to pull him under. It’s not just sadness or regret. It’s condemnation. A deep, visceral self-loathing that makes my chest ache.

But telling him this isn’t his fault isn’t helping him feel better. Because no matter what I want him to feel, that isn’thowhe feels. Repeating it to him won’t change that.

If I want to help, I need to understand where he’s coming from. I need him to communicate with me. To trust me with the pain instead of only the love and protection.

“Can you explain your logic to me?” I finally say, trying to sound as level-headed and calm as possible, despite the flames burning around us. “Help me understand why you made that call?”

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