Page 141 of Burning Heir

He didn’t flinch from my cindering palms as I placed them on his cheeks. “Why doesn’t my flame hurt you?”

He smiled. “I’ve never been afraid of your burn, Severyn. Shadows and flame exist within us. Besides, I think we balance the other out. I am still getting used to the taste of ash in my lungs.” He chuckled low.

I stared at him, knowing the moments when we were alone were sparse. Knowing every power-hungry Serpent slept walls away.

Archer glanced at the door. “I’m not staying tonight. I’m portaling back to Night to take care of some things.”

He meant the bid he’d made with his father. He would need to prepare for the sun to be stripped away if I were to claim the title. “Take me with you. I’ll portal back myself or have Naraic fly me.”

“You’ve never attempted portaling, Severyn. Let alone the dangers of portaling through realms, which can be deadly. I can’t ensure your safety through the shadows, and I’m not willing to risk it.”

“I don’t care. I want to see Night—show me Demetria, please.” The words hung from my parted lips.

I thought he’d say no. But instead, he cupped my cheek with one hand, the other resting at the small of my back. Cool shadows crept beneath my skin, encasing my beating heart in a clenched fist of darkness.

“Stay still,” he whispered in my ear. “Focus on our bond.”

A flurry of shadow and starlight rippled around us. In his eyes, I glimpsed jagged mountains beneath a bright, cratered moon. Darkness unfurled over us, stretching for miles in a galaxy of blinking lights across the hills and peaks of the Night Realm.

Bats cried out above, circling through a swirl of yellow, orange, and blue—the last remnants of sunset. Moths hovered, their eye-patterned wings flickering around lanterns like tiny ghosts. And then I understood: night was not the terror I had always feared. It was not constant darkness, nor the screams of death beasts and night crawlers. It was every shade of night, from the soft glow of twilight to the deep hush of midnight.

A waterfall spilled like silver thread down the crystal mountains, winding through a valley where cabins lined narrow, cobblestone paths. The scene was alive, a harmony of shadow and light, fear and beauty.

Archer dropped his hand, and I was back at the estate where we had never left.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, lowering my eyes briefly. “How long will you be gone?”

“Only a few days.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You can speak to me through the bond.” He didn’t hide the crooked grin on his mouth, the one I couldn’t stop staring at. “Will you miss me?”

I didn’t have it in me to lie—not after tonight, not after missing him, teetering on the edge of love.

“Yes.” He closed his eyes, resting his hand on the curve of my jawbone. “How strange the world works. Most do not find this.”

I wondered what he meant bythis, how the universe had conspired for us to find each other. Even though our bond had survived death and been reborn, we were together in this moment. I had been promised to him in a different life, knowing that being with him destroyed all my father had done to give me a life of my own. For us to find each other, a life had been lost—possibly two.

The universe cooed in satisfaction, but its greedy claws knew no bounds. Just as the king had described his love with Veravine, Archer’s and mine could never exist in daylight.

He dressed swiftly, leaned in for a fleeting kiss on my knuckle, and vanished without a trace. No lingering shadow, just a sudden void that ripped away the coolness in my heart.

A yearning for him to stay lingered, but such desires were hollow—he had no obligation. My wish for him to stay was merely a surface-level craving. I yearned for Archer’s company because it brought comfort, not out of necessity.

And falling for a rival was insanity. But falling for a Serpent? I knew it was naïve.

Chapter Thirty

The wind nipped at my cheeks as we docked at the academy.

The full bloom of autumn reigned, with shimmering golden leaves trailing across the mountainside. A warmth prickled my spine as I turned to face Saani’s sharp brown eyes.

“Where do you think you’re going, Severyn?” she asked, her voice sharp and commanding.

“Back to my dorm,” I said, crossing my arms tightly over my leathered thighs.

“I’m rounding up Summer to go into the woods. It’s time you all understood the dangers you face while guarding the borders. Clearly, Damien has no intention of training you any further in the forests.”

Damien caught up to me, his hair windblown from the sail home. “What about our weapons?” he asked.

“There are daggers in the cabins. That’s all you’ll need, and your quells should protect you. The Serpent has claimed you,Blanche. That’s a heavy promise for a first-year student.” She clicked her tongue and headed toward the bright warmth of the Summer trail.

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