Page 77 of Stolen Star

Aerix’s magic shifts, his wings ruffling, the air around us chilling further as he places his hand at the small of my back.

“Shall we continue?” he asks me, as if Sophia is simply a minor inconvenience. “There are many more to see before you make your selection.”

I nod, letting him guide me away from Sophia’s cell. But I can’t help glancing back, just once. When I do, it’s to the sight of Sophia sitting back down on her cot, her spine straight, her gaze forward.

She hasn’t broken. She hasn’t surrendered her dignity. She’s simply... adapted. Like I did.

But unlike me, she doesn’t have a prince’s power to save her.

ZOEY

Aerixbrushes his hand against my back as we continue our walk through the barns, his touch deliberate and approving.

“You handled that perfectly,” he murmurs, his magic wrapping around me like a caress. “You didn’t flinch from her accusations. Didn’t justify yourself. You continue to prove why the gods crafted you to be mine.”

His midnight eyes are fixed on me with an intensity that would terrify anyone else, his jaw tight, his body tense. As if he’s waiting for something.

I know exactly what he needs from me. It’s what healwaysneeds from me.

But this time, I let him wait. Just long enough to feel it—to recognize the power I hold over him, even as he believes he’s the one with all the control.

“Iamyours,” I reassure him. “Because I love you, Aerix. Always. And soon, I’ll be with you forever.”

The tension leaves his body in an instant, his wings relaxing against his back as a light, cool breeze blows around us.

“And I love you, Zoey,” he says, low and reverent. “More than any creature has ever loved another. More than I thought I was capable of. More than I can survive, if I ever lose you.” He leans closer, his voice dipping into something possessive, quiet, and devastating all at once. “You are my crown and my undoing. My chaos and my clarity. And I will freeze this entire world solid before I let anyone take you from me.”

My breath catches, and I tilt my head, letting my fingers trail up the edge of his wing. “You talk like you’re afraid you might lose me,” I say softly. “But you won’t, Aerix. I promise you won’t.”

Exhaling like I’ve given him oxygen, his fingertips trace the curve of my cheek, leaving a trail of cold that burns in the most delicious way. And then, he kisses me—slow and deep. Like he’s carving his name into me all over again.

“Now,” he continues after we break apart, “let’s find you someone worthy to sustain your new life.”

We move deeper into the barns, past dozens of cells filled with humans who don’t meet my eyes. Some stare at the floor, others at the wall—anywhere but at us. Thesilence is broken only by occasional whimpers or the shuffling of feet as people retreat to the backs of their cells.

“How far up does it go?” I ask, craning my neck to see the uppermost levels.

“Twenty tiers,” Aerix replies, his fingers laced with mine as we walk. “The highest cells are for those the nobles find less appealing.”

As we round a corner to view another section of cells, my breath catches in my throat. A flash of white-blonde hair, familiar blue eyes—for a moment, my heart stops.

“What is it?” Aerix asks, the air swirling protectively around us.

I step closer to the cell, my eyes fixed on the woman inside.

She isn’t Sapphire—not really. Her hair is a shade too yellow, her eyes more gray than blue. But something in the set of her shoulders and the defiant tilt of her chin reminds me so much of my best friend that it makes my chest ache.

“This one,” I say, my voice firmer than I expected. “She’s the one I want.”

The woman rises from her cot, wary but not cowering.

“What’s your name?” I ask her.

“Laura,” she answers, her voice soft but steady, justlike Sapphire’s used to be when she was thinking through a problem.

Having someone who reminds me of Sapphire to keep me alive here feels like fate. A tether to who I used to be, even as I let go.

“A good choice,” Aerix murmurs, turning to face me fully. “She has spirit. Not broken, but bendable.”

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