41. SOPHIE
Sophie woke to a soft knock on her front door. She sent out her mana to feel who it was, but nothing reached back. She rushed to the door, opening it ever so slightly hoping Ash would be there, but he wasn’t.
After last night, Sophie felt strange. Like she was stuck between two realms. Like a piece of her was stuck in Faery, and for what it was worth, a part of her truly was. There was unfinished business with Kaine and the maelstrom of a prophecy that they had momentarily been swept up in. There were her memories tied into her identity that had escaped her for so long, kept hidden by her mother. Without those things being put to rest, she felt a little empty and guilty if anything, for giving into the pull that existed with Ash. The last time she let her heart open she’d been burned and broken by Kaine. She knew it felt different with Ash. It was a soul-destroying yearning she’d felt her entire life, and it was caused by him. She knew it. Though the fear in her heart sunk its teeth deep into her skin. She had yet to learn how to bite back.
Sophie looked to the floor and found a black box with a large black ribbon tied around it. The smell of Ash’s woody scent lingered there for a moment.
So, it was him.
Sophie picked up the box and moved back inside, unfastening the ribbon as she did. She opened it to find a letter from Ash sitting on top.
Starlight,
The stars were once wary, but tonight they will burn with envy.
Yours.
Sophie bit her lip and her heart squeezed. The nickname. His sign off. Yours. Oh it made her heart stupidly giddy.
She placed the note back in the box, cheeks flushed, only to find a dress forged by the stars themselves.
You are kidding me.
She moved to her bedroom and laid the dress onto her bed. The strapless bodice was covered in silver crystals, diamonds and sequins. A see-through skirt cascaded effortlessly as it split at the waist to showcase a thigh. The train stretched out for a while and the hovering shoulder pads were encrusted with diamonds, that would spill over down her arms like raindrops. From the shoulder caps, an almost invisible string attached itself to a thick diamond choker. It would showcase her tattoos and the mana markings on her chest perfectly. This dress was made for her.
Sophie placed her hand on her throat, her heart light and fluttery. This dress was heavenly. She couldn’t even begin to fathom what it would have cost – a fortune at the very least.
Shit. He’s going to be here in forty-five minutes.
Judging be the opulence of the dress, it was going to be a fancy ball.
Sophie rushed around to the bathroom, blowing a wind of mana through her hair so that it sat completely straightened. She slicked it back with a bit of water and gel before freezing water particles with her air mana. They formed little sparkling stars that shone in the galaxy of her purple hair. Winged eyeliner and frosted water droplets upon the inner corner of her eyes were the final step.
Sophie stepped back from the mirror with a satisfied smile. That should do it.
It turned out that applying make-up had taken much longer than anticipated. Sophie only had a minute until Ash arrived.
She rushed for the dress that lay on her bed. It was incredibly light despite being covered in crystals and diamonds. Unzipping it, Sophie stepped into it and managed to fasten the choker into place before a knock sounded at her front door.
Sophie huffed. Of course he’s early. Shit, I can’t zip up the damn dress. “I’m in the bedroom. Ugh, I think I’m going to need a little help!” Sophie called out. She felt his will-bending mana and smelled him before he stepped foot into her room. Velvety. Woodsy.
Sophie had her back to the door and was about to turn around when warm fingers found their way to the zipper of her dress. Slowly, excruciatingly, as if he had all the time in the world, Ash zipped her up. Though somehow, it felt like he was doing the exact opposite. Ash’s hand remained at the top of her dress. Perfectly still. She could feel the burn of where his fingers had softly brushed her skin. Gone was her fluster. Rising in its place was pure, unbridled heat. Her hands started to shake, and her stomach filled with butterflies as she slowly turned.
There he was.
Acheron Taranis. In all his unbothered, divine glory. His unbound inky hair was pushed back behind his delicately pointed ears, falling onto a body covered in silver scaled armour. His tattoos peeked just above the high collar and from under his silver sleeves. His wings were decorated in the same light silver armour that ran all over his chest and legs. He was a muscular, brooding, intimidating version of Baz Luhrmann”s Romeo and Sophie was Juliet, dressed in white, eager to find him. She could not blink. She could not breathe. She simply could not function.
It wasn’t just in the way he looked, but the way he looked at her. His sweet plump lips slightly apart. His breathing unsteady. His pupils dilated and searing with an intensity that burned brighter than any flame she’d seen. He stared at her like she was his. To have and to hold. And as the silence between them grew, there was only one word Sophie wanted to growl and caw at the top of her lungs so that everyone knew what Ash was to her.
Mine.
But the word did not come out. She was still heady, gripped firmly under Ash’s spell. Sophie tried to blink her vision clear, but it only made her dizzier. At some point her body had stopped receiving oxygen and it was only Ash that she was breathing in. Not air. It was just him and his woodsy scent and Sophie was quite content in drowning in it for the rest of the night.
“We should probably get going . . .” Sophie swallowed dryly. “If we don’t want to miss the Ephemeral Cascade.”
Smooth.
It was the second night of the Ephemeral Eclipse, and the stars would be falling to the Godlands to rest. Sophie was starting to think it was a better idea to skip the natural phenomenon altogether and spend the night here with Ash instead. A pull in her mana told her it was something she would regret missing though.
Ash’s chest rumbled with the beginnings of a Fae growl. “We should,” he breathed.
But neither of them moved.
It was like gravity had pinned them down. Like the universe was trying to make them stay in place. But somehow, Sophie broke free of the hold, lifting her hand to Ash’s and laced her fingers with his. It felt simply and truly right. Whatever it was they had.
Sophie pulled Ash with her, leading him through the front door. And he let her, following her like a lost puppy. She could still feel the heat and hunger of his gaze without looking back.
A smirk found its way to Sophie’s face knowing that while he was more powerful than her, she still had a hold over him. She chewed her bottom lip, feeling a little out of her depth but dared to turn back to Ash. As soon as she did, he pulled her to a stop as she reached the bottom of her villa stairs. He already towered her, but with the steps separating them now, it looked like he was about to take flight. A guardian angel, reaching down to lend a helping hand. That’s what he looked like.
Ash smiled brightly, his smoking turquoise eyes dancing with mischief. “It’s an official date then?”
Sophie paused for a moment. Her heart beating faster than she’d ever felt it before. His charm had slithered its way into her heart and for all the times he was there for her, lending her a hand from out of the dark, she knew he was worth giving a chance. With her hand intertwined with his, Sophie jumped off the tightrope of friendship and into the unknown. Even though fear of being hurt attempted to claw its way back onto the tightrope, Sophie continued to plummet. She knew deep down that she would be okay because the strong tether between them would be there to catch her fall.
“It’s an official date.” Sophie smiled brightly, almost bursting with laughter.
Something like relief washed over Ash’s entire body and his eyes shone with excitement. He paced down the steps and swept Sophie up into his strong arms, swinging them both around in the air.
Sophie bubbled with laughter and so did Ash.
He let her softly onto the ground before kneeling beside Lumen, his arm outstretched dramatically. “Your noble steed awaits.” Ash grinned. He was her knight in shining armour. Literally.
“Why thank you, kind sir.” Sophie played along, placing her hand into Ash’s as he helped her onto the arion’s back.
Ash jumped onto Lumen, pushing his entire body flush against Sophie’s. With a sharp click of his tongue, Ash launched them all into the air, flying them toward the Isle’s waterfall.
As they landed softly atop the backward waterfall, Ash leaned down to whisper into Sophie’s ear. His lips grazed her ear lobe, pebbling the skin on her arms. “Thank you, Starlight.” He paused, and so did her heart. “For giving me a chance. I know what doing so means for you. I don’t care how long I must wait. I don’t care if the Fates have someone else planned for me. Because I will defy them with all the strength I have in my blood and bones, and I will never let you down. I can promise you that until my dying breath and somehow beyond that.”
Ash’s whispered declaration sent a chill down Sophie’s spine. He meant every single word. And every single word burned her core. The words set alight her heart with fate-binding heat, and she couldn’t think of a more pleasurable way to die than in Ash’s arms.
There was no denying it now. Sophie was irrevocably, undeniably burning. And the flames she bathed and basked in were only burning for one soul. Ash’s.
The stars were still high in the Godlands’s sky when they arrived at Soul City’s Colosseum. It stood several stories high, hewn from pure white marble, situated in the very centre of Soul City. All kinds of beings – souls, angels, gods and goddesses – milled about in the most decadent evening wear. Flirtatious smiles and hearty greetings were exchanged throughout the crowd, abuzz with excitement.
Sophie gawked and gasped to her heart’s content, revelling in the thrum of anticipation that the crowd so clearly felt. This was a freaking Godlands ball, and boy, it did not disappoint. Glowing lanterns decorated streets and the colosseum itself, bathing the entire Soul City in warm light.
“Come on, Deymos and Eros are probably already up there several drinks deep. Don’t want to miss out on the action, do we?” Ash grinned, pulling Sophie even closer to him.
Sophie hadn’t said much since his declaration, not because she denied it or felt uncomfortable with his declaration. She just couldn’t formulate the words that would best describe how she felt inside.
“We definitely can’t let it slide.”
Ash held his hand out, helping her pull up the skirts of the dress so she could grace the stairs accident free. A true gentleman.
Be still my beating heart.Sophie tried not to squeak.
As they climbed the stairs, Sophie felt a tingle at the back of her neck as if someone was watching her. Watching them. Before she could even turn around, Ash’s grip was ripped from her hand, and with a grunt, he was tackled to the floor. A blur of red and tan pummelled into him.
What the fuck?
The crowd around them dispersed like the red sea. Lightning struck all around them and seconds later, Ash stood tall, holding the struggling assailant by his neck as if he weighed nothing. A promise of death etched across his perfect angelic face.
“Fuck you, you bastard,” the assailant grunted.
Wait a minute. I know that voice.
Sophie, wide-eyed, rushed toward them. She recognised the mop of red hair. She recognised the tanned skin and the tall, athletic frame. “Cam?” Sophie breathed.
Ash snapped his head toward Sophie, his eyes relaxing a touch as he understood the recognition in her voice.
Sophie nodded at Ash to let Cam go. She had no idea how, but he understood her, dropping Cam to the ground in a flash, leaving him unbalanced. “Cam, is it really you?” Sophie held back a sob, though tears had already begun to spill.
As Cam regained his balance, his piercing green eyes shot straight to Sophie. Tears she’d been holding back came gushing out all at once. She rushed to him, embracing him with all her might. The blue film of magic that encased him, separated him as a soul. Cam let out a bit of a laugh, hugging Sophie as tightly as she was holding him. “It’s good to see you, Sophie. It’s so good to see you.”
Sophie sobbed and she wasn’t even sure if Cam could understand her. “I’m so sorry”—sniff—“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have let you run”—sniff—“after him. I’m unbelievably sorry, Cam. You deserved so much better,” Sophie wailed, pushing her face farther into his chest.
“It’s not your fault, Sophie.” Cam rubbed her back. “I am a full-grown male, and what I did was my choice completely. It’s not your fault. The Fates had decided it was my time. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Cam held her close. “Though if I had the chance to go back, I’d beat the shit out of him a bit more.” Cam laughed.
Sophie pushed back from his embrace, wiping the tears from her eyes. She needed this. For him to say the words that ate away the guilt that sat in her heart for so long. And here he was, his mischievous self in soul form. “I’m glad you made it to the Elysian Fields. Was the lifestyle a little too slow for you or something?” Sophie poked his arm.
“Eh, I had the option to head to Soul City. You know me, I love to be where all the action is.” Cam winked.
Ash cleared his throat from behind Cam.
Cam’s eyes widened in response, and he immediately put himself between Ash and Sophie.
Sophie tried to move around Cam, but he wasn’t letting it happen.
“Sophie, I know I’m going to sound crazy, and I can’t really do much now that I’m a soul with no powers but there’s a guy behind me who from afar I’d mistaken as Kaine but upon closer inspection he has wings and somehow looks nicer. The point is, I was mistaken, and a little confused and angry but now I’ve made him angry,” Cam whisper-yelled.
Sophie looked back at Ash from around Cam’s arm. Ash looked amused but there was no mistaking the storm clouds that had formed around him, the threat of lightning hanging in the air.
“Oh Faery, he’s listening, isn’t he? Shit. Shit!” Cam took a hold of Sophie’s hand in a tight grip. “Okay. We’re going to run on three. One. Two—”
Sophie stopped him before he could run away. “Cam, it’s fine.” Sophie tried her best not to laugh. “I want you to meet someone.” Sophie firmly grasped Cam around his arms and he genuinely looked frightened as he turned around to face the angel he’d just assaulted.
“Cam, this is Acheron Taranis, guardian angel in the Tienthan and Weapons Master of the Godlands.” Sophie paused to place her tattooed hand on Ash’s shoulder, watching Ash. “And Ash, this is Camrine Nahvi, a friend who fought in my name and someone who is dear to me.”
Ash lifted his hand to greet Cam.
Cam’s eyes were assessing. Cautious, if anything, he took in Ash’s hand as if it were coated in poison. Cam looked to Sophie one more time and tilted his head, as if to ask Are you sure about this?
“Ash will never hurt me, Cam. He and Kaine are entirely different. I can show you.” Sophie lifted her hand, waiting for his consent to fill his vision with her mother’s memories and memories of her own.
Cam nodded, his lips twisting with scepticism.
Sophie moved the strands of red hair from his brow, and softly placed her fingers upon his temple. Purple mana started at her fingertips as Cam shut his eyes.
She showed him. Channelled her vivid visions and the undiluted emotions that laced them. Cerri’s plea for help. Lethe, the moment he turned into Kaine. Ash, the moment he took Cerri’s hand and disappeared. Ash, the moment he picked her up from the ground, slick with despair from the dose of Veritas. Ash, and the vow he uttered upon the Isle’s waterfall just moments ago.
Sophie let go.
Cam’s eyes fluttered open. The greens of them turning with understanding.
Sophie nodded and smiled in encouragement.
And with that blinding trust, he of all people should not possess, Camrine took Ash’s hand in his, taking in the tattoos that swirled to the tips of his fingers. A small smile appeared on Cam’s face as he pulled Ash in for a hug instead. It clearly took Ash by surprise as his wings bristled the way they normally did when he felt uncomfortable.
Her worlds were colliding, and in the funniest of ways. It made her heart so full.
“Try me again, and I’ll make sure your soul ends up in Tartarus,” Ash growled in Cam’s ear.
“Ash!” Sophie gasped.
Cam jumped back with a nervous laugh as the lightning in Ash’s storms clouds began to spark. “It was an honest mistake, and I do apologise. Clean slate?” Cam lifted his hand between them.
Ash mumbled something under his breath about why everyone wanted a clean slate, but Sophie didn’t quite catch it. “Very well.” Ash clasped Cam’s hand again and they both smiled their handsome smiles.
“I hate to burst the beginnings of a really hot bromance, but I believe the cascade is about to start. Ash, shall we head in?” Sophie chirped, taking a hold of Ash’s elbow.
Ash nodded but looked at Cam in warning as he walked past him. The look was outrageously territorial, and Sophie couldn’t help but curl her toes.
Ash guided her up the stairs without another word. Sophie looked back at Cam one more time, just to make sure he was real. He mouthed Mother of Faery, he is HOT! and fanned himself as if the temperature had spiked.
Sophie snorted and shook her head, a pang of nostalgia hitting her chest.
“Save me the first dance, will you?” Cam called after her.
“It’s yours!” Sophie laughed, waving him goodbye for now.
Sophie turned back to Ash, who seemed relieved to have her alone again. “Took a bit of a tumble there did you? Never thought I’d see the benevolent master of weapons so easily put on his ass,” Sophie jibed.
Ash growled, moving so quickly that Sophie had barely registered it. He placed a hand on the small of her back and bent low to whisper in her ear, “There’s only one thing I’d like to tumble, Sofreya.”
Sophie smirked, leaning up to feel his breath on her ear and her neck. “And what is that?”
“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” Ash teased.
She did. She really, really did. Before she could even bite back with her smart mouth, he pulled her up the stairs of the colosseum.
Was it possible to die in Heaven, to then ascend to another level of Heaven? Because that’s where Sophie found herself. The marble hallways of Soul City’s Colosseum were lined with grazing tables and libations of all assortments along the outer walls. Tall archways lined the inner walls of the colosseum, stretching levels upon levels. There were no balustrades to stop people from falling.
Ash smiled. “This is what I love most about this place.” He had a firm grip on Sophie’s waist as they stepped closer to the inner edge. Sophie was grateful for it, because as she looked over the lip, her knees wobbled. They were four levels high and the centre of the colosseum, the size of a circular football field, ran through the entire island. Top to bottom. Straight through. When Sophie craned her neck, the Godlands’s night sky burned fiercely, the stars ready to fall. And when Sophie looked down, she was met with night sky too. A perfect place for stars to fall and for people to watch. It was no wonder why the Ephemeral Ball was held here.
“Is that . . . are the stars going to fall through here?” Sophie was breathless and she turned to Ash.
He squeezed her waist ever so slightly. “Mhmm,” Ash mused. His eyes were bright with excitement and Sophie stole a moment to watch him in his fine armour.
Pinch me.
Sophie made the mistake of staring too long, because Ash turned and flashed her a sneaky grin. He knew she was staring. For sure.
Sophie rolled her eyes.
“Would the lady like some drinks?” Ash held his hands behind his back and rocked on his feet, looking a little nervous. Sophie had to admit she was too. Her heart hadn’t stopped hammering since they’d left her villa.
“If the kind gentleman is offering.”
“We mustn’t leave the lady waiting for her libations then,” Ash purred, dipping his head slightly before turning to find them some drinks.
Idiot. Sophie smiled to herself. “I’ll grab us some snacks!” she called after him.
Sophie turned toward the grazing stations that had been lined upon the outer walls of the colosseum. Tables were filled with a smorgasbord of fruits, meats and delicacies she’d never seen before. Sophie’s mouth watered. She’d barely eaten all day because she was so stinking nervous. Sophie grabbed a glass bowl and filled it with everything that tickled her fancy, of course, snacking while she did it.
A prickle started on the back of Sophie’s neck. She stilled her hand, debating whether to turn around but curiosity caved in, and Sophie instantly regretted it. She turned to find Vestes standing beside her. His thin lip was quivering with a smile on his pale, wrinkly face.
Sophie fixed a bored look upon her face and continued munching away on the pretzel that was part way through her mouth. “Who died and let you come to this party?” Sophie deadpanned.
“Demigoddess of Faery, it’s a pleasure to see you so delectable . . .” Vestes paused, raking his eyes up and down the length of her body, “for a half-breed.”
Yuck. Gross. Is that vomit I taste in the back of my mouth?
Sophie scrunched her face in disgust. “Ew. Just no.” Sophie stepped aside, picking at the snacks she had gathered in her bowl.
Vestes stepped in her way. He was dressed in a black chiton with what looked like draekin claws cinching the shoulders. It was by far the worst thing Sophie had ever seen.
“Tsk tsk tsk, the master of weapons wouldn’t like his plaything to be so disrespectful, would he?” Vestes’s voice slithered closer to Sophie’s ear.
“The master of weapons does not control me,” Sophie said lowly, a growl starting in her throat. She narrowed her eyes at Vestes, ready to smack his excuse for hair off the top of his wrinkly head.
Vestes dared to lean in, his thin lips almost touching the shell of Sophie’s ear. Sophie tried to jerk away but an invisible power held her chin still. Vestes’s power. A tick started in Sophie’s jaw. There was no way that Vestes, the shrivelled sultana, would rain on her parade. Sophie pulled at her mana with a sharp force, burning through his invisible hold within seconds.
Vestes stepped back in surprise. “She’s got a little bit of bite. Just like her mother, it seems,” Vestes mused.
“Vestes, do me a huge favour and fuck off.” Sophie shook her head, moving back through the crowd to find Ash.
Way to ruin my night.
She could still feel Vestes’s slimy eyes upon her.
“What services are you offering him?” Vestes started.
That was enough to make Sophie turn around like a raging bull who just saw red.
He smiled that creepy smile, knowing he’d done well in riling her up. He continued, “Perhaps we can come to an agreement if you could lend some of your—”
Vestes couldn’t finish the sentence as thunder and lightning cracked all around him. Ash was there in a split second, hauling Vestes into the air by the scruff of his neck like a freaking ragdoll.
Sophie raised her eyebrows, genuinely impressed by Ash’s strength. Vestes wasn’t hulking by any means, but the male was tall and spindly. Ash still somehow made him look like a damned toothpick.
“Put me down! This is assault!” Vestes squirmed in Ash’s grip, but Ash did not give two shits. He didn’t even give one, as he stormed over to one of the large open windows, tossing Vestes through it.
He tossed Vestes through a window.
From the fourth floor.
Like he was a piece of trash.
Not that I condone littering, but I don’t mind it on this occasion.
Sophie ran after Ash, looking over the edge of the window where a circle of revellers surrounded Vestes’s bent and battered body.
“Holy shit! Is he dead?” Sophie gasped, turning to Ash who looked pissed as all hell.
“No. He’ll heal in a few minutes.” Ash sounded extremely disappointed.
“Well,” Sophie sighed, “that’s a shame, isn’t it?” Sophie pulled her lips into a thin unimpressed line.
Ash sighed too. “Sucker made me drop the drinks too. Come with me, I’ll get us new ones.” Ash grunted, turning swiftly as he took Sophie’s hand in his.
The annoyance and anger she had felt dissipated. Back in her stomach was the squirming nervousness she felt whenever Ash held her close.
A soft, fairy-like voice began to echo around the colosseum, singing in a language that Sophie didn’t understand. She looked around to find the owner of the voice. There. Two levels above them, was a fairy-like female standing in front of a microphone. Her skin was entirely pink and her butterfly-like wings were soft green and translucent. Her mint-coloured hair was tied up in a high ponytail that stretched metres in length.
Ash paused his movements, catching who Sophie was staring at. “That’s Aeranya, a famous fairy singer.”
Sophie scoffed. “Huh, you don’t say?”
Ash pulled them both forward, toward a table laden with drinks. He took two shots of iridescent liquid and handed one to Sophie.
“To your very first Ephemeral Eclipse.” Ash raised his shot glass.
“And hopefully not my last.” Sophie met his glass with hers, sounding a clink, before guzzling it down. It was sweet, like grape soju, and it tickled her throat. “That was delicious!” Sophie beamed and somehow, she already started to feel a little buzzed. Maybe it was the excitement.
Cam had somehow found them among the crowd. He cleared his throat as he moved around Ash’s towering frame.
Sophie’s heart squeezed. Seeing Cam again was . . . relieving, even if he was a soul.
Cam stretched out his hand. “As promised?”
Sophie took his hand in hers, looking back at Ash with a smile. He answered by taking another shot and flashing her a grin.
Stringed instruments flowed together with Aeranya’s lulling voice, sounding through the entire colosseum. Sophie watched as the stars above burned even brighter, shaking in place, ready to fall at any moment.
Cam pulled Sophie close, and they began to sway in time with the slow music. “You look happy.”
Sophie dipped her head, shying away. She was. She was stronger now. She understood more. Sure, she was missing a few bits and pieces but once she executed her plan, she’d be whole, and she’d be sure of who she was. All her secrets, kept from her, would be set free.
Sophie looked back up to Cam’s piercing green eyes. He was handsome in his light-grey suit. “I am happy. Truly. A lot can change in six months it seems.” They swayed to the music, dancing close to the arches. Sophie’s dress swayed and billowed like stardust and smoke. “Are you happy?” Sophie asked.
“Very much so, Soph. I found my parents in the Elysian Fields. They were waiting for me.” Cam looked like he was about to cry, and Sophie was very close in joining him too.
“That’s wondrous, Cam. You deserve all the happiness the afterlife can bring you. And for all that it’s worth, I’m sorry that I stole your time away from you.” Sophie squeezed his hand tighter.
Cam stopped their swaying. “It was never your fault, Soph. It never was, and it never will be. I made the decision all on my own. Please know that. The weight of my death is not yours to wear. Okay?” He shook her shoulders a little, bending down to peer under her tear-soaked lashes.
Sophie bit her lip, biting back tears.
“Okay?” Cam shook her again, a sorry smile across his face.
She mustered a measly nod.
“Good. And promise you’ll visit, now that you know I’m here?”
“Name the time and place. I’ll be there,” Sophie smiled.
Cam pulled Sophie in closer, pulling her into a hug, his hands feeling cold and a little empty. He whispered in her ear. “Try not to drool, alright?”
Sophie looked up at Cam with furrowed brows. One, confused. Two, ready to punch him because she missed that teasing tone so much.
Sophie heard the bristling of Ash’s soft wings from behind her. She turned to find Ash, slightly bowed and his hand stretched out waiting for her. His pure white wings were stretched out in show and Sophie’s breath caught all over again. She smiled brightly and grabbed his hand without a moment’s hesitation. Sophie looked back at Cam. “I’ll see you soon.”
Cam nodded. His red hair falling into his slightly watering eyes before he turned, disappearing into the throng of people dancing.
Sophie turned her attention back to Ash.
That was when the music paused.
That was when everyone looked up to the stars that began to descend upon the Godlands. Some people clapped, some gasped in awe, while others started tearing up. Sophie was a strong contender in the tearing-up category of revellers, with her hand stuck at her throat.
Above, the stars floated down to them on a magical song, leaving swirls of green and blue in their wake. The eclipsed moon painted the sky in a dark, romantic navy; the perfect backdrop to the cascade of burning starlight that only happened every three years. It was a true celebration of love and life because in this very moment, Sophie was truly grateful for all the things she’d been through. The good, the bad and the ugly. Every single ugly thing that happened to her, had happened for a reason. And now she was here, in the damn Godlands watching this natural phenomenon beautifully unfurl like a rare rose in front of her very eyes. She didn’t regret a damn thing. She couldn’t if it meant that she was here to watch the Ephemeral Cascade.
Ash’s warm hand pressed against the small of Sophie’s back. Sophie glanced at him momentarily, a brightness in his eyes as he watched the stars fall toward them.
They shared a smile. A look.
And Sophie didn’t need anything else.
The music started again. The light keys of a warm piano sounded through the air. Then full strings that pulled beautiful, elongated notes tumbled into the fray. Every note, every pause and every beat, filled her heart to the brim with a mixture of awe.
Sophie’s heart burst at the seams as every single being in the room started into a waltz.
It felt like a dream.
Ash pulled Sophie with him, toward the centre of the colosseum. Sophie went willingly, the sounds of the orchestra carrying her feet. That was until Ash stepped off the edge.
“Wait.” Sophie tugged his hand.
Ash turned back, the smoke in his eyes billowing. “Scared?”
“Never.” Not with Ash. Sophie paused for a moment before he pulled her up in the air. One moment on sure feet, solid ground. The next, dancing with the stars.
This right here . . . was Heaven.
Stars fell all around them, burning brightly, skittering around the colosseum in joy. It was their moment to rest after years of shining brightly, of course they were rejoicing!
Sophie let out a full-hearted laugh as Ash twirled her around and around in and among the stars. They said nothing, but they didn’t need to. Laughter was all they needed. Each other was all they needed. The stars were a bonus as Sophie and Ash danced with wild abandon. He held her close, his arms a harbour she wanted to anchor in for a long while. They spun in endless circles like soft delicate snowflakes upon the surface of new snow. Like autumn leaves upon a gossamer wind. Like bright moonlight dancing upon the leaves of a pine tree.
When the song came to an epic close, a slow, sweet-sounding song took over. Their dancing slowed. Sophie found her head resting on Ash’s chest, her senses consumed by his sandalwood scent as they swayed slowly in the air. Ash’s thumb burned slow circles on the small of her back. Sophie dared to look up at him. His turquoise smoking eyes, full of . . . what was that? Content? She dared ask, “Why do you call me Starlight?”
Ash scoffed as if the answer was clear, common sense. He lifted an arm to brush his hand through the trails of green and blue swirling light, spreading the star matter into the space between them. They both watched as the star matter, green and blue swirls, glowed and dissipated. All that remained between them were words left unspoken.
It was Ash who moved first. He lifted his hand and held her chin between his fingers. “People spend years waiting for the stars to fall. It leaves them breathless, and it leaves them wanting.” His eyes looked down to Sophie’s lips, as if trying to remember every detail. “You are my starlight. You take my breath away with each glance, with each word that comes from these bewitching lips.” Ash traced Sophie’s lips with his fingers and Sophie’s heart thundered furiously, completely entranced by the angel before her. “You leave me wanting more no matter the cost, forever chasing the stars. Forever chasing you.”
Sophie’s eyes fluttered, wanting more than just his fingers upon her lips.
“May I kiss you?” Ash’s voice was but a whisper.
Sophie let out a shaky breath and nodded. Where were her words? They had disintegrated along with her resolve into nothing but stardust.
Slowly, achingly, Ash closed in on the tension-filled distance between them, brushing his lips lightly on Sophie’s. His breath was warm on her skin, and his scent . . . by the Fates, Sophie wanted to drown in it. But before she could surrender to him, Ash pulled back quickly, as if the words clean slate echoed between them. He dropped the hold on her chin, a mixture of need, urgency and acceptance upon on his face.
Sophie watched him, carefully. Did she want to do this? Cross the threshold of friendship and explore the world anew with Ash?
Fuck the clean slate.
Sophie crashed her lips into Ash’s on pure, raw instinct. Like two planets falling into each other’s gravity, they collided. Her body was a newborn star, rising in heat and pressure, destined to shine brightly for a million years to come. Their lips melded together, turning into a nuclear fusion of want and need. The catalyst? Ash.
They only pulled apart to gather their breaths. Their chests rising and falling to the beat of their own song. Ash held her still, a hand upon her waist and the other holding her neck. He looked into her eyes as if they held the inklings of an undiscovered galaxy. That look alone undid the steely armour that Sophie had moulded around her heart.
Her voice was all breathy. “I’ve felt a deep chasm in my soul for as long as I can remember.” Sophie placed a hand on Ash’s cheek, the plains of his face feeling every bit perfect against her hand. “Every part of me ached to find its missing piece. I’ve been searching for so long.” She had been. For years. Through two realms. What felt like an eternity spent searching, looking, pining for the other half of her soul. She had the scars to prove it too.
Ash leaned into her hand, a purr starting in his throat. “You can finish with your searching, Sofreya, I am here and I’m waiting to be found.”
Of course he was. He was always waiting for her. The words made Sophie’s throat ache. Was he even real?
“The moment I heard your voice . . .” Sophie’s mind flew back to the moment she was whisked away in Faery. She cast it to the moments where she lay bed ridden with despair after the loss of Camrine. The moments when the sound of Ash’s voice lulled her to sleep with beautiful stories of strength. Ash had been there for everything. “I knew I was in trouble. My heart gave in completely, and the thought of someone holding the fate of my heart in their hands, unbound and naked, has me terrified.”
That was her truth. She was terrified. What if she was wrong again?
Ash placed his hand on top of hers where she cupped his cheek. “There would be no one stronger or more capable of protecting your heart, Sofreya. You are safe with me always.”
And with those words, she knew she couldn’t be wrong. Not about this. Home was no longer realms out of arm’s reach. It was right here.
But there was one thing she had left to do.
The stars hovered around them, creating a little private space to call their own among the Ephemeral Lights. Sophie’s eyes began to water. “I know. I’ve always known and that’s what scares me.”
“That’s the thing about love.” The word made Sophie’s heart thunder. “People forget how sharp and ruthless of a blade it can be. It’s daunting. Your whole life, everything that matters, everything that makes it shine is concentrated into one point of origin. One wrong move and suddenly you’re bleeding. But like a sharp blade, it can bring you comfort knowing your darkest demons lurk nearby. It can protect you, and it can save you all the same. So, I’ll have it. Whatever you are willing to give, Sofreya, I’ll have it.” Ash’s hand was firm against her jaw, urging her to look at him.
Her heart. What was this feeling? Like shedding her armour, so that all her soft bits were exposed. She should have been more scared than she was. She should have. But she wasn’t.
Sophie leaned into his hold, fluttering her eyes closed. Tears ran down her cheeks as she lifted her chin. And as if it were his second nature, wordlessly, Ash closed the distance between them. They’d spent years apart, pining for each other. Realms apart, even. Now, they were here. Swirling among the stars in each other’s embrace. The time that they had spent apart shattered into nothingness. Time itself paused for them – a whirlwind of starlight and armour.
It was in this moment, with their lips never wanting to part, that Sophie had to wonder if her heart had ever truly loved. For Sophie swore, she’d never felt such burning desire, such fierce loyalty, or the irrefutable, deep ache in her soul for anyone until Ash.