base, and blooming saffron-colored flowers opened to the night. Touching her chin to her shoulder, she cast a slow glance my direction. “We’re almost at the ruins. I need absolute stillness to attract a Gyss. If you can’t manage that, hide until after I tame her.”
“I can manage.”
She blinked, and tension melted from her shoulders. “Noc… Are you sure about this?”
My world came to a standstill. There was so much behind that small question. I wanted to tell her everything—from the truth behind why the curse was placed to the reason for the heavy ring on my finger. But what good would it do if this didn’t work? She deserved a life of happiness, and if she stayed with me, I’d never be able to provide that.
“Yes.”
She sighed. Her hand fell to her side, and she moved forward through the brush. Lumina trees dominated the space before us, their gargantuan roots intermingling with boulders and slabs of glistening black granite. Weeping strands of leaves kissed the ground, and Leena pushed them aside like a curtain, revealing a magical oasis.
The placid water of the lake glimmered in the low lavender light of dusk. Dusted-pink water lilies covered the surface, and the occasional ripple from a fish ghosted the water. It was said the gods had blessed five locations across our continent. Five sacred ruins carved from the heavens themselves. Staring at the altar resting in the middle of the lake on its lone island, I believed it. Pristine as the moon and lit the same, the structure glowed. The water around the island was pure mercury, a spectacular silver that bled into crystal blue the farther out it traveled.
A heartbeat pulsed from the ruins, and warmth spread through me, encouraging heat in places I hadn’t even realized were cold. Eyes burning, I braved a glance at Leena. Other than the quiet smile on her lips, she seemed unaffected.
A gong rang true and deep, like a mallet striking a chime, and a pleasant hum vibrated through every muscle in my body. Hairs along my arms rose skyward, and emotion swelled in my chest. I’d never felt so alive.
Blessed.
Was that it? I stared at the ruins, at the throbbing glow pouring from the slabs, and my heart slowed to match the pace. Cursed was an everyday predicament, a constant drag on the soul. But this? My gaze lingered on Leena’s back. Without knowing, she’d delivered a piece of my former life right back into my hands.
If the Gyss didn’t work, I wasn’t sure I’d be strong enough to leave her.
“Stay where you are.” Frustration apparently forgotten, she smiled at me and pulled off her hood. Backlit by the glow of the ruins, by the ancient ties to my past, she stood like a queen. I’d given half of myself before, and in that moment, I contemplated giving her more.
All I could do was watch and break. Shatter into a million pieces and hope that all of this would work so she could put me back together again. Otherwise, she needed to run. Run far and fast, because these emotions were no longer hiding. They were climbing to the surface, reaching out toward her, and if she accepted them, if she admitted her love for me, she’d die.
I wouldn’t let that happen. Not now. Not ever. Not again.
Kneeling against the water’s edge, she tipped her face to the sky and illuminated my world with her glow. The ruins tried to compete, but she outshone them, radiating pure warmth from her skin.
My chest stilled at the first sign of the Gyss. She arrived quickly, parting blades of grass with her hands and floating before Leena’s knees. Wild black hair dotted with tiny white flowers. Pointed nose and rosy cheeks. She looked past Leena to inspect me, her wide-set eyes assessing. Her stare hit me with the force of a train, and my heart trembled.
Leena poked her with a careful finger, and the Gyss giggled. Her wispy tail fluttered as she moved, and Leena pursed her lips. “She’s ready. I’ll take her to the beast realm, grab a key, and bring her back. Wait for me here.”
Minutes passed. With every breath came an unstoppable wave of doubt. What if it didn’t work? What if it did? How would I know? I paced along the shore of the lake, eyes drifting to the ruins. Everything about this place reminded me of the life I had before I died, the life I was supposed to live. Amira, my