Page 82 of When the Moon Met the Sun

I hadn’t seen Father since the day I'd left the North. The day he forced me to leave everything I had ever known behind, including the only people I had loved—at the time. He used me like a pawn in his game—though I supposed that was all I ever was to him, anyways. Something to be used then discarded. Never cherished, never loved, not the way a daughtershouldbe.

He only ever tended to me out of obligation, so he’d be seen a specific way. Like a loving father, a fair ruler. Little did his subjects know that the mask came off when the doors closed behind him. That he may wear a smile on his face, but his eyes matched his soul—void of any emotion beyond greed and selfishness.

I rarely saw him outside of our morning visits for my elixirs. Though I bet he spun some elaborate tale in front of others to make it seem like he simply visited each day because he enjoyed my company.

After so many years, I believe we both preferred it that way. Living separate lives within the same castle.

I always felt for Dimitri, though. Father never let him wander far, his leash kept short. Looking back on our situationsnow, I was selfishly grateful Dimitri was able to take the brunt of Father’s attention on himself. At least I was still able to sneak away every once and a while. Dimi rarely had that luxury.

Part of me wondered if my twin was on the battlefield today, or if he was left to oversee things back at Gatlyn Castle. An even smaller part of me selfishly wished he were here, just so I could see him and reassure myself he was alright. Aurora made it sound like he had been falling apart since my departure, but he had always been the strongest person I knew. What was so horrible that he couldn’t weather it alone?

Shaking my head slightly to clear the thoughts spiraling in my head, I rested my cheek against Byn’s back as we neared the campsite.

Just one more moment to soak in the warmth and comfort of my husband. I just wantedone more moment.

Sooner than I had hoped, Atlas came to a slow stop, and Byn helped me off of the wolf’s back. Sometimes I wondered if he forgot I could fly.

Before I could take more than a few steps towards the circle of Northern tents, a tender hand circled my wrist. I allowed Byn to turn me around and hold me at arm’s length, hands resting on my shoulders.

“Listen, Aviva… I wouldn’t ask this of you if I thought anybody else had even a slim chance of getting close enough to your father. You’re in a unique position here, with all his subjects believing you were taken by force. They’llwantyou to reach him, maybe they’ll even help you. But once you reach him, he’ll know something is wrong. Play it smart, alright? Use every tool and ability you have. If we can cut the head off of this beast of an army, they should all fall back. With the Islanders here, we stand a chance, but the less that die on our side, the better,” Byn said, his voice gentle and reassuring, but with the strength of a king.

I nodded and threw him a cocky smile. “I know, Byn. I can do this. Plus, if things go horribly wrong, I’ll have backup,” I reassured him, wiggling the ring sitting on my gloved hands."And you didn't ask this of me, love," I added.

He reluctantly removed his hands from my shoulders, and I could feel the guilt settling in his chest anyways, simply because he knew this was putting me in harm’s way.

Grasping at the leather and metal armor on his chest, I pulled him down to my level and pressed my lips to his.

He returned my kiss fervently, and through our intertwined souls, I could feel everything he wasn’t able to voice aloud. The love, the guilt, the longing, the desperation, the pureneed. The kiss sent small sparks running through my veins, and I wondered if it was even possible to ever grow tired of the male before me. I ingrained the feel of him into my mind, and dedicated the smell of him to memory—spring rain and magnolia tree blossoms.

I broke away a handful of heartbeats later, resting my forehead against his as I whispered reassurances to him one last time. “I can do this.”

Quinn cleared her throat from behind Byn, Rayven next to her looking towards the tents not too far off now.

I looked to her without a hint of the anxiety I felt showing on my face, and gave her a dip of my chin. She returned it with a bow of her head. I appreciated the gesture, knowing that there would be no big speeches or grand reassurances from her, especially not after what just happened to Ezra.

I turned to look at Rayven, only to find him already scanning my expression, likely checking in on me like he did everybody else in the Valwain.

“Ready?” he asked, his voice rough and husky like always.

I nodded, shrugging off the remnants of the messenger's uniform. I tried not to cringe, thinking of him lying beneath a tree onthe other side of the roving hills, unconscious. Our original plan hadn’t even worked.

Without the uniform, I now stood in elegant, lightweight armor made of black leathers and gleaming metal. It was a mixture of the hard, almost impenetrable leathers the North wore—lightweight so as to still be able to fly—with some of the South’s metal armor providing extra protection over more vital areas.

Rayven then handed me his gray cloak—worn in enough to look tattered, as though I had escaped the clutches of the South. That was the story I needed to make my father’s people—mypeople—believe. I donned it without a second thought, covering the armor underneath completely.

I met Byn’s eyes one last time, hoping he could read the emotions written in them as I began walking into enemy territory.

I heard the beat of the wolves’ paws as they retreated, not wanting to bring any extra unwanted attention to my sudden appearance.

I ducked behind one of the smaller tents on the outer ring of the campsite, Rayven next to me.

“You won’t see me, but if you pay close enough attention, you’ll be able to feel me with your shadow wielding. Remember your training, and know that I’ll be right there in case things go wrong,” Rayven said, his dark chocolate eyes peering into mine.

“Thank you, Drayven,” I replied, which he dipped his head to.

A male of few words.

Rayven suddenly dissipated into shadow, but I forced myself to be hyper-aware of any and all shadows around me. The unexpected might just be my greatest weapon yet.

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