“You should marry Princess Fengmei.” These words almost choked me, but the princess could give him more than I ever could: A kingdom, a crown, a future. While all Liwei had ever asked me for was my heart, and I could not even yield that.

“Do you want me to, Xingyin?” A note of sadness threaded his tone.

I stifled my instinctive protest, forcing myself to say, “You must do what is best for you and your family.”

He clasped my hand tightly, and for a moment I was lost in the remembered warmth of his touch. “You have always fought against what life threw at you, whether you had a hope of winning or not. You dreamed of the impossible, making your own way when there was none. Don’t give up on us now.”

“I’m not who you think I am.” My voice was low. “I have made so many mistakes. I have hurt those I cared for, failed those I would have given anything to save.” These confessions were torn from the deepest part of me.

“No, Xingyin—for you have been tested more than most. Those forged through fire form the strongest blades.” He smiled at me, an echo of the companion of my past, then his expression turned somber once more. “I will not give up as long as you don’t, and I will stay by your side for as long as you let me.”

My emotions wound tighter, on the brink of snapping. I craved his strength, his comfort and kindness—all of which I had fallen in love with, that I loved still. “I don’t know what I want. And right now, it does not matter.”

“Just tell me, am I in your heart?”

“Yes.” I did not hesitate, for it was the truth.

“As you are in mine.” He tilted his head toward me. “Not knowing is not the same as not wanting. While there is hope, I will wait.”

Before I could reply, something pulsed through the air. My head darted up as I searched our surroundings. “The wind has shifted direction. Swifter. Colder.”

“Clouds, heading our way,” he confirmed grimly.

“We must flee. They must be Wugang’s soldiers.”

“They could be Wenzhi’s. Another trap.” His voice was edged with suspicion.

I shook my head. The feather would have been a great temptation, yet when I had emerged from the grove, weakened and hurt, Wenzhi could have seized it with ease. I did not know what lay in his heart, but it was not treachery—at least, not anymore.