Adrian's POV
A month had passed.
I had spent an entire month telling myself that staying away from her was the only way to keep her safe.
A month of forcing myself not to enter her room.
A month of hearing her footsteps in the corridor and pretending I hadn't noticed.
A month of wanting to reach for her whenever she looked at me—and forcing my hands to remain at my sides.
I had thought distance would make it easier.
It hadn't.
It was driving me insane.
Every day without her felt longer than the one before it. Every night, I told myself the same thing.
Stay away from her.
And every morning, I hated myself for listening.
I clenched my jaw.
Mike stood near the window, his expression unusually serious.
"Jake has gone quiet," he said.
I looked at him.
"Quiet?"
"He was hunting vampire tribes before. One after another. He was searching for information about Selenathyx."
"And now?"
"Nothing."
My expression hardened.
"That isn't normal."
"No." Mike folded his arms. "His silence could mean he's planning something."
"All vampires and werewolves are searching for Eira."
Mike nodded.
"If Jake has suddenly stopped, he may have found something."
"Or he's planning something bigger."
Mike remained silent.
I looked at him.
"If Selenathyx is inside her, can it be separated from her?"
"We don't know."
"Then find someone who does."
"There are certain werewolves who know the ancient secrets surrounding Selenathyx. We need to find one."
"We will."
Before I could say anything else, Elisa entered the room, holding her phone.
"I found something."
She turned the screen toward us.
A video began playing.
Eira's parents.
Both of them were crying.
"Eira…" her mother whispered, her voice trembling.
Her father looked broken.
"Please come home."
Elisa stopped the video.
Mike's expression darkened.
"She shouldn't know this."
My senses sharpened.
Her scent.
Faint, but close.
She was nearby.
She had heard it.
Mike hadn't noticed.
Neither had Elisa.
I said nothing.
Then I sensed her moving away.
She was going to her room.
I followed.
Her door was slightly open.
Through the narrow opening, I saw her standing beside the window.
She was crying.
My fists clenched.
I wanted to walk inside.
I wanted to wipe every tear from her face.
I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her that everything would be all right.
But I knew I shouldn't.
Before I could move, someone stumbled into me.
I took a step forward to steady myself.
The door swung open a little farther.
I turned sharply.
Drek.
He caught himself against the doorframe, one hand braced against it.
"Well," he muttered, straightening his clothes. "That could have gone better."
I glared at him.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Not deliberately." He glanced at me, then at the hand he'd used to steady himself. "Though, considering your charming personality, I suppose I should start making better decisions."
"Drek."
"All right, all right. No need to look at me like that. I only fell on you. I didn't declare war on your entire bloodline."
My glare sharpened.
He opened his mouth to say something else, then noticed Eira standing by the window.
Her eyes were still wet.
She quickly wiped her tears before looking at us.
"What is going on outside?"
Drek's expression immediately brightened.
"Oh, that?"
He stepped away from the door as if nothing had happened.
"There's a festival."
"A festival?"
"The Festival of the Ice Princess."
Eira looked at him curiously.
"The Ice Princess?"
Drek nodded.
"An old legend. One of those tragic love stories humans adore. Eternal winter, forbidden love, terrible decisions. The usual."
I gave him a warning look.
He ignored me.
"According to the legend, the Ice Princess, Isolde, lived in a kingdom trapped in eternal winter. The ice within her heart held the kingdom's magic together. As long as it remained untouched, her people were protected."
Eira's expression softened.
"But she fell in love, didn't she?"
"Of course she did." Drek sighed dramatically. "People in legends never seem to understand the value of a peaceful life."
Despite herself, Eira smiled faintly.
Drek continued.
"She fell in love with a king whose power commanded fire. His kingdom was the complete opposite of hers. Where her lands froze, his burned with warmth. They were enemies by birth, and their worlds were never meant to meet."
"Then how did they fall in love?" Eira asked.
"Apparently, neither of them had the good sense to stay away."
I nearly rolled my eyes.
Drek noticed and grinned at me before continuing.
"At first, Isolde feared her love would destroy everything she had sworn to protect. She believed that if she allowed someone into her heart, the ice sustaining her kingdom would melt, and her people would lose everything."
Eira listened without moving.
"But the king loved her anyway. He told her that a kingdom built on fear wasn't worth more than the heart of the woman he loved."
Drek's voice grew quieter.
"Then came the day of the crescent moon. It appeared only once every hundred years, when the boundary between Isolde's icy kingdom and the king's fiery lands was at its weakest. Her enemies had waited a century for that night. They crossed the border and captured the king, knowing Isolde would have to choose between her kingdom and the man she loved."
Eira's fingers curled slightly.
"What did she choose?"
"Love."
Drek paused.
"She gave up the magic inside her heart to save him. The eternal winter began to melt, and her kingdom was finally free. But Isolde disappeared before the king could return to her."
Eira stared at him.
"Did he ever find her?"
"No one knows. They say he searched for her for the rest of his life. He never loved anyone else, and every year, when the crescent moon appeared in the sky, he released white lanterns in the hope that she might see them wherever she was."
Drek looked toward the window.
"People say that if two souls are destined to find each other, even the darkest night cannot keep them apart."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Drek clapped his hands once, breaking the silence.
"And that, my dear Eira, is why humans spend an entire evening celebrating a princess who made one disastrous romantic decision after another."
Eira gave a small laugh.
I watched her carefully.
It was the first time in days I'd seen even a hint of a smile on her face.
Drek leaned toward her.
"There's music, food, lanterns, and enough sentimental nonsense to make an immortal regret living forever."
"Can we go there?" Eira asked.
Drek didn't answer.
Instead, he caught her hand.
"Come on."
"Wait—where are we going?"
"To ask Mike."
"Drek!"
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
He pulled her into the hallway and headed toward Mike.
I followed behind them.
Eira stopped in front of Mike, suddenly looking unsure of herself. Her gaze dropped to the floor, as though she wasn't certain she was allowed to ask.
Drek pointed at her.
"She wants to go."
Mike raised an eyebrow.
"To the festival?"
Drek nodded.
"Yes."
Mike crossed his arms.
"We aren't human, Drek. We can't simply walk into a human festival like this."
Drek looked offended.
"Why not? I can pretend to be human for a few hours."
Mike stared at him.
"You've been pretending for centuries."
"And I'm getting better."
Elisa laughed softly.
"It's okay, Mike."
He looked at her.
Elisa glanced toward Eira.
"She needs a little happiness."
Eira kept her eyes lowered.
She was trying hard to appear fine.
But I could see through it.
She was still hurting. Still carrying the weight of what she'd heard.
She simply wanted one evening when she didn't have to think about it.
I looked at her.
"We will go."
Her head lifted immediately.
Her eyes met mine.
For a moment, surprise flickered across her face.
Then a small smile appeared.
And for that smile alone, I knew I'd made the right decision.
Even if it meant spending an entire evening fighting the urge to pull her away from every pair of eyes that lingered on her.
Even if it meant pretending she was nothing to me.
I could endure that.
For her, I could endure almost anything.
Eira's POV
The festival was beautiful.
Lights covered every street, glowing above the crowd like fallen stars.
Everywhere I looked, people were laughing.
Children ran between the stalls. Couples walked hand in hand. The scent of sweets and warm food filled the streets, while music drifted through the crisp evening air.
For the first time in days, I felt as though I could breathe.
Mike and Elisa stayed together, trying their best to blend into the crowd.
Drek, however, seemed to have completely forgotten that blending in was supposed to be the goal.
A group of little girls came running toward us with baskets filled with toffees.
"Happy Ice Princess Festival!"
One of them held out a toffee to me.
I smiled.
"Thank you."
Drek immediately leaned toward the girl.
"Can I have one?"
She ignored him completely.
She turned around and ran away with her friends.
Drek stared after her, offended.
"I was asking politely."
I laughed.
"You weren't exactly looking innocent."
"I always look innocent."
Mike glanced at him.
"No."
Drek frowned.
"One day, Mike, you'll regret treating me this way."
"I've regretted it for centuries."
Before Drek could respond, the music suddenly changed.
A lively rhythm swept through the street, and people began gathering in the center of the festival.
Two little girls appeared in front of me.
One grabbed my left hand.
The other grabbed my right.
"Come dance!"
"Wait—"
They pulled me into the crowd before I could finish.
I laughed.
And then I stopped thinking.
For a while, I forgot everything.
My parents.
The video.
The questions.
The fear.
Everything disappeared beneath the music.
I danced.
I smiled.
I let myself get lost in the moment.
For those few minutes, nothing hurt.
Then I felt it.
Someone was watching me.
I slowly turned.
Adrian.
He stood several feet away, his eyes fixed on me.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't speaking.
But there was something in his gaze.
Something intense.
Something I couldn't understand.
For a moment, the entire festival seemed to disappear.
There was only him.
Then someone bumped into me.
I lost my balance.
Adrian moved instantly.
His hand caught my waist before I could fall, pulling me against him.
A startled breath escaped me.
My hands instinctively pressed against his chest.
His body was cold beneath my palms, just as it always was.
And yet, somehow, being close to him made me feel warmer than the entire festival could.
His fingers tightened around my waist.
His eyes locked onto mine.
Neither of us moved.
For one suspended moment, the noise of the festival seemed to disappear.
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes.
Something flickered there—something raw, restrained, almost dangerous.
My heartbeat quickened.
He didn't let go immediately.
His hand remained at my waist as though some part of him refused to release me.
Then, slowly, his fingers loosened.
He stepped back.
"Careful."
"I'm fine."
His gaze remained on me.
"Stay close."
Then he stepped away.
I watched him for a moment.
I didn't understand why those two words made my heart beat faster.
I turned back toward the festival.
The music continued.
Children laughed.
Couples danced.
For a moment, I let myself believe that perhaps the night could remain this peaceful.
But peace was never meant to last.
The music softened, and people began gathering with their white lanterns.
One by one, they lit them and released them into the sky.
Hundreds of glowing lanterns drifted upward, floating among the stars like tiny pieces of heaven.
I picked up a small white lantern and held it carefully between my hands.
I watched it rise slowly, disappearing into the night.
Then I closed my eyes.
I thought about the Ice Princess.
About a woman who had loved someone she was never supposed to love. Someone whose world was so different from hers that being together seemed impossible.
I thought about the king who had searched for her, even when the world gave him no reason to believe he would ever find her.
And then, without meaning to, I thought about Adrian.
I remembered the times he'd saved me when he could have walked away.
The way he'd caught me before I fell.
The way he always seemed to appear when danger found me, even while insisting that I should stay away from him.
And the way he had looked at me tonight.
He could be cruel with his words. He could push me away until I questioned everything between us.
But when I needed him, he was always there.
Even when he didn't want to be.
My fingers tightened around the lantern.
I had spent so long trying to understand why he treated me this way that I'd never allowed myself to admit what I felt.
Perhaps I'd been afraid of the answer.
Because loving Adrian meant accepting that I might never understand him.
That I might never know why he saved me, why he protected me, or why he looked at me as though he wanted to say something but forced himself to remain silent.
But I couldn't keep pretending my feelings were something else.
I loved him.
The truth settled inside me, frightening and undeniable.
I didn't know if my love was strong enough to overcome the difference between our worlds.
I didn't know if he could ever love me the way I loved him.
But I knew I couldn't simply stop loving him because it was dangerous.
I took a slow breath.
Then, Ice Princess, I'm asking you for only one thing.
Let us find our way to each other.
I opened my eyes.
And froze.
Adrian was looking at me.
He stood several feet away, a white lantern glowing softly in his hand.
His gaze was fixed on mine.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
There was something in his expression that made my heart ache. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but whatever it was remained trapped behind the walls he had built around himself.
His jaw tightened.
His fingers curled around the lantern.
For the briefest moment, I saw something almost vulnerable in his eyes.
Then he lowered his gaze to the lantern and lit it.
He released it into the sky.
I watched the white light rise between us.
Is he praying for us too?
The thought brought a small, foolish smile to my lips.
Perhaps I wasn't the only one wishing for something impossible.
Then—
A sharp metallic crash came from somewhere behind the stalls.
I turned.
A second later, fire erupted.
Flames burst suddenly from one of the stalls.
People screamed.
The music stopped.
Someone knocked over a lantern. Another flame caught.
Within seconds, panic tore through the festival.
People began running in every direction.
Children cried.
Someone shouted for water.
Smoke filled the air.
The warmth of the festival vanished beneath the heat of the flames.
I turned instinctively toward Adrian.
But the crowd had already swallowed him.
"Adrian?"
I pushed through the people, searching for him.
Then, just as I reached the edge of the crowd, an arm locked around my waist from behind.
A hand clamped over my mouth.
"Shh."
My entire body went rigid.
I struggled violently, but the grip tightened.
I tried to scream, but the sound died beneath his palm.
A familiar scent reached me.
Jake.
He dragged me away from the crowd and into a narrow alley between two buildings.
I fought harder, twisting in his arms.
"Don't make me angry, Eira."
He removed his hand from my mouth.
"What are you doing?"
I tried to step away, but he caught my wrist.
"Let me go!"
I twisted against his grip.
But he was stronger.
Much stronger.
Before I could pull free, he twisted my arm behind me and pinned me against the wall.
Not enough to injure me.
Enough to stop me.
"Jake!"
"Stop fighting me."
"Let me go!"
His jaw tightened.
"I'm trying to keep you alive."
I stared at him.
"What are you talking about?"
Instead of answering, he pulled out his phone.
"Look."
A video began playing.
My parents.
My breath caught.
They were crying.
"Eira, please…" my mother whispered.
Her voice broke.
"Don't come home."
My father looked behind him before speaking.
"They're watching us."
The video ended.
I couldn't breathe.
Jake lowered his phone.
"They aren't safe, Eira."
A tear slipped down my cheek.
"Who is watching them?"
He didn't answer.
"Jake, tell me!"
"Not here."
He reached into his pocket and placed something small in my hand.
A smooth, white, pearl-like object.
I stared at it.
"What is this?"
"A concealment charm."
I looked at him.
"As long as you hold it, Adrian won't be able to smell you."
My eyes widened.
"He won't be able to sense your presence either."
I closed my fingers around it.
Jake released my wrist.
For a moment, I simply stood there, staring at the small object in my palm.
Then I heard a familiar voice.
"Eira!"
My heart jumped.
Adrian.
I hurried toward the mouth of the alley, but Jake caught my arm.
"Let go!"
I tried to pull free.
Through the narrow opening, I could see Adrian searching through the crowd. His eyes moved from one face to another, his expression growing darker with every passing second.
He couldn't find me.
He couldn't sense me.
The realization made my stomach drop.
"Adrian…" I whispered.
I wanted to call out to him.
I wanted him to turn his head and find me.
But Jake's grip tightened around my arm.
"Don't," he warned.
I glared at him.
"You're keeping me away from him!"
"I'm keeping you alive."
"By kidnapping me?"
His expression hardened.
"Believe whatever you want."
He pulled me farther into the alley, keeping us hidden behind the wall.
Then he glanced toward the festival.
A faint, almost satisfied smile touched his lips.
"Don't worry, my dear. This time, that bastard can't find us."
Before I could answer, a little girl came running through the smoke toward Adrian.
She was crying, her small hands stretched out in front of her.
Adrian turned toward her.
She stumbled.
He caught her before she could fall.
"Are you hurt?"
For one brief second, everything seemed normal.
Then the girl looked up at him.
Her crying stopped.
Her tiny hand disappeared beneath her dress.
I barely had time to understand what was happening.
A flash of silver.
The girl drove the blade straight into Adrian's chest.
Adrian froze.
The silver burned through him.
His body jerked, and he staggered backward.
The girl suddenly began laughing.
"No!"
My scream tore through the chaos.
Adrian's head lifted.
His eyes found mine through the narrow opening between the buildings.
And everything in his face changed.
Pain.
Shock.
Recognition.
He reached toward me.
"Eira…"
"Adrian!"
His knees gave way.
He dropped to one knee, the silver blade still buried in his chest.
Blood stained his clothes.
But he didn't look at the wound.
He looked only at me.
His hand remained stretched toward me.
I lunged forward.
Jake caught me around the waist and dragged me backward.
"Let me go!"
I fought him with everything I had.
"ADRIAN!"
Adrian tried to stand.
His hand trembled, but he couldn't rise. Still, he reached for me.
Our eyes locked across the chaos.
The festival lights blurred through my tears. I couldn't hear the screams or the crackling fire anymore. I could only see him—the man who had spent a month avoiding me, who had told me to stay close, and who had come to the festival despite everything he was trying to deny.
And now he was bleeding, unable to reach me, while I was being dragged away from him.
"Adrian, please!"
Jake pulled me farther into the darkness.
I clawed at his arm, kicked, and twisted with all my strength.
Nothing worked.
I kept looking back, desperate to see Adrian one last time.
He was still on one knee, his gaze fixed on me, his trembling hand stretched toward me as though he could somehow pull me back through the distance separating us.
Then the alley swallowed the festival lights.
The darkness closed around me, and Adrian disappeared from view.
The last thing I saw was his hand, still reaching for me.
And in that moment, I understood something I had been too afraid to admit.
Maybe we were never meant to find each other.
Or maybe we were destined to—and that was why the world kept tearing us apart.
Because some souls don't meet by chance.
They find each other, even when the entire world is determined to keep them apart.