Page 16 of Golden Star

My grip tightens around Riven’s waist, and there’s something about this moment—his back against me, the rush of the wind, the rhythmic pulse of Ghost’s run—that feels oddly intimate. Maybe even more so than when we kissed.

No—nothingcan feel as intimate as that kiss.

But this is close.

Eventually, the trees thin, and my house comes into view. It’s modest—one floor, with wood siding and a thatched roof—and I assume it’s unimpressive to Riven. But after everything that happened tonight, it’s good to be home.

“It’s safe to dismount,” Riven says coolly, not even glancing back at me.

“That’s it?” I ask. “No help down?”

“I’m an ice fae from the Winter Court,” he reminds me—as if I need reminding. “Not a knight in shining armor.”

“A surprisingly human reference,” I tell him.

“I’ve been around for a while.”

“Do you mean you’re immortal?” I ask, and when he twists around to look at me, his eyes are so cold that my breath catches in my chest.

“Answering your endless questions wasn’t part of our deal,” he says. “I’ve brought you safely home. Now might be a good time to remind you that from this point forward, I can do whatever I want to you.”

I swallow, since the things passing through my mind that I want him to do to me probably aren’t what he’s referring to.

Or maybe they are?

My cheeks flush at the thought.

“Get off,” he tells me. “Now.”

Annoyed, I shift my weight and swing my leg over Ghost’s back, jumping down onto the ground. My boots sink slightly into the snow, and I brush some dirt from earlier off my jeans, the sting of Riven’s dismissal prickling through me.

In a flash, Riven and Ghost disappear into the woods, like shadows swallowed by the night.

It’s almost like they were never here at all.

But they were here. The tingling feeling lingering on my lips from his kiss proves it.

And now, they’re gone.

Shaking my head—and trying to push down my disappointment at the fact that I’ll probably never see Riven again—I turn toward my house, the sight of it grounding me. It’s strange to think that just hours ago I was pacing around my room, angry and frustrated about my dead-end relationship with Matt. A difficult situation, but a normal one.

Now, nothing about me—or this world—feels normal.

But dawn will be here soon. So, I slip into my bedroom window—a skill I’ve perfected after many past-curfew nights with Zoey—and look around at the posters on my walls, my unmade bed, and the clothes strewn across the floor. Everything’s the same as I left it.

There’s only one thing in here that’s changed.

Me.

And after tonight, nothing’s going to be the same ever again.

Sapphire

Three firm knockson the door jolt me awake.

It opens before I can say to come in.

Aunt Martha gives me a hard stare, her arms crossed, her brow raised like she’s been waiting for me to get up for hours.

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