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October 20 - October 25, 2025
“If she decides to break apart this whole ship to deal with what happened, I’ll help her. If she wants to kick your lying ass into the depths of the sea, I’ll take your legs. If she decides to rip the world to shreds for what it’s done to her, I’ll cheer her on. And if you were a true friend… you would as well.”
“You can’t lose someone if you’ve never had them,”
“I’ve told you before. You’re stronger than you think.”
“Trust me,” he whispered. “You are strong enough.”
“You do not carry that darkness. You may bear a name, but that name does not define you. You may share his blood, but that blood does not dictate who you are.
I. Promise. You. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Rioner, Loche, the rebels, the Oakgards’ Fae, or any of these fucking people won’t come near you. Ever again.”
It was Merrick. It was trust. It was assurance. It was friendship. It was…
She’s angry because she loves you so much. It’s… it’s easy to turn to rage when love stabs a dagger right through your heart.”
“Sounds like you speak from your own experience,”
“I do.”
Make mistakes, and forgive yourself for them. Get hurt, and fight back. You’re a good person. A fucking great person. Stop letting guilt dim your light. I told you once, it’s time to shine…”
“It’s time to fucking burn, Lessia. If we’re taking on the threats of this world, you’ll need to be willing to burn it down. Love. Lose. Hate. Win. They all come together in the end. Use them to fuel that passion to make this wretched world a little better.”
“You are brave and clever and wildly loyal. You have such fight in you—even after everything. And you love so fiercely… so boundlessly. Don’t let your past convince you that you aren’t worthy of it in return.”
“Tell… tell me what changed between us?”
“Everything,”
“I see you, Elessia Rantzier. I see how you fight to live through each day. I see how you fight to better yourself—whether it’s through training or understanding of others. I see how you fight to love so freely and so deeply. I see how you fight for a world that’s only mistreated you, because you believe it’s the right thing to do.”
“You wouldn’t have to fight for me. I… I can’t say it would be easy, given what we’re facing, but I’d make sure this—us—would be the one place you can rest, where you’re always safe, where you never have to put on a mask to conceal your true feelings.”
“You’re wrong, you know.” “What am I wrong about?” “Everything is about you.”
“You’re stronger than you think. And I am also stronger than you think. I’ve been tortured before. By much worse enemies than some weak humans.”
“You’ll beg for your nightmares if you touch her. And when you’re dead, your head severed from your body, your soul will continue begging for them for all eternity.”
“You’re beautiful,” he declared quietly. “You’re always beautiful.”
“You left me! You let me fucking crawl after you. I told you I loved you, and you… you told me to erase me! You do not get to judge me, regent.”
“Do not touch her.” Ice dripped from Merrick’s voice as he pushed the regent back a step. “You lost that privilege that night. Get back before I kill you.”
“I don’t care if every single one of them dies. I don’t care if the whole realm burns to the ground and not a single grain of dust remains. I am not letting you go anywhere near Rioner.”
Swallowing, Lessia set her sights on the empty chair beside Kerym, but as she neared, the Fae violently shook his head at her, eyes flicking toward Merrick. “Absolutely not. I don’t plan on getting killed today. You go over there.”
“Merrick is your fucking mate,”
“I want you because you make me feel alive! Because you believe in me when I don’t believe in myself. Because you try to make dumb jokes to make me happy. Because you make me fires to keep the darkness at bay. Because you hide your smile when I’ve made you proud in training. Because when I fucking stab you, you lecture me about missing your heart!”
“Do you want to hear how I can barely be in the same room as you without losing my mind from your scent invading my every fucking sense?”
“Do you want me to tell you that every time I helped you up from the floor when we trained, I had to physically restrain myself from pushing you down again and having my way with you? From claiming your fucking perfect lips and ripping those damned leathers off, making you scream from something other than frustration?”
“Do you want me to tell you every instinct inside me is telling me to kill him? Not because he loved you or because you loved him. But because he fucking hurt you?”
“Do you want me to tell you I’ve loved you since you stood up to Rioner and me on that cliff?”
“Do you want me to tell you I’ve fallen more in love with you every day, watching you fucking fight for your life?”
“Do you want me to tell you no one—mate or not—has loved anyone the way I love you? That I would laugh as the world fell apart as long as you stood by my side? That even if I could only have one fucking night—one night pretending you’re mine—I’d take it?”
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“Because I would. That’s how fucking bad I want you. How bad I need you.”
“And one night is not nearly enough. I told you. I want everything. I want to be your fucking mate, and I don’t know the right words, but I accept our bond—I welcome it—I’m proud of it.”
“I wish to die every time you hurt. And when it’s because of me… Fuck, I nearly jumped off a cliff when they made me torture you. I—” His voice broke. “I can’t say how sorry I am for what I’ve done to you.”
“You’re too damn good for me. You’re all fucking light and goodness and life. While I’m all darkness and evil and death. I don’t understand how you were chosen for me.”
“You just fucked up, regent.” Merrick threw his head back. “I do not decide what she does or doesn’t do. She is her own person, and she makes her own decisions. While I am hers and she is most definitely mine…” He emphasized the last word by sending a death glare Loche’s way. “I do not own her. No one owns her.”
