Page 236 of Interion

He took my hands from his lips and placed them over his chest. I felt his heart beating, heard each strong, rhythmic pulse.

“This,” he whispered in the dark, and I was speechless. I listened carefully to his heart. With each second of silence, his heartbeat grew faster, stronger and louder. Maybe he was anxious? I shifted and he opened his arms, so I lay down, positioning my fae ear over his heart. The sound was loud, strong, and vibrant. That made me happy, because every little piece of him was mine.

“It’s not theft if you have mine too.” His heart slowed a bit. Zion stroked my hair until sleep began to weigh on my eyelids. We didn’t say anything more—there was no need. The sound of our hearts said it all.

I didn’t understand much about love either, but I suspected that feeling pure ecstasy just from hearing his heartbeat was a glimpse of what love truly was. I listened to his pulse all night, and each beat told me that there, in his chest, was my home.

I fell asleep with the certainty that I was exactly where I belonged.

Chapter 59

It was cold, and even with the fireplace lit, the room stayed chilly. Outside, the weather had turned freezing.

It was the day of the opening party for the trials, and also Lúmiran. That meant it would snow at exactly 9 p.m. Katy was with me. Ambrose had called her to do my makeup for the evening. I asked her to recreate the look from the graduation party. When she asked what hairstyle I wanted, I pointed to a sketch I’d drawn, and she looked a little uncertain but did exactly as I asked. One voluminous braid centered on top of my head, with two smaller ones on each side. The five braids ended at the crown of my head, and from there my hair fell loose and wild. Katy also wove in tiny lights between the braids for a touch of elegance. This was a traditional Drutes hairstyle—the kind of braid I’d seen in illustrations of the Goddess of War, and very similar to what my mother used to wear.

After Katy left, I put on the velvet dress Ambrose and I had bought weeks ago for the occasion. It was long, off-the-shoulder, with sleeves that began mid-arm and extended to my wrists. The fabric was thick and wool-lined to withstand the night’s cold, its color a deep wine. The off-the-shoulder cut highlighted my décolletage and accentuated the curve of my breasts before cinching tight at my waist. From there, it flared out, flowing around my hips. Underneath, I wore thermal leggings and the boots Zion had given me for the trials, since no one would see them anyway. I turned to the mirror and put on my earrings and sinil necklace. It was obvious which Goddess I’d chosen to bless me in the trials. The red dress and hairstyle screamed it.

With one final check, I left the room and headed down the stairs. Zion rose from the couch and smiled at me, extending a hand as I descended. His hair was loose, and he wore a black military uniform—dress regalia made for the event, covered in gold details. Epaulettes shaped his shoulders, and two rows of gold-encrusted buttons ran down his abdomen. As a general, Zion was a key figure in the opening ceremony and needed to present himself accordingly.

“I’m one lucky son of a bitch,” he exclaimed as I descended the steps.

“You? I predict a dozen women’s hearts will stop tonight just from seeing you in that uniform,” I muttered, taking his hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed it.

“The only heart that matters to me is yours.” Zion pulled me closer. Those words alone made my body warm even more.

“Sorry to inform you, but as a doctor, I have to worry about more hearts than just yours, and I’m not prepared to handle cardiac arrests triggered by your beauty.” I caressed his cheek and traced his eyebrows with my fingers.

“Worry especially about the king’s heart. He’ll have a heart attack when he sees you representing the Goddess of War.” His blue-green eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“The choice of Gods is free—he can’t interfere with that. Calistra is the Goddess of War and Drutes represents her, but he can’t interfere with the worship of a Goddess just because she rules the enemy city.”

“He can’t interfere, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be happy about it.”

“Do you think I should undo the hairstyle?” I smoothed my hair, feeling disappointed. Zion flashed a smile that promised trouble.

“No. I think you’re perfect just like this. If the king has any objections, he can complain directly to me.” He studied my hairstyle and seemed pleased with what he saw.

“Thank you,” I said shyly.

Zion glanced at the matte watch on his wrist, and his smile faded.

“We have to go. I can’t be late for the army’s entrance.”

Δ

The graduation event, which coincides with Lúmiran, has always been held near a lake, river, or waterfall. It was tradition, tied to the passage of the yonsai spirits, which began once the aurora borealis lit up the skies. This year it would be celebrated around Canoe Lake—not on the shore where the restaurants stood, but on the other side, on a lawn at the foot of the four mountains.

Zion transported us there, and as soon as we arrived, the cold wind caught me off guard, carrying the scent of food and flowers. The field had been divided into two sections, with tables arranged around it offering food and drinks from all four nations. Down the middle ran a wide white walkway where the army would march and the new students would be presented to the king. The structure where the sovereign would sit had been erected over the lake, ten meters from shore—Elitium was paranoid about his own safety. The throne sat high, with no way to reach it except by swimming. I figured Zion would be the one transporting him.

We walked arm in arm across the grass, weaving through a sea of people seated at round tables adorned with colorful flower arrangements and scented candles. Only the elite of the nations occupied this area—all the powerful men and women of Jupiter. They had come to watch their nation’s children rise and to scout prodigy students they might hire to work in their own cities. The citizens “who were not part of the elite” celebrated on the other side of the lake, in the center of Interion.

Arrangements of candles and flowers surrounded us on all sides. Above our heads, they hung suspended in glass cubes alongside colored ribbons and runes engraved in gold. There were no archemic globes—the festival’s purpose was to revive ancient customs, from the time when the first fae populated the world and the Gods walked among them.

“I didn't know it was this beautiful.”

Despite the cold, I felt dazzled by the event, and having Zion by my side made everything even better.

“You've never been to a Lúmiran festival?” He frowned and drew my wandering gaze back to his.