In order to save the world from eternal night, Red must find a way to unlock the dormant power of the Sun Goddess running through her veins without killing herself and everyone she loves.
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Sebastian waited for the blood to drain from the tips of his ears before climbing to his feet, brushing the dust off his patchwork shorts. While he'd wanted to afford the women some privacy, he hadn't been able to resist the opportunity to hear what they talked about when he wasn't around. His compromise had been to hide behind a tree stump and stare into the distance, all the while keeping an ear out for their true thoughts.
Now he wished he hadn't. It had been difficult to hear Red confirm his fears; that they were just friends.
Did friends covet each others attention? Did they long to be near each other, simply for the joy they found in being close, in sharing stories and silence and everything in between? He'd never felt this way about anyone before, never experienced fear so profound as when she was taken from him, and had attributed those feelings to something more intimate than the word friends implied.
Sebastian had little experience with relationships, however, and he'd knowingly spurned his own soul mate when casting off the shackles of Nya's Grace. It wasn't fair of him to expect Red to do the same. Why would she give up her perfect half just to be with him?
Sometimes he wondered what his mate would have been like. He tried to conjure an image of his ideal woman, but only Red's face manifested in the swirling mist, just as it had in the clearing with the Orchid Mantis. He snorted, shaking his head to clear it. There is no such thing as a soul mate, he reminded himself. Only slaves to the whim of a Night Goddess playing match-maker.
And yet that didn't change the fact that she was destined for another man, while he was destined for no one. Such was the nature of a wild animal.
Stomping around to alert them of his approach, he entered the clearing. Gretchen was talking shop with Rana about the wyvern's armour, and Red was toweling her golden hair dry. She looked utterly resplendent in her new clothes, like a fae archer from stories of old, supple and graceful and entirely comfortable in her own skin. He fought the urge to run his hands through her hair, to grab it and pull her closer. Just friends, he reminded himself. Could he be content with that role, so long as it afforded him a place in her life?
The thought was a bitter one, difficult to stomach. At the very least, he would be her guardian and guide through the Wylds, until the day she no longer needed him. Her Wraith, as she'd fondly dubbed him when first they met, wrought from mist and blood. A force of nature destined to watch from afar, only to intervene when absolutely necessary. He didn't have to be her friend to be reliable. To keep her safe.
The only problem was that incessant, pestering feeling that assuaged him every time he cast his eyes upon her, like it was a moment to be trapped and savoured in his memory. How was he supposed to shut down the giddy leap in his heart, that frustrating flutter in his stomach?
Sebastian told himself he stayed because her purpose aligned with his own. Because Rya's Blessing afforded Red the unique ability to challenge Nya, something he'd coveted his whole life. For that alone, Red had to live. She had to thrive.
Even if the thought of her going head to head with the Night Goddess made his toes curl and his mouth run dry.
She's simply the means to an end, he thought, hardening his heart against the warmth in those hazel eyes when they landed on him. Red waved him over, but he ignored the invitation to her inner circle, making a beeline for Gretchen instead. Better to keep my distance.
Perhaps it would make it easier when she found home in the arms of another man.
