Page 180 of Rift
They wasted no time clearing the space.
“I know we’ve both taken in a lot of new information,” Astra started, sitting beside him and resting her hand on his knee. “I have no expectations of you to forge ahead with my plans, Luxuros. You went from Mercurian Commander to Solar Prince with a whole-ass family and history in twenty-four hours. A complex one.”
“Yes,” he said quietly, nodding his head, his eyes unfocused. “All of that is true.”
Astra snorted, dropping her carefully curated tone and finding her own voice—the one that softened at the sight of his lips twisting into a frown.
“Are you fucking okay, Lux?”
“I don’t know,” he laughed, turning his amber eyes to hers. “I will be. But Astra, I’m a bigger threat to you than we ever feared. Just being in your court is an act of war at this point! I can’t be selfish about this.”
“It’s not my court.”
“It is your court, Astra. You are the leader they need right now.”
“It’s my court for the next few hours, Luxuros. After that, it’s the people’s court, and we need you here. I need you here.”
He leaned forward, resting his head against the table, weighing his question.
“You’d really give it up? The throne, the power? All of it? You’d be opening everyone up to total destruction from the Court Above. Do you realize that?”
Astra flinched. “Of course, I realize that. I’m not making the decision for my own benefit! I’m making the decision to stop the madness, Luxuros. If we don’t do it, who will? How many more generations have to suffer before we finally take them on?”
Lux’s eyes closed, his chest locking up in a thousand warring emotions. She stood, anger bubbling up under her skin that needed movement to think clearly. She circled the table as he stretched his massive frame over the back of his chair, the wear from the last day showing in the lines of his face.
“We know too much to just go back now. You wanted to be a rebel, Commander. Don’t lose sight of that now because you’re scared of losing me. That is the selfish decision.”
Lux let this sink in, a familiar misery washing over him.
“Your Highness?” A maiden knocked at the door. “The Nova Captains are assembling in the Celestial Hall.”
“Thank you.” Astra turned to leave.
He caught her hand as she brushed by his chair. “I will not take the Lunar Throne,” Lux murmured, hardly audible. His voice dropped so low it sent a shiver over her spine. Astra’s heart sank, the words shredding the muscles between her ribs. She didn’t want the throne, but she especially didn’t want it without him by her side. “But I think you should. You cannot overthrow your own monarchy in one night. We need to buy some time.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” she said, trying to concentrate as an intriguing red wave within him crackled to life.
The silence settled between them as she ran a hand through his hair, letting the silver streak slip between her fingertips.
“Make me the Solar Captain.”
Her hand froze against his temple. “What?”
“The Solar Nova Captain. That I know how to do.”
Astra stared at his face, resolute in his decision.
“Done.”
He tangled his fingers between hers, bringing her hand to his lips. She searched his eyes, swirling with shock and confusion and pain. Trailing her fingers over his cheek, she placed a soft kiss against his worn expression. His fingers snaked over her back, breath stilted as she moved her mouth over his.
“I need you to try something,” she whispered. “When Solar and Lunar demigods Tether, they inherit each other’s abilities… the light between us in Celene—what else are you capable of?”
Lux leaned back, his lips twisted together as he concentrated.
“I can see the slightest hint of color when I think of you.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “That’s how it was when I was a kid. Just barely there. But the more I tried to identify the colors, the easier it got.”
