The faery’s place is in the heart of a thick forest, the wooden structure carved into the trees and branches. The moment we step inside, I feel right at home amongst the leaves, branches, and flowery vines. So does everyone else, apparently, since Liberty, Rune, Shade, and Kylan all start bickering over who gets the room with the window roof. While the room sounds lovely, I’m too damn exhausted to battle it out with them.

The owner of the house—Phoenix—isn’t home, but Legend insists that he knows where to find him and that he’ll stop by to tell him we’re staying here on his way to the Sun Moon portal.

“You’re leaving right now?” I ask as Legend slips on his backpack.

“The longer I stay here, the more time is wasted.” He kisses me on the cheek then heads through the small living room to the front door. “I promise I’ll be back as soon as I find her.”

I follow him to the wooden front door. “Will you be able to get ahold of us?”

“I might be able to send a few messages, but the more I stay in contact, the easier it’ll be for a creature to find you.” He wraps his hand around the doorknob, giving me one final goodbye glance. “I’ll see you soon, Lake.”

When I blink, he’s gone.

Tears sting my eyes as I stare at the empty space before me. Legend always told me he was terrible at saying goodbye.

“He’ll be fine.” Jules joins my side, guiding my head to his chest. “Legend is an ancient vampire; he’s more than capable of handling this.”

“I know.” I clutch the bottom of his shirt as I sniffle. “I just keep thinking about how your father managed to capture him to get to me. What if he finds him again?”

“Lake, he’ll be safer in the Sun Moon Realm. No werewolf can touch him there.”

“I still worry about him.”

“So do I, but I’m also worried about you.” He smooths his hand over the back of my head. “You haven’t said much about what happened back in the woods … with Slate and my traitor guards.”

I suck in a shallow breath. “I feel guilty,” I admit. “Partially for what I did and partially because a small part of me doesn’t even feel bad about it.”

“You shouldn’t feel bad about it,” he whispers against my forehead. “Slate and my guards deserved what they got. And you saved all our lives, Lake. Your gift—you—are amazing. Never think otherwise.”

“I’ll try.” I squeeze my eyes shut. “It might take some time.”

“That’s understandable. Just know that you won’t be in this alone. We’ll all be here for you. Just tell me what you need—anything—and it’s yours.”

I hug my arms around him. “Will you help me forget for a while, both in reality and in my dreams?”

“Of course.” He angles my head back and sears the pain inside me with a kiss.

Without breaking the connection, he backs me through the house and into a …

I pull away, blinking at the window above. “You got the window room?”

His face is a shadow against the starlight trickling through the windows, but his violet eyes are an entirely different story. “I made them give it to me. Thought you might like the view.”

I peer up at the sky, obscured by tree branches. “It’s perfect.” You’re perfect. “Jules, I meant what I said in the forest. I love you. Nothing has changed.”

“I love you, too. Always have. Always will.”

He lays me down on the pillow bed, strips me bare, and makes love to me until I can barely think about anything else. Only his mouth on mine, his teeth sinking into my skin, his hips rocking against mine as he pushes me toward a place where nothing exists. Only us.

When I finally drift to sleep, he meets me in my dreams, and we repeat our love making beneath the stars and the moon until the sun rises.

I fight the urge to wake up, begging for a bit longer. Begging for a little bit of peace with Jules before I wake up and start training to save the future of our realms.