Thirteen Months Later
“You could be over here with your true mate, enjoying the shade and a glass of chilled wine. But no-violence wins out, as always.” I let out a dramatic sigh, popping a grape into my mouth as I watched Leonardo from across the training grounds. His porcelain skin glistened with sweat, the sun catching on the taut muscles of his back and shoulders as he moved.
I let my gaze linger for a moment. “Well, I suppose the view isn’t the worst.”
Sofia chuckled, leaning against the sturdy trunk of a nearby tree. Her grin was wolfish, her hair now streaked with gold from the months spent under Carlo’s relentless sun. The golden undertones in her locks mirrored the warm glow of her tanned skin, the effect heightened by the draped gown she wore. Its elegant, Grecian style was pinned with golden clasps at the shoulders, giving her the look of a goddess from ancient human myths.
“Speak for yourself,” Sofia said with a wicked gleam in her eye. “I love a little blood-pumping action to start my day. Whether it’s political intrigue, brutal training, or a good old-fashioned fight, I’m in.”
Even now, I couldn’t help but admire how Sofia had flourished in Carlo’s court. The jungle’s dense beauty had transformed her, just as it had enchanted me. The sprawling greenery, colossal flowers, and cliffs rich with ripe, exotic fruits-it was all a feast for the senses. And yet, as breathtaking as it was, it demanded resilience from anyone who dared call it home.
Leonardo, naturally, was the only one entirely unfazed by the oppressive heat. Of course, he still indulged in the castle’s hot springs, even as the rest of us wilted under the relentless sun.
Laughter bubbled up from a grove nearby, where Chiara and Andrea sat beneath a canopy of trees they’d cultivated themselves. For three days, they had worked tirelessly, weaving their magic to create a small oasis of shade for our group. Now, as the golden light filtered gently through the leaves, their joy was contagious, their laughter as vibrant as the life they’d nurtured.
When Chiara had followed her brother to Andrea’s court a year ago, I’d been unsure if she’d return. My uncertainty had stretched for three agonizing months until the day a letter arrived. Delivered by a massive bird with wings as dark as night and scented with earth and greenery, the letter bore Chiara’s familiar handwriting. The moment I saw it, I had sprinted to Leonardo, tears streaming down my face as I waved it triumphantly.
“I told you!” I’d exclaimed, grinning at his bemused expression. He’d been certain she’d resist longer, returning to the Water Court before succumbing to the pull of her true mate. But I knew Chiara better than anyone. She was unyielding, knowing her worth without question. If she stayed, it meant Andrea had proven himself.
“You and your friends are infuriatingly stubborn,” Leonardo had muttered as I soaked him and the bed in playful retaliation. His smirk had been entirely unrepentant. “… And vengeful.”
Now, watching Chiara nestled in Andrea’s lap, her braids cascading down her shoulders, I couldn’t help but marvel at how love and magic had transformed her. Gold adorned her in subtle ways-a circlet of leaves, delicate bands around her wrists-and her connection to her element radiated from her like sunlight through a canopy.
Their bond, completed in less than five months, had brought a glow to her eyes that spoke of a joy only true mates could share. With Andrea by her side, Chiara had flourished.
“Speaking of pigheadedness, where’s your brother this fine afternoon?” Chiara asked Sofia, her tone light but teasing.
Sofia laughed, but it was Graziana who answered, her voice chiming as she approached. “He should be along soon-Dante, too!”
Branches rustled to our left as Noemi darted through, her silver-white hair a blur behind her. She tumbled into Sofia’s lap with a gleeful squeal, her cheeks flushed and rosy from running.
“Sofia!” she pouted. “I tried to get here earlier, but Graziana wouldn’t let me leave class.”
“Escaping yesterday and freezing the courtyard pond might’ve had something to do with that,” Graziana replied, though there was a sparkle of mischief in her eyes.
“She had the servants’ children gliding across the ice,” added a soft, lilting voice I had come to know well. Rain emerged from the trees, her hand in Graziana’s. Her playful smile and cropped sable hair had softened Graziana’s once-stoic demeanor, bringing warmth and light back to her life after the tragedies of the past.
“Sounds like I missed most of the fun,” Sofia said, her grin turning sly as she ruffled Noemi’s hair. “But I’ve got adventures of my own to share.”
“Adventures?” Chiara’s grin mirrored Sofia’s. “Or should we call them romantic escapades? Rumor has it the High Lord of Night has been spotted with a certain ‘flaming blonde.’ That wouldn’t be you, would it?”