The Songbird and the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia Book 3)

“Can’t think of anyone better suited to master both the sun and the stars, Iliae.”

You’d make a shit king,” Elias said, and gave Asar a forceful push, right toward the cliff’s edge.

I didn’t think. I just ran.

Luce dove after us. Chandra screamed my name. Asar’s eyes widened as he flew back, and I could’ve sworn he started to shake his head. No

Asar had a lovely face, big dark eyes that peered from beneath a mop of messy dark brown hair. But the rest of him was disheveled, his clothes once fine but now patched and slightly too small. He knelt before what had once been his dog. Her long, slender legs tangled, two of them broken. Her sleek black fur was matted with red, but the wounds no longer bled. No, there wasn’t much blood left in her at all.

She’d taken to curling up with me at dawn, which had dented my prayer time, but it was so sweet I couldn’t bring myself to care. Asar had touched his chest when he’d seen it. “The betrayal wounds, Luce,” he’d said, but he’d scratched her behind the ears in a way that seemed to say, Good girl

It isn’t a justification. It’s an explanation.”

An odd thought struck me. I sat back on my heels, frowning, brow furrowed.

He caught my eye. “What?”

“Asar, do you actually care what I think of you?”

He turned back to his work and didn’t answer.

A slow grin spread over my face. “You do.”

This felt like a triumph

That was a Mark.

An Heir Mark, denoting the rightful ruler of one of the three vampire kingdoms

If I fell, I’d be at the mercy of Psyche. Likely get gobbled up by a Souleater or torn apart by wraiths.

But if I let Elias take me, Asar would be lost.

It wasn’t even a choice, was it

The hug was awkward in every way, the angle making our bodies an uncomfortable mishmash of limbs, my arms around his neck, his knee jabbing my hip. Asar stiffened like a cat unexpectedly captured, debating if he should wriggle away. But I just tightened my arms around him. My face buried against his shoulder. The delicate scent of ice and flowers filled my lungs.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He started to protest, but I said again, more firmly, “Thank you.”

I didn’t mean to hold on so long. But it had been a long time since I’d hugged someone. I didn’t realize how much I’d needed it. I couldn’t bring myself to pull away because the tears just kept coming, rolling down my cheeks and sinking into the fabric of his shirt.

“Just accept it,” I murmured.

“Never.”

But his hand fell to the small of my back, and he didn’t pull away.

It even surprised myself that the real answer was, I missed fixing things with you

He started to rise, then let out a surprised oof as I threw myself against him.