“I certainly didn’t imply that.” Fenn rose, his unbound hair spilling over his shoulders, softening the planes of his cheekbones. He tilted his head, earrings clinking. “As I’m still indebted to you, I was hoping this service would be repayment enough.”

When Serenna narrowed her eyes to see through his flimsy motivation, Fenn suggestively raised his brows. His painfully obvious gaze drifted to the center stairs, leading up to the sleeping quarters before he said, “Unless you had an impulse to engage in a different activity this evening.”

The insinuation kindled a cursed, molten thread of intrigue. Scowling, Serenna crossed her legs and shoved her arms into a knot. Unamused by the spark of hope glowing in Fenn’s eyes, she battled his smoldering stare.

She could remember when this warrior had intimidated her just because he was a wraith, but now… Now she wrestled with a shameful thrill heating her blood. Unsure how to navigate this straightforward, relentless interest she’d never received before, skirting the fringes of flirtation was Serenna’s only defense.

Knuckles braced on the table, Fenn extended his fangs—likely to intimidate her—leaning forward to combat her defiance. “I had planned on spending the evening at the Lagoon, but now, rather than getting my—”

“Put those fangs away,” Serenna snapped, her exasperation coming out more forcefully than she intended.

Rising, Serenna decided that she wouldn’t squander this presented opportunity to annoy Fenn. She shouldered on the cloak, since her guard seemed determined to drag her outdoors. It seemed pointless to mention that they could watch the moons more comfortably from inside the Aerie.

“For your information,” Serenna said, tugging on her boots, “I didn’t ask for you to sacrifice your time at the Lagoon.”

“It’s a chilly night.” Fenn shrugged. “I’m open to warming up there afterward.”

Serenna’s heart banged against her ribs while she made every effort to avoid envisioning what that entailed. She yanked her hair out from under the cloak, tossing the strands over her shoulders. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Hard to intrude when I’m inviting you.” Fenn had retracted his canines by the time he opened the sliding glass door leading to the balcony. He stretched, scraping the obsidian stone of the doorway before waving her through. His eyes locked on hers before she passed the threshold. “Perhaps I have an interest in spending time with a particular she-elf.”

Serenna’s pulse stilled from his claim, any clever response she hoped to form crumbling to dust. He’s shameless. But I like that about him.

Pointedly ignoring him as she sidestepped outside, Serenna surrendered her arguments about how they spent nearly every waking moment together as it was. Fenn’s low chuckle said that she’d only lose whatever ground she hoped to gain.

Light streamed down from the full moons, hovering over the jagged mountains, drenching the valley like beacons in the night. “Should we move some of the furniture out here?” Serenna asked, drawing the furred hood around her neck.

An errant gust swirled a flurry of powdery snow, flakes gliding aimlessly through the icy air once the draft subsided. Fenn brushed the stirred hair out of his face, smirking too smugly. “I have a more secluded place in mind.”

“Naturally,” Serenna said, nervously laughing as her heart picked up speed. So it’ll be just the two of us. Alone somewhere.

Placing his palms on the balustrade, Fenn leaned over the edge to inspect stars knew what. Safe from his view, Serenna studied him. From his towering height and wraith lankiness, to the way his indigo skin glinted with shimmering iridescence, highlighted by moons. When he turned back before she could get any further, Serenna whipped her eyes up to the sky.

Realizing how they were going to get there, she emitted a defeated sigh. “And I suppose you’ll be jumping off the balcony and warping us to this mysterious place.”

Fenn tilted his head. “Do you not trust me?”

“Of course I do,” Serenna answered automatically, grasping the claw he extended.

Eyes dancing like the stars, his slanted, cocky grin was irritatingly charming. Serenna pinched her lips and flushed.

She squeaked when Fenn suddenly swept her off her feet, cradling her across his chest.

He pulled himself up to stand on the parapet, teetering on the ledge. Serenna’s stomach clenched. Knowing her objection was futile, she still asked, “Can’t you simply hold my hand when we do this?”

“I could.” The chilly gale whistled past, yanking at Fenn’s unbound hair. “But I like this position better.”

“I figured,” Serenna muttered, clutching his cloak. The precarious height and the blustering breeze snagged the breath in her lungs. Anticipating the whirl of his teleportation, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Fenn’s chest rumbled when he spoke. “I think I can make it there in ten warps.”

Serenna jerked in his arms, squawking with alarm. “Ten!” Her eyes flew open to see Fenn scanning the horizon. “Wait—”

They disintegrated into a twisting nether of darkness, her protest snatched away by the wind.

CHAPTER 41

SERENNA

Finally brave enough to open her eyes, Serenna’s tangled stomach untwisted itself when Fenn placed her back on her feet.

“That…was…definitely more than ten,” she panted, gripping his arm to steady herself. Miles away, the ancient volcano towered over the mountains, the snowy outlines glowing with the light of the moons.

Fenn chuckled. “It seems I miscalculated.”

Serenna brushed disheveled hair out of her face while her brain slowly stopped spinning. Readjusting her cloak, she nearly slipped, finding ice beneath her feet. The glassy surface reflected turquoise hues in the celestial light before rolling over the ledge in front of her. Fenn must’ve ferried her to that frozen waterfall he’d mentioned.

From their vantage at the top, a rocky overhang sheltered the crest from the howling wind. Serenna’s gaze drifted down to the valley below, then soared above to the expanse of glimmering stars. Steam curled in wisps around their legs, permeating from a tunnel behind them.

“There’s a hot spring back there if you follow the ice,” Fenn said, waving a claw at the cavern’s depths and the ripples of frozen water disappearing into the darkness. Along the stony walls, lichens and mosses twinkled with cyan luminescence, casting pinpricks of light deeper into the cave.

Spreading his cloak on top of the frozen stream, Fenn folded himself onto the ground, patting the space beside him. “So, what do the elves find so extraordinary about these moons kissing?”

Serenna settled next to him, tucking her knees up to her chest. “The eclipse marks a new half-year, I suppose.” Not being a natural furnace like Fenn, she needed more than a single layer to keep warm. Staving off the chill, she tucked the furs of the hood under her chin. “I never saw how the solstice was celebrated in Alari, but I…” Dwelling on where she might’ve been if she hadn’t portaled away, Serenna faltered. Her voice lost its strength, fraying to a whisper. “I was invited to the celebration at the palace tonight.” I think I was, anyway. She wasn’t sure why she brought it up to Fenn.

“The palace?” Fenn’s brows rose, lifting his piercings. His surprised expression shifted to uncertainty. “You know someone important back in your realm?”

Serenna coiled the ends of her hair around a finger. She wavered like a flame in the wind, considering how much to reveal. Fenn’s eyes flared with genuine interest, his quiet attention all the encouragement she needed to discharge the ruminations that had festered the past few weeks.

“I used to live in a castle in the human realms…” With a deep breath, Serenna released the torrent of her pent-up frustrations. She recounted everything she hadn’t shared with Fenn yet—beginning with Jassyn’s arrival in Vaelyn and ending when she’d portaled away. The only fact she withheld was her bond with Vesryn.

With a guilty sting needling her for the lie, Serenna twisted the ending of her tale. She claimed to have accidentally portaled to Lykor, pulled by his presence, skirting the truth of how she’d meant to confront the prince.

“Vesryn’s engagement will be announced during the eclipse tonight,” Serenna continued, wrapping her arms around her legs. Fenn remained silent, attentively listening to her tirade as she ran out of words.

Unable to ward off her heartache, a raw pang of sadness sank Serenna’s spirits as she told Fenn of running into the prince’s betrothed traipsing to his quarters. And right after we…on his balcony… Indignant anger welled like a tide. Vesryn must’ve known she was on her way since he tried to rush me out.

Serenna could acknowledge that it was her fault for letting everything go so far when she knew the prince was promised. I was too caught up in the bond and should’ve anticipated what it meant to be the other female in all of this.

“Your prince is dishonorable for tangling your heart,” Fenn said, dragging his talons across the ice. Scraping trenches, he dislodged a mound of frozen crystals. “He shouldn’t have cultivated doubt by partnering with another while paired with you—unless you both had discussed it and agreed.”

A lump swelled in Serenna’s throat as Fenn’s words echoed in the hollow cavern of her chest. “We’re not paired,” she said, defending the prince. “We never discussed any level of commitment.”

“If I were your elven prince,” Fenn continued softly, talking up to the moons, “I wouldn’t shy away from claiming the she-elf with eyes like the universe, burning with stars and fire.”

Serenna’s pulse skipped up her chest to thunder in her ears. “But—but you have partners already,” she stuttered, unsure how to accept Fenn’s admission. “What about them?”

“I’m committed to them, but I wouldn’t deny myself from another who harmonizes with my heart.” Fenn turned to face her, eyes flaring like comets blazing across the sky. “I find love to be like a tapestry, with each partner weaving their own unique thread into my life.”