Page 49 of Burning Star

“Few survive my brother’s arrow with their love intact,” he says, watching me in a way that almost looks like he’simpressed.“Fewer still overcome a dryad’s bargain. You’ve done both.” He gestures to the frost and water swirling between us, which must have formed without me realizing it. “Your bond has transcended the efforts of those set on destroying it. So now, I’m going to reward you for that… if you play my game.”

Ice crackles beneath Riven’s feet.

“What kind of game?” he asks. “And what does this have to do with Ghost? And the cheetah beside him?”

“The cheetah’s name is Nebula,” Anteros says, moving to stand beside the altar. “She’s Ghost’s soul twin. Born of Summer as he was of Winter.”

I step closer, fascination overriding caution. “Soul twin?”

“Two halves of one whole,” the god explains. “The celestial goddesses—moon, sun, stars, and storm—sent both animals here, where they entered their slumber.”

“What kind ofslumber?”I ask, since it sounds exceptionally foreboding.

“Not a harmful one.” Anteros shrugs it off. “Think of it like the eternal sleep placed on Endymion so he could be with Selene forever. Love keeps Endymion in the world of dreams with Selene… and your love can bring Ghost and Nebula back to this world with you.”

As he speaks, my eyes are unable to leave the cheetah. Because she’s beautiful. There’s something ancient and powerful about her—regal and wild—and I feel the weight of her importance deep in my chest.

Riven moves toward Ghost and places his hand upon the snow leopard’s head with an ache so intense I can feel it. And when he refocuses on Anteros, his eyes narrow with determination, his hand going from Ghost’s head to the hilt of his sword.

“Name your game,” he says to the god. “The goal, the rules, and the prize.”

Anteros smiles, clearly liking what he’s hearing.

“The trial is not one of strength or magic,” he says. “You’ve proven yourselves more than capable of surviving gods and curses alike. No—this trial is abouttruth.”

The god lifts his hands, water and ice spiraling between us and the altar as a pool begins to form. It solidifies into a perfect mirror, its surface smooth as glass, yet shifting constantly—sometimes showing my reflection, and sometimes Riven’s.

Riven stiffens beside me, and Anteros lowers his arms, his gaze steady.

“This is the Heart’s Reflection,” the god says. “A ritual few are called to, and even fewer pass its test.”

My throat tightens. “What do we have to do?”

“Love is not merely felt,” he says, looking between us. “It’sseen.If you truly love each other—if your bond has overcome poison and sacrifice—then you must see what the other sees.”

“We share a soul.” Riven glares at the god, frost crawling up his arms. “She sees me. Her entire essence hasbeen insideme. It’s…” He pauses, shaking his head and turning to me. “Incredible, terrifying, and unraveling all at once, and I don’t know if I’ll ever deserve it—but I’ll spend forever trying.”

I cross my arms and huff, although I can’t stop the smile that’s creeping across my lips. “Can you please go back to being insufferable?” I ask, since we need to focus on passing this trial instead of arguing with Anteros before it can even start. “It’s much easier than assuring you that you deserve my love, always and forever, until the end of time.”

The air pulses between us.

Then, his grin turns wicked.

“I’m just giving you balance,” he says, taking a step toward me. “The tortured soul and the cocky prince, all rolled into one perfect disaster.”

My breaths quicken, and I want to pounce on him and show him just how much of adisasterhe turns me into when he gets all sexy and moody on me.

“Focus.”Anteros’s voice echoes through the chamber, stopping me from doing any Winter Prince pouncing.

Both of our gazes snap to the god.

“I might be a god of love, but people in love can be soexhausting,”he says with an eye roll. “Now, do you want to know the rules of your trial, or not?”

Riven’s grin fades, and his attention shifts to Ghost, a cold breeze swirling through the chamber.

“Tell me how to wake him,” he says to Anteros.

“Gladly,” Anteros says, and the watery mirror shimmers, the surface rippling with images that blur and change. “You will kneel before the Reflection and gaze into it. Your hearts will be stripped bare, and you’ll see yourselves as the other sees you—the beauty, the strength, the flaws, and the wounds you try to hide. If you reject what you see, the Reflection will boil away, and the ceremony will fail. Ghost and Nebula will remain bound, locked in sleep for all eternity.”

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