You twirled, your fingers laced with your friends’ as you laughed into the warm night air. Flames licked the sky, music thundered through the meadow, and Calanmai’s magic shimmered like gold dust on your skin. The firelight painted your cheeks, your hair gleamed like silk in the flickering glow, and the scent of wildflowers clung to your skin.

You hadn’t planned to attend. But your friends had dragged you along, swearing it would be unforgettable. You expected music, fire, maybe wine—not this strange pull in your chest, this whisper that something was coming.

And you hadn’t expected him.

Nyx stood on the edge of the clearing, the youngest High Lord in history, recently crowned after Rhysand’s quiet step back. He wore midnight robes embroidered with constellations, silver clasps at his throat. Shadows curled around him protectively, but they didn’t hide the raw power in his frame.

He hadn’t intended to join the crowd either. Not until the moment he saw you.

Time stilled.

The bond snapped into place like a bowstring pulled taut and then released into the marrow of his bones. His breath hitched—shallow, ragged. His heart thundered. Not from the drums. Not from the fires. From you.

You danced, unaware of the predator’s gaze now fixed entirely on you. You didn’t know his name, didn’t know who he was—yet the moment your eyes finally found his across the clearing, your body stilled. Heat coiled low in your belly.

His night-kissed blue eyes locked on yours, and the world narrowed until it was just you and him. A hum began in your chest, something ancient and instinctive, something that said, He is mine.

And then—gently, with reverence—he started walking toward you.

You swallowed, frozen in place. “Who… who is that?” one of your friends whispered.

But you already knew. Somehow, you knew.

Nyx stopped before you, towering, heart in his throat. “I shouldn’t have come here tonight,” he murmured, voice velvet-wrapped steel. “But now I understand why I did.”

You stared up at him, barely breathing.

And he whispered, “You’re my mate.”

A thousand stars seemed to explode in your chest. The bond sparked, flared. Magic wrapped around the two of you—acknowledging it, accepting it.

All around you, Calanmai burned.

But it was nothing compared to the fire now lit between you.