In The Arms of the Night

DAISY.

The fire crackles in the hearth of Margaret's cottage. The events that unfolded a mere few hours ago seem distant now, as if the past few days were part of a dream that's slowly fading into memory.

Bastian and I find ourselves nestled on the couch, close but not touching, both lost in our thoughts. It's so strange to think that we've come so far so fast. How long have we actually known each other? Has it been days, weeks... longer?

It feels longer.

But in that period, how many times has he saved my life? How many times has he held my hand, stood by my side, or made me smile?

I take a moment to trace the contours of his face with my gaze—the sharp lines of his jaw, the way his lips curl into a half-smile when he notices me watching.

"You're staring, Princess." Bastian's voice cuts through my thoughts. "What's on your mind?" he asks, and when I meet his gaze, I find myself unable to fully return his smirk.

"I was thinking that your eyes..." I trail off, swallowing my next words. His eyes look like his mother's used to. "Do you think Elyana will ever go back to how she was before she tapped into the black magic?"

The smirk falls from his lips, but the gleam in his eyes lingers. There's a lightness in him now that he's not weighed down by his secrets, and darkness is a burden best carried in good company.

"No, I don't think she will," he says. "Who we are in the present is the sum of everything we have been. From what I've seen, you can never go back. But I do believe we can move forward. Even if she can't be her old self again, I think there's a chance my mother can become something better. Someone kinder."

I try not to think of the versions of myself I have left behind with each choice I make. Even without black magic, we all have our ghosts, and we all have our shadows. How many unmarked graves did I dig to carve out the person I've become? How many past selves are buried underneath the skin of who I am today?

"I'll come back one day," Bastian says softly, his gaze growing distant. "She might not be able to find peace, but I will help her look for it nonetheless."

"And I will be right by your side when that happens," I add. His eyes meet mine, a mixture of emotions flickering within them—gratitude, understanding, and something more.

This moment, these people that we are right now... one day, they will be little more than a memory too.

So let's make it a good one.

"Besides," I add with a grin, shifting the tone, "you know Matt is going to want to come back and visit Derek."

He chuckles. "Oh, absolutely. Those two already seem inseparable. Almost as inseparable as Luke and Alice."

"Well, look who's been paying attention to the latest gossip of Elysium," I laugh. There's a teasing twinkle in his eyes, and I feel a warmth blooming within me.

As the conversation takes on a more playful note, I can't help but feel a surge of energy that's been building up within me. Despite the battles, the exhaustion, and the whirlwind of events, I find myself wide awake, more alive than I've felt in a long time. The magic of the valley flows through me, and I wonder if my newfound abilities have made me stronger in ways I hadn't anticipated.

"You know," I begin, my voice a gentle murmur, "after everything we've been through, I feel wide awake. It's like this whole journey has awakened something in me."

"What do you mean?" he asks curiously.

"I don't know," I admit, my fingers drawing idle patterns on the fabric of the couch. "I've always been drawn to darkness and danger, but now..."

Now there seems to be little holding me back from it, and I wonder how that will fit into my old life.

"Does that frighten you?"

I arch a brow and glare at him in dismay, and he bursts into laughter at the look on my face. "Come on, pretty boy. You should know me better by now."

"Fair enough." Bastian chuckles under his breath. "Well, if you're feeling brave and restless, I'm open to any bad ideas you may have for the rest of the night."

Actually, I do have one.

"Well, I've recently learned that you're a half-witch, and apparently, so am I now. So I was thinking… do you actually know any witchy stuff?"

His eyebrows shoot up in surprise, a mix of amusement and intrigue in his gaze. "Are you asking me if I know any actual witchcraft? As in, casting proper spells?"

"Yes."

Bastian's lips curl into a knowing smile. "I know a thing or two."

"Care to share some of that knowledge? I've learned a lot about myself and the world in the past few days. I might as well add channeling magic to the mix, officially, that is."

Bastian leans closer, his lips dangerously close to mine. "Well, if you're looking for a bit of magic, princess, I'm more than willing to oblige."

He offers me his hand and pulls me up from the couch in one swift motion. As I let him lead me outside into the cool night air, the sense of anticipation grows. The valley feels alive with a different kind of energy—a potent mixture of mysticism and possibility.

The moon hangs overhead, casting a silvery glow over the landscape. Bastian turns to me, his emerald eyes locking onto mine.

"Are you ready for your first lesson?" he says, a hint of mischief in his tone.

I nod, and he takes a step closer, his hand reaching out to brush against mine.

"Magic is all about connecting with the energy around you. Chants, rhymes, candles, athames, gestures, those things are all just tools to help you direct the currents that flow through the world. It's a current that you can now see, Princess. All you have to do is close your eyes."

His words send a shiver down my spine, and I let my eyes fall closed. I let him lift our entwined hands, his palm outstretched around my own as we reach up. I sink into his touch, letting him guide our movements as we trace patterns in the air.

"What do you want, Princess? All you have to do is ask for it, and the world will listen."

"I want the stars," I whisper with a smile and keep my eyes closed. Around us, I feel a shift, a change that makes the hairs on my arms stand on end as Bastian guides my hand and sinks our fingers through a river that runs through the sky itself.

"Open your eyes." Bastian's voice melds with the magic that surrounds us.

When I do as he commands, I gasp in awe.

There are shimmering lights surrounding our hands. I look up, and above us, it's as if the stars themselves are descending. They rain down and swirl around Bastian and me like a cascade of fireflies. His hand falls away from mine, and I tentatively step forward with my hand outstretched. My fingers brush against the twinkling lights, and, to my amazement, the stars respond to my touch, swirling around my hand.

A laugh bubbles up from within me, a mixture of wonder and exhilaration as I bring both my hands down and spread them in front of me, making the stars dance around me.

"This is incredible."

His eyes meet mine, a playful grin on his lips. "This is just the beginning."

Bastian takes a step closer, the distance between us evaporating. His fingers trace a line down my arm, sending a jolt of electricity through me.

I meet his gaze, my heart pounding in rhythm with the swirling stars. I say softly, almost tentatively, "Speaking of magic... I can't help but notice that now that the curse is gone, wolves are free to mate without fear. No black magic, no dark plague."

Bastian's green eyes darken with desire. "Are you suggesting something, Princess?"

"Oh, I'm not suggesting anything. It's just that the timing is rather convenient, wouldn't you agree?"

He gives a low chuckle. "You're dangerous when you're not busy risking your life to save the world, you know that?"

A mischievous grin tugs at my lips. "Maybe I like the danger."

His gaze flickers to my lips, and then he shuts his eyes and grits his teeth, resting his forehead against mine.

"Daisy," he growls my name under his breath, and I can feel the black wolf scratching right under the surface. My wolf purrs at the closeness of her mate, and her whisper is an echo of his own that matches what's in my heart.

‘Let me out.’

The black wolf's presence is like a shroud of darkness around me, bleeding into the night that surrounds us, hungry and demanding. But there is no point in denying him what is his.

"I'm yours," I tell him, and my words ripple through him. "And you're mine."

It's all the permission he needs, and at last, we both give in.