Page 15 of Broken Star

“Yes, it isso.”I lift my chin, steel threading through my voice. “I’m a star touched fae-vampire hybrid. Which means the laws for vampires don’t apply to me.”

“Precisely.” Her lips curve into an approving smile. “Words matter. Dissecting them is key to finding loopholes. You’ll learn, in time. But for now, you’ll need your rest for tomorrow. It’s sure to be… eventful.”

The knowing gleam in her eyes makes my skin prickle.

“You mean my forced marriage to someone who traded away his love for me without a care in the world?” I say, red-hot pain flooding my veins at the unwanted reminder.

“I mean the beginning of your destiny.” She opens the door, pausing before stepping through. “Whether you choose to embrace it or fight it is up to you.”

When she’s finally gone, I drop onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Fate. Destiny. Heritage. Marriage.

It’s too much.

And even with the wall separating us, I know Riven’s there.

I shouldn’t be thinking about him. But the memories come anyway, like a waterfall crashing into the depths below.

Waking in his arms after falling into the fae realm. My gratitude when he returned my lost bracelet to me in that tent—of knowing he went out of his way to find it. The way he whispered my name in the cave before we gave ourselves to each other for the first time, and how I reached for him while we slept in the igloos, his hands sliding over my skin with a love that no longer exists.

The promise in his eyes when he told me he’d fall in love with me all over again.

I shove the memories away as fast as they came, flipping onto my side and curling my fingers into the silk sheets.

Because those moments are from before he let the dryad take his love like it meant nothing. Before he looked at me with that cold, detached stare, like I was just another piece in his endless game of strategy.

And yet, before I fall asleep, I hear the words he spoke to me before throwing everything away.

You’re my compass, Sapphire. And you don’t just navigate the stars—you navigate my heart.

Sapphire

The wedding gownthe Summer Court gave me isn’t white.

It’s a deep, shifting blue, threaded with silver, its fabric rippling like water against my skin with every step I take.

Its weight should feel like a chain. Like a tether forcing me into something I didn’t choose.

But it doesn’t.

Because despite everything—despite Riven, despite Lysandra, and despite the deal that binds me—I’m the one walking forward. The ice magic isn’t digging into my skin this time, punishing me for resisting.

I agreed to this.

The realization settles uneasily in my stomach as I follow the guards deep down the spiraling staircases into the Summer Court’s underground halls.

Eventually, we stop at a rippling, vertical pool of water stretching from floor to ceiling.

I hesitate for only a breath—barely long enough to feel the weight of inevitability pressing down on me—before stepping into the dark chamber beyond.

The floor on the other side is slick stone, and in the center, there’s a pool so deep that I can’t see the bottom. Its surface is as dark as midnight, reflecting the glowing walls as if it’s the heart of the Summer Court.

Lysandra stands at the far end of the chamber, the folds of her dark blue gown pooling around her feet.

Riven’s next to her, watching me. Not with warmth. Not with anger. His eyes simply drag over me, slow and methodical, lingering on the way the gown clings to my body and moves with my every step.

It’s an assessment. He’s ensuring that his future bride is worthy of standing at his side. As if this is just another duty to fulfill.

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